JAGGER’S DIET CAN ADD TEN YEARS TO YOUR LIFE
SCIENTISTS believe a “diet pill” could one day lead to an extra 10 years of life.
Doctors found in two studies that the keto diet, favoured by the likes of rocker Sir Mick Jagger, 74, and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, 44, may make us live longer.
Followers have long argued that the low carb, high fat diet turns the body into a calorie-busting machine by cutting out carbohydrates so the body burns fat for energy.
The diet involves replacing the likes of white bread, pasta and grains with high amounts of cream and butter.
Critics claim swapping carbs for fats entails its own health risks. But scientists in one study have been experimenting with a risk-free pill that they hope will harvest all the benefits.
In tests on mice, a 90 per cent fat diet has provided stunning results, which saw the animals much better protected from Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
Exciting
They were also more likely to live to old age and in good health. Nutritionist Professor Jon Ramsey, of the University of California, found that mice on the high fat diets had a 13 per cent increase in lifespan.
He said: “We expected some differences – but I was impressed by the magnitude.
“In humans, that would be seven to 10 years. But those mice retained quality of health in later life.”
He added: “Humans experience a decrease in overall function of organs during ageing. This study indicates that a ketogenic diet can have a major impact on life and health span without major weight loss. It also opens a new avenue for possible dietary interventions that have an impact on ageing.”
Mice were divided into three diet groups: a regular high-carb diet, a low carb/ high fat diet and a ketogenic diet of 90 per cent fat.
The diet was designed to look at metabolism rather than weight loss. The mice were tested at various ages in tasks such as mazes, balance beams and running wheels.
The ketogenic diet-fed mice showed lengthened average lifespan, increased memory, co-ordination and strength.
Age related markers of inflammation, along with the incidence of tumours, were reduced.
These mice had a lower risk of dying and performed at least as well on memory tests at old age as they did at middle age.
This contrasted with the mice eating the normal diet which showed an expected age-associated decline.
Alzheimer’s Research UK gave the study a cautious welcome. Spokeswoman Dr Rosa Sancho said previous research in animals has shown that dietary restriction may be linked to benefits to health and an extended lifespan.
But she added: “Mice on this diet tended to live longer and showed signs of better memory ability, providing interesting clues for future research into ways to improve the resilience of the brain into older age.”
A second study published in the journal Cell Metabolism also showed the keto diet improved lifespan and memory in ageing mice.
Dr Eric Verdin, president of the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing, California, said: “The fact we had such an effect on memory and preservation of brain function is really exciting.”
He added: “The older mice on the ketogenic diet had a better memory than the younger mice. That’s really remarkable.”