31 Aug 2018 --- Mice with a lower calorie intake live longer and are both healthier and leaner, research has generally determined, and now, a study may have found the reason for this positive effect. The researchers identified that much of it is down to gut microbial communities and how they affect the immune system. The researchers hope that their work, published in Cell Metabolism, may one day make it possible to treat obese people with a drug that simulates caloric restriction, following the team uncovering compounds that can mimic caloric restriction.