Low-Protein “Longevity Diet” Linked to Fat Loss, Muscle Preservation, and Healthy Aging

Could healthier aging depend less on cutting calories and more on getting the right balance of protein and amino acids? The Longevity Diet Behind the ResearchValter Longo of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and his colleagues tested a low-protein, methionine-supplemented longevity diet (LDMM) in 20-month-old mice. The animals were compared with mice fed a standard diet, a Western diet high in fats and sugars, or a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. That pattern remained even though the high animal protein group reported eating fewer calories and otherwise healthier diets, Longo said. The finding challenges the familiar idea that weight loss and metabolic health are mainly about calorie reduction.