These "longevity genes" unlock caloric restriction health benefits and increase energy.

Restricting calories in order to live longer isn’t a new idea. This dietary habit has all kinds of serious health benefits ranging from delaying muscle loss to encouraging better muscular functions in older adults. There’s a lot involved in why this happens at a cellular level, but one primary reason is a relatively unknown but crucial group of “longevity genes.”

What’s salt got to do with it?

When we look in the mirror, it can be hard to imagine how our cells have anything to do with the image staring back at us. How can something so small, something we can’t even see, influence what we look like or how we feel?

A new study published last month provides an intriguing answer to this question. Lead author Bhupendra Singh and colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham uncovered a direct link between the health of our mitochondria and two common and highly visible signs of aging: hair loss and wrinkles.