Impact of caloric restriction on health and survival in rhesus monkeys from the NIA study

Abstract

Life extension by calorie restriction (CR) has been widely reported in a variety of species and remains on the forefront of anti-aging intervention studies. We report healthspan and survival effects of CR from a 23-year study in rhesus macaques conducted at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). CR initiated at older ages did not increase survival relative to Controls; however, CR monkeys demonstrated an improved metabolic profile and may have less oxidative stress as indicated by plasma isoprostane levels. When initiated in young monkeys, there was a trend (p=0.06) for a delay in age-associated disease onset in CR monkeys; but again, survival curves were not improved, in contrast to another study reported in the literature. This suggests that the effects of CR in a long-lived animal are complex and likely dependent on a variety of environmental, nutritional, and genetic factors.

Plasticity of lifespan: a reaction norm perspective

“…However, there were also major differences in the results of these studies, including the fact that one found that DR reduces mortality, whereas the other did not (46,47) . Interestingly, a recent report (48) now suggests that in the National Institute on Aging study (47) control animals might in fact have been undergoing DR which would explain why DR did not have a greater impact in that study. Some of these discrepancies might stem from differences in experimental design, including differences in food composition and the genetic origin of the animals.…”

Long live FOXO: unraveling the role of FOXO proteins in aging and longevity

“…Accordingly, genetic polymorphisms/mutations that cause loss of function of GH, IGF‐1 receptor, insulin receptor or its downstream factors, have been implicated in human longevity as in model organisms (Fontana et al ., 2010; Kenyon, 2010b; Tazearslan et al ., 2011; Barzilai et al ., 2012; Milman et al ., 2014). Dietary restriction is a well‐known environmental signal shown to expand lifespan in eukaryote species, from yeast to primates (Colman et al ., 2009; Fontana et al ., 2010; Mattison et al ., 2012). The “longevity response” to dietary restriction is regulated by several nutrient‐sensing pathways: the kinase TOR, AMP kinase, sirtuins, and the IIS (Kenyon, 2005).…”

Dietary fat composition influences glomerular and proximal convoluted tubule cell structure and autophagic processes in kidneys from calorie-restricted mice

“…Among them, the reduction of calorie intake without malnutrition, also known as calorie restriction (CR), has been shown to be the most robust nongenetic or pharmacological approach to study this phenomenon (Weindruch & Walford, 1988). A reduction in calorie intake (typically 20–40% of the ad libitum fed controls) has been reported to increase lifespan and to prevent cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other age‐related diseases in a wide range of animals, including non‐human primates and humans (Colman et al ., 2009; Mattison et al ., 2012). Although the mechanisms by which CR operates are not completely understood, it is often assumed that the anti‐aging action of CR is partially based on its ability to suppress oxidative stress and maintain the cellular redox status to provide optimal cell signaling processes and normal gene expression (Chung et al ., 2013).…”