2018 Volume 18 Issue 2 Pages 61-66
Long term caloric restriction (CR) retards age-related pathophysiological changes and extends median and maximum lifespans in various animals. Therefore, CR is accepted as a robust, reproducible and simple experimental manipulation that is widely used in aging research. Several molecular mechanisms including suppression of growth hormone (GH) /insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) signal, reduced mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 activity, activation of sirtuin, improvement of mitochondria/redox regulation, remodeling of white adipose tissue might be involved in the beneficial actions of CR, but the exact mechanism is still debated. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of the beneficial actions of CR based on the evidences using genetically modified rodents obtained by the recent advance of molecular and genetic technologies.
