For a certain kind of worms, eating sugar may reduce their life span by 20 percent, a new study suggests.
But it's unclear whether the same holds true for human beings, according to the study published in the November issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.
In the study, researchers at the University of California in San Francisco added a small
amount of glucose - sugar - to the diet of worms known as C. elegans, but only to see the worms had shorter lives.
The researchers attributed this to the sugar's effect on the worms' insulin signals. The
worms normally eat bacteria.
One of the researchers, Cynthia Kenyon, said the worms and people are actually similar in the way their bodies handle insulin.
"In the early '90s, we discovered mutations that could double the normal life span of
worms," Kenyon said at a news release from the journal's publisher. Those mutations involved internal signals regarding insulin, she explained.
The researchers noted although the research is in its early stages, it's possible that a low-
glycemic index -- one that doesn't quickly boost blood-sugar levels -- could boost longevity.
Scientists are already at work on related research, trying to understand how tightly
restricted diets -- in which animals eat much less than they normally would -- help them live
longer, according to the report.
Humans could conceivably try to do the same thing, but it's impractical for many people
to eat much less than their bodies tell them they should, said the report.