Health | aging Monkey Lesson: Eat Less, Live Longer By John Johnson Posted Jul 9, 2009 8:14 PM CDT Copied Rhesus monkeys Canto, 27, left, on a restricted diet, and Owen, 29, on an unrestricted diet, at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. (AP Photo/UW-Madison University, Jeff Miller) A landmark study of rhesus monkeys suggests one way to live to a ripe old age in good health: Eat less. A lot less. Monkeys on a strict diet over the past 20 years—as in, a whopping 30% fewer calories than normal—have proven to be a healthier bunch than a control group, with fewer cases of cancer, diabetes, and heart and brain disease, reports the New York Times. “These data demonstrate that caloric restriction slows aging in a primate species,” say the researchers in Science. Some diehard humans already embrace the practice, but the idea of near-starvation limits its appeal. The findings are expected to boost the study of drugs such as resveratrol, found in red wine, that can mimic the benefits of a very-low-cal diet without all the hunger pangs. Read These Next SCOTUS sounds skeptical about law banning gay conversion therapy. Felix Baumgartner's death attributed to his own error. Robin Williams' daughter: AI clips of him are 'disturbing' You might want to take mass transit instead of driving in this city. Report an error