Uno studio appena arrivato su pubmed solleva seri dubbi sulla
capacita' della restrizione calorica di avere sugli esseri umani lo
stesso impatto che ha sui topi. Lo studio si aggiunge ai simili
dubbi espressi da Aubrey de Grey in passato in questo suo paper:
http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/sens/weatherPP.pdf

Chiedo scusa ai non-anglofoni per la mancanza di una traduzione, ma
sto preparando un articolo al proposito - fra qualche giorno sul
sito o sul blog.

Ciao,
Fabio

Why dietary restriction substantially increases longevity in animal
models but won't in humans.

Phelan JP, Rose MR.

Life Sciences Core Curriculum Program, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-
1606, USA.

Caloric restriction (CR) extends maximum longevity and slows aging
in mice, rats, and numerous non-mammalian taxa. The apparent
generality of the longevity-increasing effects of CR has prompted
speculation that similar results could be obtained in humans.
Longevity, however, is not a trait that exists in a vacuum; it
evolves as part of a life history and the physiological mechanisms
that determine longevity are undoubtedly complex. Longevity is
intertwined with reproduction and there is a cost to reproduction.
The impact of this cost on longevity can be age-independent or age-
dependent. Given the complexity of the physiology underlying
reproductive costs and other mechanisms affecting life history, it
is difficult to construct a simple model for the relationship
between the particulars of the physiology involved and patterns of
mortality. Consequently, we develop a hypothesis-neutral model
describing the relationship between diet and longevity. Applying
this general model to the special case of human longevity and diet
indicates that the benefits of caloric restriction in humans would
be quantitatively small.

PMID: 16046282 [PubMed - in process]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16046282