Open AccessLifelong restriction of dietary branched-chain amino acids has sex-specific benefits for frailty and life span in mice
Author(s) -
Nicole E. Richardson,
Elizabeth N. Ko,
Haley S. Schuster,
Alexis T. Mitchell,
Colin Boyle,
Allison Rodgers,
Megan Finke,
Lexington R. Haider,
Deyang Yu,
Victoria Flores,
Heidi H. Pak,
Soha Ahmad,
Sareyah Ahmed,
Abigail B. Radcliff,
Jing Wu,
Evelyn W. Williams,
Lovina Abdi,
Dawn S. Sherman,
Timothy A. Hacker,
Dudley W. Lamming
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nature aging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2662-8465
DOI - 10.1038/s43587-020-00006-2
Subject(s) - longevity , life span , valine , leucine , isoleucine , biology , amino acid , endocrinology , healthy aging , medicine , gerontology , biochemistry , genetics
Protein restricted (PR) diets promote health and longevity in many species. While the precise components of a PR diet that mediate the beneficial effects to longevity have not been defined, we recently showed that many metabolic effects of PR can be attributed to reduced dietary levels of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Here, we demonstrate that restricting dietary BCAAs increases the survival of two different progeroid mouse models, delays frailty and promotes the metabolic health of wild-type C57BL/6J mice when started in midlife, and leads to a 30% increase in lifespan and a reduction in frailty in male, but not female, wild-type mice when fed lifelong. Our results demonstrate that restricting dietary BCAAs can increase healthspan and longevity in mice, and suggest that reducing dietary BCAAs may hold potential as a translatable intervention to promote healthy aging.