Calorie Restriction and mTOR Inhibition are Additive in Slowing Muscle Loss with Age

It is intriguing to see that calorie restriction and mTOR inhibition are additive when it comes to slowing the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, the path to sarcopenia. Both interventions are thought to influence long-term health largely through upregulation of autophagy, but calorie restriction produces very broad, sweeping changes in metabolism. The downstream changes due to mTOR inhibition only touch on a fraction of those. Thus this result may in time lead to a better understanding of which mechanisms are important in the way in which the operation of metabolism determines the pace of aging. Still, we know the scope of the benefits produced by calorie restriction in our species, and it is nowhere near as influential on life span as it is in mice. This part of the field is unlikely a path to significant gains in human longevity. We now live longer than at any point in human history, but to enjoy those extra years, we need to remain healthy, mobile and independent. With age, however, our muscles inevitably lose mass and strength. "Age-related muscle decline already occurs in our thirties but begins to accelerate at around 60. By age 80, we have lost about a third of our muscle mass. Although this aging process cannot be stopped, it is possible to slow it down or counteract it, for example through exercise." Researchers have demonstrated in mice that both calorie restriction and the drug rapamycin have a positive effect on aging skeletal muscle. I...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs