Calories, Life Expectancy | featured news

The theory that people might dramatically increase their life spans by severely restricting their food intake has been around for decades. But that theory takes a big blow from a new study that finds monkeys put on such a strict diet -- getting 30% fewer calories than usual -- live no longer than monkeys allowed a normal diet, says USA Today's Science Fair.

Cutting daily calorie intake by 30 percent may put the brakes on the aging process, have beneficial effects on the brain, and result in a longer life span, according to a new 20-year study of monkeys published in the journal Science.