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Researchers from the Universtiy of Alabama at Birmingham have discovered how calorie-restricted diets help human cells live longer.

“Our hope is that the discovery that reduced calories extends the lifespan of normal human cells will lead to further discoveries of the causes for these effects in different cell types and facilitate the development of novel approaches to extend the lifespan of humans,” said Trygve Tollefsbol, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Center for Aging and Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Tollesfsbol and colleagues studied normal human lung cells and precancerous human lung cells. Both set cells were given normal or reduced levels of glucose (sugar) and were monitored for a few weeks.

They discovered that the normal cells lived longer, and many of the precancerous cells died, when given less glucose. The reduced glucose caused normal cells to have a higher activity of the gene that dictates the level of telomerase, an enzyme that regulates the proliferative capacity of human cells.

This study was published online in The FASEB Journal. According to Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, this discovery confirms that we are on the path to persuading human cells to let us to live longer and cancer-free lives.

So going back for a second dessert after a meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life.