Adolescent dietary restriction improves cognition and frailty in aged female Wistar rats

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nutritional Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Dietary restriction (DR) is a key intervention for lifespan and healthspan.
• The impact of DR during adolescence, particularly in females, is under-researched.
• Existing conclusions on adolescent DR effects are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the short- and long-term effects of mild adolescent DR on behavior and frailty in aging female Wistar rats.
• To determine how the onset and duration of adolescent DR influence lifelong health outcomes.
• To examine the impact of adolescent DR on synaptic markers in aging brains.

Main Methods:

• Female Wistar rats underwent DR (70% ad libitum intake) during early, middle, or both adolescent phases.
• Behavioral assessments included Open Field, Y-maze, and Novel Object Recognition tests.
• Long-term outcomes assessed survival, frailty, and cortical synaptic protein expression (SPH, drebrin, PSD95).

Main Results:

• No immediate behavioral effects were observed in adolescent rats undergoing DR.
• Long-term analysis revealed beneficial effects on survival, behavior, and frailty in aged rats.
• Adolescent DR induced onset- and duration-dependent changes in synaptic protein expression in aged animals.

Conclusions:

• Lifelong effects of adolescent DR are onset- and duration-dependent.
• Early nutritional habits significantly influence aging healthspan.
• Caution is advised for dietary interventions during critical developmental stages.