The scientists then correlated the amount of fat reduction to life span.
The result showed that mice that maintained their fat actually lived longer. Those that lost fat died earlier.
"Indeed, the greater the fat loss, the greater the likelihood the mice would have a negative response to dietary restriction, i.e., shortened life," said James Nelson, professor of physiology at the Barshop Institute.
"This is contrary to the widely held view that loss of fat is important for the life-extending effect of dietary restriction. It turns the tables a bit," he said.
The researchers, however, cautioned that the new findings could not be directly applied to people until similar studies are done in humans.
People are best advised to adopt a moderate approach, not losing all fat but definitely not keeping unhealthy amounts of fat, either.
The results are expected to be published in the June issue of Aging Cell.
Source: ANI