Food restriction research: Its significance for human aging

The total lack of knowledge concerning the nature of the primary aging processes coupled to the lack of biomarkers of aging has made it difficult to devise fruitful approaches for the study of aging. Indeed, the only index of aging about which there is general agreement is the life span of the species (i.e., the maximum age attained by members of the species). Only one manipulation has been found which extends the life span of a mammalian species and that is food restriction in rodents. In addition to increasing life span, food restriction also retards almost all age-associated physiological changes and diseases processes. It is concluded that food restriction has these diverse actions because it retards the primary aging processes. Recent research has been focused on the mechanisms by which food restriction influences the primary aging processes because it is believed that such knowledge will provide insight on the basis nature of aging. Available evidence pints to the neural an endocrine system as couplers of food restriction to the aging processes. Of particular current interest are the effects of food restriction on protein turnover and free radical metabolism. The importance of food restriction to human aging relates to the information it is expected to yield on the nature of the primary aging processes in all mammalian species and the database it should provide for interventions of human aging.