Ageing and low calorie diet

[Harry Witchel]

In article <174327C1BS86.FCOBOS at utcvm.utc.edu>, FCOBOS at utcvm.utc.edu 
(Franklin V. Cobos II) says:
>
>  I saw a program on TLC last night called ULTRA Science...there was a
>segment on there about low calorie diets and how they have been shown
>to prolong life in mamals.  Did anyone else see that?  Does anyone
>have any credible ref. that they could give the group that we could
>read up on this topic?
> 
>Franklin-
> 
> 

Hello!
	Caloric restriction leading to retardation of the aging process in 
rats has a long history in academic science.  The original reference dates 
back to 1935: 

C McCay, M Crowell, L Maynard (1935). "The effect of retarded growth upon 
the length of life and upon ultimate size."  Journal of Nutrition, vol 10, 
p.63-79.

	At the time the discovery was not acclaimed because the 1930s were 
obsessed with the new vitamins being discovered, whereas this paper was 
sort of a less is more thing.
	Many other researchers have validated the original claim that in 
rodents low calorie diets cause extended mean life time, extended maximum 
lifespan, and other indicators of aging (coat quality, disease resistance, 
etc.).  Currently the US expert is EJ Masoro, and an example might be:

EJ Masoro, I Shimokawa, and BP Yu "Retardation of the aging processes in 
rats by food restriction" Annals NY Academy of Sciences (1991) v.621, p. 
337.

I am not certain as to the work on primates, but I vaguely remember seeing 
an abstract by Richard Cutler reviewing primate caloric restriction.
	Harry Witchel