Nutrition - Calorie restriction to retard aging and increase longevity

• Calorie restriction increases longevity in rodents, delays the onset of certain diseases and has positive effects on ageing.

• Studies are ongoing in non-human primates.

• Eight persons following such a diet for 2 years reacted as anticipated (loss of body weight and fat, decrease in glycaemia and body temperature, etc.).

• Calorie restriction perhaps teaches us more on the means of resisting malnutrition than on ageing in normal dietary conditions.

• Calorie restriction is a tool for research, but it should not be recommended by practitioners, notably in elderly patients.