Consuming a reduced number of calories may help stave off the effects of aging.

 Consuming a reduced number of calories may help stave off the effects of aging.🥣🙅

In 1991, a group of eight volunteers sealed themselves inside a large greenhouse in the desert near Tucson, Arizona as part of an experiment known as "Biosphere 2". This experiment aimed to determine if a carefully chosen assortment of plants and animals could form a self-sustaining ecosystem independent of the outside world. While the Biosphere 2 experiments did not yield significant ecological insights, they did shed light on the potential effects of calorie restriction on human aging.

One of the participants in the Biosphere 2 project was Roy Walford, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Walford's prior research had demonstrated that restricting the diets of various animals could remarkably extend their lifespans. Notably, laboratory protocols involving reduced calorie intake while maintaining necessary nutrients had lengthened the lives of nematode worms, fruit flies, rodents, and dogs by up to 50%.

The Biosphere 2 experiment provided Walford an opportunity to test this theory on humans within a confined environment. 

With a daily calorie intake of 1,750-2,100, the participants, already lean, experienced weight loss and sustained high energy levels. Furthermore, blood tests revealed physiological responses resembling those of calorie-restricted animals with extended lifespans.

While some individuals have considered incorporating calorie restriction into their lifestyles based on these findings, maintaining such diets proves challenging.

 Consequently

 there is a growing interest in discovering methods to obtain the benefits of calorie restriction without adhering to strict dietary limitations.

Calories represent the energy cells derive from breaking down food, a process regulated by various signaling pathways. Dysfunction in these nutrient-signaling pathways is recognized as one of the hallmarks of aging. The success of calorie restriction suggests that when energy is limited, cells' nutrient-signaling pathways maintain cellular health more effectively. Finding alternative cues to activate these pathways without reducing calorie intake is crucial in understanding the potential benefits of calorie restriction without its associated challenges.

Research into these pathways would be more straightforward if their functions were distinct and well-defined. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as pathways frequently regulate multiple functions and are controlled by various proteins with complex names. For instance, the MTORC1 pathway, which regulates metabolism in response to nutrient availability and use impediments, is influenced by the immune suppressant rapamycin, despite its name providing little insight into its broader functions.

Moreover, rapamycin has been linked to longevity in lab animals, despite its immune-suppressing effects, prompting some to seek off-label prescriptions for it. However, its side effects, such as anaemia and insulin insensitivity, limit its widespread use.