- One of the few proven ways to extend the maximum life
span (as opposed to the mean life span) of laboratory animals has been
caloric restriction (CR). CR has been shown to extend maximum life span
of animals up to 80%! Human research finds similar benefits of improved
health and vigor, but comparable life-span research in humans has not been
conducted. Those involved in the Biosphere II experiment were an example
of human CR research. [1]
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- The big question has been why does CR extend life span.
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
[2] sheds some light on this question. The study gives clues as to how
CR actually reverses aging. The hope would be to eventually find ways to
harness the biological effects of CR without having to eat less. This new
study may be an important step in that direction.
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- The Life Extension Foundation has published an interview
with a researcher in the study [2], Dr Stephen Spindler:
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- (1) http://www.grc.nia.nih.gov/branches/lns/jags99.pdf
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag98/jun98_cal_restrict.html (2) http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/98/19/10630
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- Reversing Aging Rapidly with Short-Term Calorie Restriction
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- Life Extension Foundation-funded Research Breakthrough
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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- An Interview with Stephen R. Spindler, Ph.D.
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- On Tuesday, Sep. 4th, the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences (PNAS) web site features a paper from the laboratory
of Dr. Stephen Spindler, who has been probing the life-extending effects
of calorie restriction using advanced gene chip technology. (For an explanation
of gene chip studies of aging, please see our interview with Drs. Tomas
Prolla and Richard Weindruch in the November, 1999 issue of Life Extension
Magazine.) Dr. Spindler examined aging changes in the expression of 11,000
genes and the modification of these changes by calorie restriction.
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- The major conclusions from this study are that many of
the life extension effects of calorie restriction happen rapidly, and that
these effects can be shown not only in young animals, but also in old animals
not previously on calorie restriction. Calorie restriction not only slows
aging and extends maximum life span, but it partially reverses aging changes
as well! On top of that, the fact that calorie restriction acts rapidly
means that, for the first time, it is possible to test anti-aging interventions
in weeks rather than years, which should drastically accelerate the search
for anti-aging treatments. Dr. Spindler, who is a professor at the Department
of Biochemistry at the University of California at Riverside and works
for a company called LifeSpan Genetics, was interviewed about his results
by Dr. Gregory M. Fahy and by Life Extension Foundation founder and president
Saul Kent on August 17th, 2001.
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- Life Extension: Dr. Spindler, what is the essence of
your new observations, which are just coming out in PNAS?
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- Stephen Spindler: I think the conclusion you can reach
from the paper is that even in very old animals, caloric restriction will
very rapidly produce most of the gene expression effects that you see in
long-term calorie-restricted animals. That means, I think, that even in
the short-term, older people may be able to benefit rapidly from switching
to a calorically-restricted diet, and that fits with some of the information
that has been in the literature for years. For instance, type II diabetics
improve when they start under-eating. Their blood glucose levels improve.
Their insulin sensitivity improves. Their general health improves, even
before the fat mass, for instance, is depleted. So, there have been some
hints that underfeeding could produce positive effects rather rapidly,
but this research that we are publishing shows this for the first time,
directly, using gene expression profiles as biomarkers for the effects
of caloric restriction.
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- The Full Interview:
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- http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/spindler_press_release01.html
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- Related research:
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- http://www.lef.org/weindruchprolla/ http://www.lef.org/weindruchprolla/science-aug-reprint.html
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- http://IanGoddard.net
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