ABSTRACT
The average life expectancy of newborns in the United States is as high as never before. With advancing age, however, the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) rise. Vice versa, poor cardiovascular health accelerates the aging process and increases mortality. Calorie restriction may decelerate both the development of CVDs and the progression of the aging process. In animal models including rodents and nonhuman primates, calorie restriction has indeed reduced the incidence of CVD and extended life span. In this book chapter, we review the available evidence for the benefit of calorie restriction on aging and CVD parameters in humans. Epidemiological data that in fact show reduced CVD mortality during food restriction are dated a century ago. More recent observational studies and data on long-term voluntary practitioners of calorie restriction offer valuable insight into the potential of calorie restriction to reduce CVD. The main focus of this chapter will be on the first clinically controlled randomized intervention studies of the CALERIE project. First, three pilot studies have investigated sustained calorie 174restriction by 25% for 6 or 12 months achieved through different modalities: dietary restriction, increased exercise, or a combination of both. Thereafter, in the second phase called CALERIE 2, calorie restriction by 25% was sustained for 2 years to investigate the feasibility and effects of calorie restriction beyond the initial weight loss period. Finally, we discuss alternative strategies that may achieve comparable effects of calorie restriction but may be easier to implement such as timed eating paradigms and the calorie restriction mimetic resveratrol.
