Calorie-restricted diet + rapamycin can slow down aging

Everyone wants to stay healthy and strong, but as we age, our bodies deteriorate, diseases increase, muscles atrophy, and strength decreases.

Muscle aging and atrophy are key indications of aging since skeletal muscle is the driving force of the body's locomotor system. Some elderly people may even develop sarcopenia, which leads to difficulty in movement, easy falls, and may even lead to organ failure or even death.

Modern technology and medical discoveries have allowed us to live longer than at any other period in human history, but we must remain healthy, flexible, and self-sufficient to enjoy those extra years. Our muscles, on the other hand, will inevitably lose mass and strength as we age. This muscle loss associated with aging ends the autonomous lifestyle of many older adults who must rely on family members or the health care system to provide daily support.

Recently, researchers from the University of Basel published a study in the journal Nature Communications entitled: Distinct and additive effects of calorie restriction and rapamycin in aging skeletal muscle, indicating that calorie-restricted diet and rapamycin treatment, which had a superimposed effect, combined to better slow muscle decline in aged mice.

Age-related muscle loss begins in our 30s and accelerates in our mid-60s, with about a third of our muscle mass gone by the age of 80. While this process of muscle decline cannot be stopped, we can slow it down or counteract it, for example by strengthening our exercise.

Previous studies have shown that caloric restriction and rapamycin can both be used as anti-aging interventions, and both are thought to exert anti-aging effects by inhibiting mTOR protein complex 1 (mTORC1), the over-activity of which promotes aging.

Caloric Restriction (CR) is defined as a 25-50 percent reduction in total daily caloric intake while still supplying enough nutrients such as vital amino acids and vitamins to prevent malnutrition.

Rapamycin, a macrolide, was discovered to exhibit antifungal characteristics after being isolated from Streptomyces from Easter Island soil. It was later discovered to have immunosuppressive properties. In 1999, the FDA approved it for use as an immunosuppressant to treat anti-rejection responses following kidney transplantation. Rapamycin has been dubbed a "magic drug" in recent years due to its anti-tumor, anti-aging, and neurodegenerative disease benefits.

In this latest study, the team validated the effects of caloric restriction and rapamycin on muscle decline in mice. The results showed that caloric restriction slowed muscle decline in mice, while rapamycin further slowed muscle decline in calorically restricted mice.

In caloric-restricted mice also treated with rapamycin, this beneficial effect was superimposed, with rapamycin+caloric-restricted mice having significantly better muscle function compared to mice receiving caloric restriction or rapamycin alone, and mice treated with rapamycin+caloric restriction were more active and physically capable compared to their littermates because their muscles remained healthy.

Muscle health is beneficial to our bodies, and it is essential for the appropriate functioning of metabolism and organs throughout the body, in addition to bodily function. This research implies that using a combination of mTORC1 inhibitors, calorie restriction, and exercise to reduce muscle aging in older adults, particularly those with sarcopenia, may be a more effective treatment.

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