BATON ROUGE - The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is looking for participants in a health study that could pay out as much as $850.

The study is seeking 90 participants in Baton Rouge and Birmingham, Alabama to research the effects of intermittent fasting or calorie restriction on aging. Testing in animals shows that it can improve health and slow the effects of aging. 

Those interested in participating can find more details here.

Read the full announcement from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center below.

Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can help people lose weight and may be easier to follow than counting calories (traditional calorie restriction).

Exciting new research in animals suggests that intermittent fasting slows aging and helps animals live longer. Researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham are now doing a study to see if intermittent fasting can slow the aging process in people, too, and are looking for healthy adults aged 25-45 to participate.

In this new study, called DiAL-Health, researchers will determine if intermittent fasting or calorie restriction can slow aging and improve health in healthy people who are either lean or somewhat overweight. Moreover, the study will help determine if either dietary approach can improve aging biomarkers and improve “healthspan” – the length of your life that a person is free of diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.

The study is being led by Dr. Corby Martin, Professor and Director of the Ingestive Behavior, Weight Management and Health Promotion Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical; Dr. Leanne Redman, Professor and Director of Pennington Biomedical’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Women’s Health Laboratory; and Dr. Courtney Peterson from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“We have known for almost a hundred years that eating less extends an animal’s healthspan and lifespan,” Martin said. “Although eating less also slows aging in humans, it can be difficult to follow. Recently, however, studies have shown that intermittent fasting affects aging in a similar way in animals. Since intermittent fasting may be easier to follow than calorie counting, we are excited to see if intermittent fasting may be an easier way to become healthy and slow the aging process.”

Dr. Redman said that this new study is particularly innovative as “it will use newly developed smartphone apps to help people stick with the program with minimal support from health coaches.”

In addition to affecting health and possibly longevity, both diets also promote weight loss, which can help address the nation’s obesity epidemic.

“Obesity is one of the most prevalent and deadly diseases nationally,” said Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center. “This study is an important contribution to our understanding of how intermittent fasting can help individuals to lose or maintain weight.”

This new clinical trial is currently open to join and will recruit 90 people in Baton Rouge and Birmingham, Ala. People interested in participating in the Baton Rouge trial should call 225-763-3000, email clinicaltrials@pbrc.edu, or visit www.pbrc.edu/DialHealth. People interested in participating in the trial in Birmingham should apply here. Participants will be compensated up to $850 for the completion of the study.

This study is supported by a grant from the National institutes of Health.

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