Scientists tend to research different foods and nutrients to find out ways on how to live a longer and happier life.
A new study with mice found that reducing a specific amino acid called isoleucine can have many benefits for them.
This includes living longer, staying leaner and stronger as they age, and having fewer issues like cancer and prostate problems, even when they eat more food.
How it was discovered
Some people say, "a calorie is a calorie," but science is showing that it might not be entirely true.
Researchers, like Dudley Lamming from the University of Wisconsin, are saying that not all calories are the same.
They are looking into one part of our food, an amino acid called isoleucine, which many people might be eating too much of.
In the study, mice that ate less isoleucine lived longer, stayed leaner, and were healthier overall.
This amino acid is found in foods like eggs, dairy, soy, and meat.
Lamming and his team also found that overweight people tend to eat more isoleucine.
To understand it better, they gave mice different diets—one with less isoleucine.
The mice that ate less isoleucine lost weight and stayed leaner.
They also lived longer and were healthier in many ways.
Even though they ate more food, they burned calories better.
Why it might be useful
Lamming thinks that while it's promising, it's not easy for humans to eat less isoleucine because we need it to live.
However, by choosing healthier foods, we might naturally lower our isoleucine intake, which could be good for our health.
The study also found differences between male and female mice, which could help us understand more about how it all works.
