Dieting \'could keep brain young\'

Dieting could boost your brain power because it activates a protein which helps the mind stay young and healthy, a new study suggests. In a report published today by the Daily Telegraph newspaper in London, researchers claimed that restricting the number of calories you eat activates genes linked to longevity and keeps the brain functioning properly for longer, according to research on mice. Low calorie diets have previously been shown by several animal studies to extend life, reduce the risk of dementia and disease and boost the memory but experts were unsure exactly how this happened. Now a team of Italian scientists claims that eating fewer calories triggers a protein called CREB1, which turns on genes which are linked to a longer and healthier life. The researchers, from the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome, said their discovery could lead to new drugs which could keep the brain in a healthy, youthful state without the need for a restrictive diet. Mice which are only permitted 70 per cent of the calories they would normally eat typically live a third longer than normal and demonstrate better memory and mental function.