Low Calorie Diets May Not Help you Live Longer

Back in 2009, a Wisconsin study on monkeys concluded that a low-calorie diet could increase life span. The world rejoiced, and scientists started cutting calories from their daily diet.

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Now, however, new evidence says that a low-calorie diet may not actually be worth it. A new study, which began in 1987 and spanned 25 years, concludes that calorie intake may not actually affect one's life span.

The National Institute on Aging study, published in the journal Nature, examined both male and female monkeys, one control group which ate normally, and another group that was on a restricted diet. While monkeys on a diet showed some benefits (older monkeys had a lower risk of heart disease, while younger monkeys had less cancer), test results found that low-calorie diets did not increase or decrease life expectancy.

"This shows the importance of replication in science," Steven Austad, of the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, told The New York Times.

Still, some scientists are pointing out the difference between the Wisconsin study and the National Institute on Aging study. The Wisconsin study only counted half the deaths, since the others were not related to aging. If all deaths had been counted, the results would not have shown an increased life span.So while watching what you eat may make you healthier, it probably isn't going to turn you into a family member from Tuck Everlasting.

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