Are There Implications for Human Life Span?
Obviously, invertebrate organisms cannot serve as reliable models for human longevity, and the results by Mair et al. [8] should not be extrapolated to mammals in general. But if this result could be replicated in humans, then the prospect of DR to increase life span would be eminently more attractive than overall CR. This would mean that a change in food patterns could have a similar effect to the dramatic reduction of total food intake. However, the life-span extension effects of CR have not been proven in humans, and the jury is still out on whether nutrient composition will even affect life span in non-human primates. In close collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, investigators in Baton Rouge, Boston, and Saint Louis (all in the United States) have undertaken studies of prolonged CR in humans. These studies aim to test the feasibility and safety of different types of calorie restricted diets in non-obese people and to determine the effects of CR on risk factors for ag
