Calorie Restriction-Regulated Molecular Pathways and Its Impact on Various Age Groups: An Overview.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of molecular pathways and mechanism-based reasoning with no primary empirical data or systematic review methodology.
PubMed 35451872 · doi:10.1089/dna.2021.0922
What was done
This paper is a narrative overview summarizing molecular signaling pathways modulated by calorie restriction (CR) and describing the physiological impacts of CR across different life stages, from preconception and early development to middle and old age.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values, effect sizes, or study counts. It outlines the qualitative regulation of molecular pathways by CR: activation of AMPK (affecting PGC-1α, SIRT1, SIRT3, MEF2, PPARα, and PPARδ for mitochondrial biogenesis and lipid oxidation); FOXO transcription factor activation; inhibition of mTOR/mTORC1/S6K1 to promote autophagy via Ulk1 and Mec-17; downregulation of IGF-1 and NF-κB; and modulation of JNK, p38, ghrelin/GHS-R1a, and GSK3β. Across life stages, it reports that CR during youth or parental preconception induces harmful developmental and epigenetic outcomes (including intrauterine growth restriction), whereas CR at middle and old age protects against age-associated diseases.
Why it matters
The review synthesizes the primary cellular longevity pathways engaged by calorie restriction and highlights that CR interventions have divergent, age-dependent effects that may be harmful during early developmental windows.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative empirical data, search methodology, or systematic inclusion criteria. Evidence from in vitro, animal, and human contexts is aggregated narratively without distinction of species-specific effects or the degree of calorie restriction required.
Cited by
- supports Animal studies show that reducing caloric intake reduces inflammation, improves cellular energy metabolism and protein turnover, and reduces oxidative damage across multiple cell types.