Short-Term Calorie Restriction Boosts Innate Immunity in Flies

Calorie restriction slows aging, with the current consensus being that this is largely mediated through increased autophagy, the housekeeping processes that clear out and recycle broken components within the cell. Calorie restriction does, however, change more or less everything there is to be measured in cellular metabolism, so it is certainly possible that other mechanisms are relevant. In this context, researchers here present evidence to show that, at least in flies, the defense against infection mounted by the innate immune system is enhanced by short term calorie restriction. It is also worth considering that this sort of effect may explain some of the degree to which calorie restriction reduces the burden of cellular senescence and cancer risk over the long term, by incrementally improving the ability of the immune system to remove harmful and potentially harmful cells. Studies of dietary restriction, a reduction in nutrient intake without malnutrition, in a diverse array of organisms have revealed it to be an effective way to extend lifespan and promote broad-spectrum improvement in health during aging. Early work focused on total caloric intake as the driving force behind these beneficial effects, but studies that have comprehensively examined the effects of individual macronutrients on lifespan underscore the importance of protein-to-carbohydrate ratio. In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, yeast restriction has been used as an alternative to wholesale...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs