WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Lowering the body temperature of mice without limiting the amount of food they consume can prolong their life by up to 20 percent for females and 12 percent for males, according to a new study.

"Our study shows it is possible to increase lifespan in mice by modest but prolonged lowering of core body temperature," said Bruno Conti, an associate professor at Scripps Research in California, who led the study published in the November 3 issue of the journal Science.

In the study, the body temperature of the mice was lowered from 0.3 to 0.5 degrees Celsius (32.5 to 33 degrees Fahrenheit), the researchers said. Prior to the study, scientists knew that body temperature and aging were linked in reptiles and other cold-blooded animals.

They also knew that the lifespan of mammals, or warm-blooded creatures, could be extended by reducing the number of calories they consume, which in turn lowers the body temperature by slowing down the metabolism.

The researchers carried out the study to determine whether calorie reduction was indeed responsible for extending animals' life, with a lowering of the body temperature being a secondary effect, or whether the latter was actually the cause of the increased longevity. It will take a long time, however, to determine if the same applies to humans, the researchers said.