Are you afraid of aging? Why not try calorie restriction – eat less to live longer. Increasingly, more people are joining the viewpoints of the ‘Calorie Restriction Society’. Eat less to live longer is not a myth, it is rather a theory backed with extensive research on various species like rodents, yeast, dogs and fish. All findings are suggesting calorie restriction (CR) to slow aging as well as to decrease the risk of old-age diseases (like heart disease and cancer). CR is a way to extend lifespan.
Immortality Institute International Conference 2010 – Paul McGlothin on Calorie Restriction in Humans,
A strong confirmation of how calorie restriction prolongs life has been shown for rodents. Recent research carried out on rodent found that if calorie intake was decreased by around 30 to 40 percent the lifespan of these rodents tended to increase by 30 to 50 percent above average. They also had a lower risk of neurodegenerative disorders, type II diabetes and oxidative stress. This is why the CR-regime is highly striking to humans. Nevertheless, there are no sturdy confirmations that humans will experience the same results.
CR is not a Weight Loss Diet
There are many who confuse the weight loss diet to calorie restrictions. One thing should be made clear – a weight loss diet is considered as harmful to our health, and counter-productive to longevity. The core goal of calorie restriction is simply to reduce the intake of calories yet assuring a balance consumption of minerals, vitamins and essential nutrients.
A CR-diet decreases the presence of white adipose tissue mass, which is considered as a good indicator for longevity. There are, however, some uncertainties in this field. Aging is associated to a rise in adipose tissue stores as well as insulin resistance. This is something that scientists are still troubling to understand. – The real effect of aging on humans and the connection of these effects on aging.
Calorie Restriction V/s Aging – The effect is separated by Proteomics
A convenient way to analyse the effect of calorie restriction and aging is to make use of proteomics. Spanish scientists named Jordi Sastre-Serra, Pilar Roca, Jordi Oliver and Adamo, Valle from the University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, made an empirical study on protein profiles of rats’ white adipose tissues. A group of rats was set on a 40 percent regime (CR diet) for 1 to 2 years. The other group was fed with ad libitum (AD).
The researchers extracted proteins from white adipose tissues and used 2D gel electrophoresis to separate them consistently. These samples were fully scrutinized through the use of image analysis and staining – fluorescent stain.
Roughly, 800 small protein spots were analysed. The proteins were found to be 80 to 90 percent identical. However, 133 proteins were different when comparing AD and CR animals.
Proteins from the CR-rats weren’t affected by age. This shows that calorie restriction halts aging and even turns our biological clock backward. Besides, the AD and CR animals tended to follow different biological mechanisms. This was fully confirmed by using mass spectrometric techniques, where 57 of the 133 protein confirmed this biological difference.
Calorie Restriction alters pathways
Calorie restriction led to changes in protein expression. There were various cycles involved to form this mechanism. It included lipid metabolic and glucose pathways, causing a rise in lipid biosynthesis. There was an increase in the expression of protein like NADPH, oxalacetate, lipid biosynthesis, lipolysis. It was even noticed that insulin receptors levelled through CR as more lipogenic stimuli was produced.
Other positive effects of CR were the boost of protective protein for oxidative stress, which supported in slowing aging. It also increased many of the various antioxidant enzymes while equally reducing stress-inducing proteins. Additionally, these facts were confirmed through the observation of a fall in the presence of oxidative adducts and carbonyl groups.
In fact, aging as well as CR do influence the expression of proteins. This involves iron storage, cytoskeleton and energy metabolism. Currently, the real function of these proteins in adipose tissues is unknown.
This research on calorie restriction is supported by microarray studies. They have been carried out to comprehend molecular mechanisms related to how to slow aging and prolong lifespan.
Constant progress in similar type of research can help to spot unknown biomarkers of aging. It could then be possible to create medical solutions having the same (mimicked) benefits as CR. This would make it possible to increase lifespan without having to adhere to strict regulated calorie intake.
Source: Spectro-Scopy Now
Wed, Nov 10, 2010
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories