美国威斯康辛大学等组成的研究组在7月10日发行的《科学》杂志上发表论文称，限制从食物中摄取热量有助于延长寿命并保持健康。研究组历时20年通过对猕猴进行实验得出了这一结论。
实验于1989年在美国威斯康辛州的国家灵长类研究中心开始。研究人员将76只7～14岁的成年猕猴平均分为两组，一组按猕猴的食欲给予饮食；另一组在最初的3个月内将饮食的热量减少30%，此后一直以控制食物热量的方式进行饲养。
在前一组的38只猕猴中，最终有14只(37%)因患糖尿病、癌症、心脏病及脑萎缩等与衰老相关的疾病而死亡。后一组猕猴中则仅有5只(13%)因上述疾病死亡。研究人员由此认为限制热量摄入延长了猕猴的寿命。
Science 10 July 2009:DOI: 10.1126/science.1173635
Caloric Restriction Delays Disease Onset and Mortality in Rhesus Monkeys
Ricki J. Colman,1,* Rozalyn M. Anderson,1 Sterling C. Johnson,1,2,3 Erik K. Kastman,2,3 Kristopher J. Koatka,2,3 T. Mark Beasley,4 David B. Allison,4 Christina Cruzen,1 Heather A. Simmons,1 Joseph W. Kemnitz,1,2,5 Richard Weindruch1,2,3,*
Caloric restriction (CR), without malnutrition, delays aging and extends life span in diverse species; however, its effect on resistance to illness and mortality in primates has not been clearly established. We report findings of a 20-year longitudinal -onset CR study in rhesus monkeys aimed at filling this critical gap in aging research. In a population of rhesus macaques maintained at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, moderate CR lowered the incidence of aging-related deaths. At the time point reported, 50% of control fed animals survived as compared with 80% of the CR animals. Furthermore, CR delayed the onset of age-associated pathologies. Specifically, CR reduced the incidence of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and brain atrophy. These data demonstrate that CR slows aging in a primate species.
1 Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53715, USA.
2 Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
3 Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
4 Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
5 Department of Physiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
