Will Eating Less Make You Live Longer?
Read Will Eating Less Make You Live Longer? and check the IELTS Reading answers. Calorie restriction, or ‘semi-starvation' as some refer to it, has been proven to extend lifespan in many living organisms from yeast to mice, but the picture for primates, including humans, is not so clear. Research p…
Passage preview
Calorie restriction, or ‘semi-starvation' as some refer to it, has been proven to extend lifespan in many living organisms from yeast to mice, but the picture for primates, including humans, is not so clear. Research published by a team at the University of Wisconsin in the United States shows that rhesus monkeys also live longer on a calorie-restricted diet. But those findings disagree with research by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Maryland, also in the United States. Rozalyn Anderson, of the Wisconsin team, says the research is not intended as a recommendation of calorie restriction. ‘I find the idea monumentally unattractive!' she says. 'We study it because it is so effective at delaying ageing and the onset of age-related disease. It's a way to tease out what it is that creates increased disease vulnerability as a function of age.'
Vocabulary from this passage
11 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- at odds with adjective
In disagreement or conflict with something; contradictory to a set of data or a theory
The latest experimental results are directly at odds with the previously established scientific consensus.
- calorie restriction noun
The practice of limiting dietary energy intake with the hope of improving health and slowing ageing
Long-term calorie restriction has been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes in various animal models.
- intervention noun
Action taken to improve a situation or medical condition; a specific treatment applied in a study
The dietary intervention resulted in significant health improvements for the middle-aged subjects.
- longevity noun
Long life; the length of time that an individual or organism lives in reality
The study aims to identify the nutritional factors that most significantly contribute to human longevity.
- monumentally adverb
To an extremely great or significant degree; used to emphasize the scale or intensity of something
Restricting calories for an entire lifetime is a monumentally difficult undertaking for most humans to consider.
- onset noun
The beginning of something, especially something unpleasant or a condition like a disease
Early intervention is crucial to delay the onset of symptoms associated with neurodegenerative disorders.
- preliminary findings noun
The initial results of a study or experiment, often subject to further verification and peer review
Although the preliminary findings are promising, a larger trial is necessary to confirm the drug's effectiveness.
- standardise verb
To cause something to conform to a standard; to make things of the same type consistent
Laboratory protocols are designed to standardise the experimental conditions across different research teams.
- sucrose noun
A compound which is the chief component of cane or beet sugar; a simple carbohydrate
The experimental diet was high in sucrose, which may have influenced the weight gain in control subjects.
- tease out verb
To gradually discover or extract information that is difficult to find or understand clearly
The researchers attempted to tease out the specific genes responsible for increased longevity in the primates.
- vulnerability noun
The quality of being easily hurt or influenced; the state of being susceptible to disease or harm
Advanced age is often accompanied by an increased vulnerability to common infectious diseases.
Answers with explanations
- 14. B
The paragraph references studies with the **same level of reduction** (30%) on **different animals** (mice vs monkeys). Answer: B.
- 15. G
The paragraph comments that **control monkeys** in the NIA study **reached an older age** (past 40) than **normal** (average 27). Answer: G.
- 16. E
The paragraph highlights **distinctions** between the **types of food** (processed vs whole grains) which helps explain the **contrast in findings**. Answer: E.
- 17. C
The paragraph lists **examples of health problems** (diabetes, heart disease, brain diseases) that restricted monkeys were **less likely to get**. Answer: C.
- 18. A
The paragraph contains a **researcher's negative opinion** ('monumentally unattractive') of the diet. Answer: A.
- 19. D
The paragraph references the **stage in the monkeys' lives** (**early adulthood**) when the research **commenced**. Answer: D.
- 20. A
The statement says it is good the studies took **dissimilar approaches**. **Anderson** states that because they were **set up differently**, they will **gain maximally**. Answer: A.
- 21. C
The statement says **neither study** used **typical diets**. **Heilbronn** argues that **neither group** had the right notion of a **standard diet**. Answer: C.
- 22. A
The statement describes calorie restriction as a method to find out about **health issues** connected with **ageing**. **Anderson** explains it is used to understand **disease vulnerability as a function of age**. Answer: A.
- 23. B
The statement says reduction has a **positive effect** on those with **unhealthy diets**. **Mattison** uses the example of an **overweight person** eating **fast food** benefiting from cutbacks. Answer: B.
- 24. ageing
The summary states monkeys suffered fewer diseases associated with the **aging** process. The text confirms both studies found fewer diseases **related to ageing**. Answer: aging.
- 25. lifespan
The summary says they are determining if the diet increases primates' **lifespan**. The text discusses the question of whether it **extends lifespan** in primates. Answer: lifespan.
- 26. conflict
The summary mentions a **conflict** between the data. The text explicitly refers to the **current data conflict**. Answer: conflict.