Calorie restriction in rodents: Caveats to consider

Calorie Restriction, Longevity and Cognitive Function

Calorie Restriction

Calorie restriction, or caloric restriction (CR), is a dietary regimen thought to improve health and slow the aging process in some animals and fungi by limiting dietary energy intake below the average needs. CR is the only dietary intervention which has been documented to increase both the median and maximum lifespan in a variety of species, among them rodents, yeast, fishes and dogs. The life...

Calorie Restriction à Lamarck

Epigenetic inheritance of resistance to exogenous nucleic acids via small interfering (si) RNA is well established in animal models. Rechavi et al. demonstrate epigenetic inheritance of a starvation-induced pattern of gene silencing caused by endogenous siRNAs and resulting in an increased longevity in the third generation progeny. Combined with recent findings in prokaryotes, these results sug...

The Benefits of Calorie Restriction and Calorie Restriction Mimetics as Related to the Eye.

The effects of calorie restriction without malnutrition seem to possess many beneficial effects in numerous disease states. Recently, studies related to calorie restriction mimetics that biochemically mimic the effects of calorie restriction are also becoming increasingly popular. Both calorie restriction and calorie restriction mimetics trigger an adaptive response reminiscent of mild-stress o...

Calorie Restriction— the SIR2 Connection

A nutritious diet low in calories improves the health and extends the life span of rodents. Recent studies identified a gene, SIR2, which encodes an NAD-dependent deacetylase and may mediate the effects of calorie restriction. In this review, we discuss SIR2 genes and calorie restriction in the lower organisms yeast and Drosophila. We then describe the physiological changes in mammals during ca...