Caloric restriction delays disease onset and mortality in rhesus monkeys.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Preclinical non-human animal research.
PubMed 19590001 · doi:10.1126/science.1173635
What was done
A 20-year longitudinal study evaluated the effects of adult-onset moderate caloric restriction without malnutrition on aging-related disease onset and mortality in rhesus macaques maintained at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center.
What was found
At the reported 20-year time point, 80% of caloric-restricted monkeys survived compared to 50% of control-fed monkeys. Caloric restriction lowered the incidence of age-related deaths and delayed the onset of age-associated pathologies, specifically reducing the incidence of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and brain atrophy.
Why it matters
This study provides long-term longitudinal evidence in a non-human primate model that adult-onset caloric restriction can delay age-associated disease and improve survival.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total sample size (n), exact dietary deficit percentage, quantitative effect sizes, statistical significance, or sex distribution. Findings in captive rhesus macaques cannot be directly extrapolated to free-living humans.
Cited by
- supports In the University of Wisconsin calorie restriction study led by Rozalyn Anderson, rhesus monkeys lived longer and had significantly lower incidence of cancer and overall disease burden.