Nutrients and ageing: what can we learn about ageing interactions from animal biology?
OBJECTIVE
Many prevalent clinical conditions, such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary, and cardiovascular disease associate with features of premature ageing, such as muscle wasting, hypogonadism, osteoporosis, and arteriosclerosis. Studies on various animal models have shown that caloric restriction prolongs lifespan. Studies of animals with unusual long or short life for their body size may also contribute to better understanding of ageing processes. The aim of the present article is to review what we can learn about nutritional modulations and ageing interactions from animal biology.


RESULTS
Caloric restriction is a powerful intervention that increases longevity in animals ranging from short-lived species, such as worms and flies, to primates. As long-term studies on caloric restriction are not feasible to conduct in humans, much interest has focused on the impact of caloric restriction mimetics, such as resveratrol, on ageing processes. Recent data from studies on the long-lived naked mole rat have provided important novel information on metabolic alterations and antioxidative defense mechanisms that characterize longevity.


CONCLUSIONS
Better understanding of the biology of exceptionally long-lived animals will contribute to better understanding of ageing processes and novel interventions to extend lifespan also in humans.
aDivision of Renal Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital at Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden bDivision of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Maastricht, the Netherlands cInstitute of Cancer Sciences, Wolfson Wohl Translational Research Center, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Peter
P
Stenvinkel
Jeroen P
JP
Kooman
Paul G
PG
Shiels
D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019577:Mole Rats / Q000502:physiology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000077185:Resveratrol; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000494:pharmacology
D000975:Antioxidants; D013267:Stilbenes; D000077185:Resveratrol