Journal Article

impact of low-protein high-carbohydrate diets on aging and lifespan

Cogger, Victoria C, Le Couteur, David G, Mitchell, Sarah J, Senior, Alistair, Simpson, Stephen J, Solon-Biet, Samantha, de Cabo, Rafael, Raubenheimer, David

2016

Overview

Most research on nutritional effects on aging has focussed on the impact of manipulating single dietary factors such as total calorie intake or each of the macronutrients individually. More recent studies using a nutritional geometric approach called the Geometric Framework have facilitated an understanding of how aging is influenced across a landscape of diets that vary orthogonally in macronutrient and total energy content. Such studies have been performed using ad libitum feeding regimes, thus taking into account compensatory feeding responses that are inevitable in a non-constrained environment. Geometric Framework studies on insects and mice have revealed that diets low in protein and high in carbohydrates generate longest lifespans in ad libitum-fed animals while low total energy intake (caloric restriction by dietary dilution) has minimal effect. These conclusions are supported indirectly by observational studies in humans and a heterogeneous group of other types of interventional studies in insects and rodents. Due to compensatory feeding for protein dilution, low-protein, high-carbohydrate diets are often associated with increased food intake and body fat, a phenomenon called protein leverage. This could potentially be mitigated by supplementing these diets with interventions that influence body weight through physical activity and ambient temperature.

• Publisher: Springer International Publishing,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: ad libitum feeding / Aging / Ambient temperature / Animals / Biochemistry / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Body fat / Body weight / Caloric Restriction / Carbohydrates / Cell Biology / Diet / Diet, Protein-Restricted - methods / Dietary Carbohydrates - metabolism / Dietary intake / Dietary Proteins - metabolism / dietary restriction / Dietary restrictions / Dilution / energy content / Energy intake / Feeding regimes / Food intake / High carbohydrate diet / High protein diet / Humans / Insects / landscapes / Life expectancy / Life Sciences / Life span / Longevity / low calorie diet / Low carbohydrate diet / Low protein diet / mice / Nutrient deficiency / Nutrition research / Observational studies / Physical activity / Proteins / Review