Dietary Restriction and Life-Span Extension

The popularity of the dietary restriction (DR) paradigm (often used interchangeably with calorie restriction) among gerontologists is primarily based on the research finding of the last two decades. Originally discovered by McCay’s group in the 1930s, this paradigm showed that animals placed on the DR regimen, meaning reduced nutrition without malnutrition, had robust life extensions (1 ). This scientific breakthrough showed that nutritional status can bring about distinctive metabolic adjustments.