Yale study links calorie restriction to lower C3 protein, slower aging

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Yale study links calorie restriction to lower C3 protein, slower aging

Yale researchers found that moderate calorie restriction lowered levels of the immune protein complement component 3 (C3) in 42 adults over two years. The reduction in C3, which is linked to chronic inflammation, suggests a mechanism by which calorie restriction may slow aging without severe dietary restriction.

Key Facts

The study analyzed plasma samples from 42 participants in the NIH-funded CALERIE trial who reduced calorie intake by 11–14% for two years.
Complement component 3 (C3) levels fell significantly after calorie restriction, and white adipose tissue was identified as the primary tissue affected.
In mice, C3 expression increased with age, mirroring the human pattern and supporting a causal role in aging.
The findings were published in Nature Aging and led by Vishwa Deep Dixit, director of the Yale Center for Research on Aging.

Calorie Restriction and C3

Researchers measured more than 7,000 proteins in plasma samples collected over time from CALERIE participants. Complement component 3 (C3) stood out because its levels fell significantly after calorie restriction. Earlier research suggested that activation of the complement system may contribute to chronic inflammation, a major feature of aging. Hee-Hoon Kim, a postdoctoral associate in the Dixit lab and co-first author, said the causal effects of C3 in aging had not been identified before this study.

Fat Tissue as C3 Source

Comparing protein levels before and after two years of calorie restriction showed white adipose tissue as the primary tissue affected by the dietary change. In mice, C3 expression rose with age, matching the pattern seen in human plasma. The study suggests that targeting C3 or its production in fat tissue could mimic some anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction without severe dietary limits.

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Yale study links calorie restriction to lower C3 protein, slower aging

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Yale study links calorie restriction to lower C3 protein, slower aging

Key Facts

Calorie Restriction and C3

Fat Tissue as C3 Source

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