Extending Healthy Life Span—From Yeast to Humans

Eat Less, Live Long Studies in several model organisms have shown that dietary restriction without malnutrition, or manipulation of nutrient-sensing pathways through mutations or drugs, can increase life span and reduce age-related disease. Fontana et al. (p. 321 ) review the ways in which nutrient-sensing pathways are central to aging. Studies of yeast, worms, rodents, and primates show that these pathways are conserved during evolution. Although data on the effects of dietary restriction in primates are very limited, in humans, the protective effects of dietary restriction against cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes must be judged against potentially negative long-term effects. More work is needed to determine whether dietary restriction and the modulation of anti-aging pathways through drugs can extend life span and reduce pathologies in humans.