(C) flickr & Brymo
肥満を避ければ成人病の予防に役立つのは常識だが，寿命を延ばすには運動するよりも食べる量を減らす方が効果的であることが，マウスを使った実験で示された。その理由として，運動が組織やDNAを損傷してしまうからなのか，食餌制限が生理学的に良い変化をもたらすからなのかはこれまで不明であったが，今回の実験でこのメカニズムの一部が明らかになった。実験では，運動は寿命に影響するほどの損傷にはつながらなかったが，食餌制限は糖尿病の危険性を低くするといった運動にない効果があった。長生きには過食を運動で補うより少食がよいのだろうか。（吉田素子）
A study investigating(1) aging(2) in mice(3) has found that hormonal(4) changes that occur when mice eat significantly(5) less may help explain an already established phenomenon(6): a low calorie(7) diet can extend the lifespan(8) of rodents(9), a benefit that even regular exercise does not achieve.
“We know that being lean(10) rather than obese(11) is protective from(12) many diseases, but key rodent studies tell us that being lean from eating less, as opposed to(13) exercising more, has greater benefit for living longer. This study was designed to understand better why that is,” said Derek M. Huffman, the study’s lead author(14).
The study applies only to rodents, which are different in some key ways from humans, cautions(15) Huffman. However, at least two studies which examined people who engage in(16) high-volume(17) exercise versus(18) people who restricted(19) their calorie intake(20), had a similar outcome(21): caloric(22) restriction(23) has physiological(24) benefits that exercise alone does not. Researchers(25) expect that clues to(26) the physiology(27) of longevity(28) in mice will eventually(29) be applied to people, Huffman said.
The study, “Effect of exercise and calorie restriction on biomarkers(30) of aging in mice,” appears in the May issue of the American Journal of Physiology published by The American Physiological Society (APS; www.The-APS.org). The study was carried out(31) by Huffman, Douglas R. Moellering, William E. Grizzle, Cecil R. Stockard, Maria S. Johnson and Tim R. Nagy, all of the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) and funded by the UAB Center for Aging. Dr. Huffman is now at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
(1) ～を調査している (2) 加齢 (3) マウス (4) ホルモンの (5) 著しく (6) 現象 (7) カロリー (8) 寿命
(9) げっ歯類 (10) 痩せた (11) 肥満の (12) ～から保護する (13) ～とは対照的に (14) 主執筆者
(15) 警告する (16) ～を行う (17) 大量の (18) ～に対して (19) 制限した (20) 摂取 (21) 結果
(22) カロリーの (23) 制限 (24) 生理学的な (25) 研究者 (26) ～への手掛かり (27) 生理学 (28) 長寿
(29) 結局は (30) バイオマーカー (31) 実施された
