Fruit flies' diet? Never too late

HARTFORD COURANT
Scientists have long known that dramatically reducing calories greatly extends the life span of many organisms. Now they have discovered that, in fruit flies at least, longevity benefits can be reaped even when dietary changes start late in life.
In the current issue of the journal Science, British researchers at the University College London report that flies put on calorie-restricted diets in midlife or late in life achieved the same low levels of mortality within two days as flies placed on a restricted diet for their entire lives.
Conversely, the death rate of flies on a restricted diet soared when they were placed on a full diet, the researchers found.
"Aging is so remarkably pliable that interventions do not have to be lifelong," the authors wrote. "Interventions even late in life can switch death rates to a lower, healthier trajectory."
Similar tests need to be conducted on mammals, they said.