A recent study brings new insights into how the body responds to food restriction and sensory stimuli.
A team of researchers has found that touch and other sensory cues can cancel out the beneficial effects of restrictive diets on lifespan, according to an analysis published in the journal PNAS and reported by Science Daily.
The research was conducted on the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, a model organism widely used in aging studies. The scientists found that tactile stimuli can suppress the activity of the fmo-2 gene, thought to be essential for extending life under caloric restriction.
According to Scott Leiser, a professor at the University of Michigan, simply simulating touching the bacteria eaten by the worms reduced the activation of the longevity gene and reversed the life-extending effects normally seen with restrictive diets. Sensory stimuli activate a neural circuit that influences the release of dopamine and tyramine, thus modifying the body’s response to lack of food.
The researchers point out that the analyzed mechanisms are similar in the case of humans, hormones such as adrenaline and dopamine being activated in response to environmental factors. Previous studies have shown that even the smell of food can counteract the benefits of caloric restriction.
In a separate study, published in Science Advances, overactivation of the fmo-2 gene was observed to significantly alter the behavior of the worms, which become less sensitive to danger and feeding signals. Specialists believe that such side effects can also occur with therapeutic interventions intended to prolong life.
The research team is further exploring how the brain, metabolism and behavior interact in the hope of developing treatments capable of activating the natural mechanisms of longevity without the need for severe diets.
