Mechanism of Food Restriction: Protection of Cellular Homeostasis

Abstract

The major difficulty in defining the mechanism for the action of food restriction relates to its diversity and lack of specified effects, a cellular homeostasis medhanism is proposed. A study initiated in our laboratory strongly indicates that the cellular homeostatic mechanism is seriously compromised by oxidative damage of free radical reaction with aging. Data on mitochondrial hydroperoxide, microsomal cytochrome P-450 breakdown, and reduction of cytosolic antioxidant capacity support the notion. Remarkably, food restriction attenuates all of these age-related changes. It is concluded therefore that food restriction preserves the homeostatic regulatory processes by maintaining the integrity of (i)membrane structure and function, (ii) proper redox state of cullular components, and (iii) detoxification process of xenobiotics.