How Calorie Restriction Improves Intestinal Stem Cell Function

The practice of calorie restriction, eating up to 40% fewer calories while still maintaining an optimal intake of micronutrients, is well demonstrated to slow aging and extend healthy life span in near all species and lineages tested to date. It produces sweeping effects on the operation of metabolism - near everything changes, which has made it something of a challenge to identify the principal points of action. Nonetheless, more efficient operation of the cellular housekeeping mechanisms of autophagy is the most plausible mechanism to account for the majority of the benefits. That calorie restriction fails to extend life when autophagy is disabled is the most telling evidence. The open access paper that I'll point out today is illustrative of a great many similar lines of work, in which researchers dig deeper into one narrow aspect of calorie restriction and its benefits. Here, the focus is on the function of stem cells supporting intestinal tissue. The lining of the intestine, the intestinal barrier, is important in aging. Its decline in effectiveness allows unwanted microbes and compounds to enter tissue and the bloodstream, where they contribute to rising levels of chronic inflammation. This decline is in part similar to that of tissues throughout the body, caused by a loss of stem cell function. Every tissue is supported by stem cell and progenitor cell populations that provide a steady flow of new somatic cells to make up losses and repair damage. Stem ce...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs