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Does Calorie Restriction in Primates Increase Lifespan? Revisiting Studies on Macaques ( Macaca mulatta ) and Mouse Lemurs ( Microcebus murinus )
Author(s) -
Le Bourg Eric
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201800111
Subject(s) - lemur , calorie restriction , biology , rhesus macaque , primate , macaque , baboon , calorie , prosimian , zoology , captivity , physiology , endocrinology , genetics , neuroscience
The effects of calorie restriction have now been studied in two non‐human primates, the macaque Macaca mulatta and the mouse lemur Microcebus murinus . The study on lemurs and one of the two studies on macaques have reported a lifespan increase. In this review, I argue that these results are better explained by a lifespan decrease in the control group because of a bad diet and/or overfeeding, rather than by a real lifespan increase in calorie‐restricted animals. If these results can be readily translated to humans, it would mean that no beneficial effect of calorie restriction on lifespan can be expected in normal‐weight or lean people, but that overweight and/or obese people could benefit to some extent from a decrease in excessive food intake.