Exercise as a calorie restriction mimetic: implications for improving healthy aging and longevity

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Longevity Research
• Metabolic Adaptations and Aging
• Comparative Physiology

Background:

• Calorie restriction (CR) is a validated method for extending lifespan across diverse model organisms.
• Reduced body size and adiposity are common physiological outcomes of CR.
• Investigating exercise as a potential mimic of CR's longevity benefits is crucial for understanding aging mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and discuss the evidence for exercise as a calorie restriction (CR) mimetic in the context of healthy aging and longevity.
• To compare the effects of CR and exercise on lifespan, healthspan, and biomarkers of aging in animal models and humans.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of data from rodent and human studies on CR and exercise interventions.
• Analysis of epidemiological evidence linking exercise to morbidity and mortality risk.
• Comparison of metabolic profiles in long-term CR humans with CR rodents and nonhuman primates.

Main Results:

• In rodents, exercise improves health and survival but does not extend lifespan, unlike CR.
• In humans, both CR and exercise show similar short-term benefits for disease risk factors and aging biomarkers.
• Epidemiological data support exercise for reducing morbidity and mortality, but not for lifespan extension.

Conclusions:

• Exercise, similar to CR, can mitigate weight gain and adiposity.
• Only CR has demonstrated consistent lifespan extension in model organisms.
• CR's aging-slowing effects in rodents appear linked to reduced nutrient flux rather than solely energy balance or body composition changes.