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MONKEY DIET WORTH APING

CHICAGO — A 20-year study shows a reduced-calorie diet decreases diseases and extends life in monkeys — and researchers see it working on humans.

Rhesus monkeys on the strict diet were three times less likely to die from such age-related diseases as heart disease, cancer and diabetes than monkeys allowed to eat whatever they liked.

The findings, in the journal Science, reinforce studies of yeast, worms, flies and rodents and suggest that other primates, including humans, could similarly benefit.