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Lifespan Extension Via Dietary Restriction: Time to Reconsider the Evolutionary Mechanisms?
Author(s) -
Moatt Joshua P.,
Savola Eevi,
Regan Jennifer C.,
Nussey Daniel H.,
Walling Craig A.
Publication year - 2020
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.201900241
Subject(s) - caloric theory , relevance (law) , context (archaeology) , perspective (graphical) , extension (predicate logic) , variation (astronomy) , biology , psychology , epistemology , philosophy , computer science , political science , paleontology , physics , artificial intelligence , astrophysics , law , programming language , endocrinology
Dietary restriction (DR) is the most consistent environmental manipulation to extend lifespan. Originally thought to be caused by a reduction in caloric intake, recent evidence suggests that macronutrient intake underpins the effect of DR. The prevailing evolutionary explanations for the DR response are conceptualized under the caloric restriction paradigm, necessitating reconsideration of how or whether these evolutionary explanations fit this macronutrient perspective. In the authors’ opinion, none of the current evolutionary explanations of DR adequately explain the intricacies of observed results; instead a context‐dependent combination of these theories is suggested which is likely to reflect reality. In reviewing the field, it is proposed that the ability to track the destination of different macronutrients within the body will be key to establishing the relative roles of the competing theories. Understanding the evolution of the DR response and its ecological relevance is critical to understanding variation in DR responses and their relevance outside laboratory environments.