Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Caloric restriction and human longevity: what can we learn from the Okinawans?

  • OPINION
  • Published:
Biogerontology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Caloric (or dietary) restriction (CR) extends lifespan and lowers risk for age associated diseases in a phylogenetically diverse group of species. Whether prolonged CR increases average or maximum lifespan or promotes a more youthful physiology in humans at advanced ages is not yet known. However, available epidemiological evidence indicates that CR may already have contributed to an extension of average and maximum life span in one human population and appears to have lowered risk for age associated chronic diseases in other human populations. We review the human studies in the context of a special human population, older Okinawans, who appear to have undergone a mild form of prolonged CR for about half their adult lives.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chan YC, Suzuki M, Yamamoto S (1997) Dietary, anthropometric, hematological and biochemical assessment of the nutritional status of centenarians and elderly people in Okinawa, Japan. J Am Coll Nutr 16: 229–235

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics (2003) National Vital Statistics System. NCHS, Hyattsville, MD. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

  • Dirks AJ, Leeuwenburgh C (2006) Calorie restriction in humans: potential pitfalls and health concerns. Mech Ageing Dev 127:1–7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fontana L, Meyer TE, Klein S, Holloszy JO (2004) Long-term calorie restriction is highly effective in reducing the risk for atherosclerosis in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci 101:6659–6663

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goto A, Yasumura S, Nishise Y, Sakihara S (2003) Association of health behavior and social role with total mortality among Japanese elders in Okinawa, Japan. Aging Clin Exp Res 15:443–450

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hayflick L (2004) The not-so-close relationship between biological aging and age-associated pathologies in humans. J Gerontol Bio Sci 59:547–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Heilbronn LK, Ravussin E (2003) Calorie restriction and aging: review of the literature and implications for studies in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 78:361–369

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hokama T, Arakaki H, Sho H, Inafuku M (1967) Nutrition survey of school children in Okinawa. Sci B Coll Agr Univ Ryukyus 14:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (2000) Prefectural Life Tables. Statistics and Information Department. Health and Welfare Statistics Association

  • Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (2005) Journal of Health and Welfare Statistics. Health and Welfare Statistics Association, Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagawa Y (1978) Impact of Westernization on the nutrition of Japanese: changes in physique, cancer, longevity and centenarians. Prev Med 7:205–217

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lane MA, Mattison JA, Roth GS, Brant LJ, Ingram DK (2004) Effects of long-term diet restriction on aging and longevity in primates remain uncertain. J Gerontol Biol Sci 59:405–407

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Bourg E (2005) Is caloric restriction a means of delaying ageing and increasing longevity? Presse Med 34:121–127

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee IM, Blair SN, Allison DB, Folsom AR, Harris TB, Manson JE, Wing RR (2001) Epidemiologic data on the relationships of caloric intake, energy balance, and weight gain over the life span with longevity and morbidity. J Gerontol Biol Sci 56:7–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattison JA, Lane MA, Roth GS, Ingram DK (2003) Caloric restriction in rhesus monkeys. Exp Gerontol 38:35–46

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masoro EJ (2005) Overview of caloric restriction and ageing. Mech Ageing Dev 126:913–922

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer TE, Kovacs SJ, Ehsani AA, Klein S, Holloszy JO, Fontana L (2006) Long-term caloric restriction ameliorates the decline in diastolic function in humans. J Am Coll Cardiol 47:398–402

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Phelan JP, Rose MR (2005) Why dietary restriction substantially increases longevity in animal models but won't in humans. Ageing Res Rev 4: 339–350

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez BL, Lau N, Burchfiel CM, Abbott RD, Sharp DS, Yano K, Curb JD (1999) Glucose intolerance and 23-year risk of coronary heart disease and total mortality: the Honolulu Heart Program. Diabetes Care 22:1262–1265

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roth GS, Ingram DK, Lane MA (2001) Caloric restriction in primates and relevance to humans. Ann N Y Acad Sci 928:305–315

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roth GS, Lane MA, Ingram DK, Mattison JA, Elahi D, Tobin JD, Muller D, Metter EJ (2002) Biomarkers of caloric restriction may predict longevity in humans. Science 297:811

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki M, Willcox BJ, Willcox DC (2001) Implications from and for food cultures for cardiovascular disease: longevity. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 10:165–171

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki M, Willcox BJ, Willcox DC (2004) Successful aging: secrets of Okinawan longevity. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 4:180–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sho H (2001) History and characteristics of Okinawan longevity food. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 10:159–164

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Takata H, Suzuki M, Ishii T, Sekiguchi S, Iri H (1987) Influence of major histocompatibility complex region genes on human longevity among Okinawan-Japanese centenarians and nonagenarians. Lancet 2:824–826

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Todoriki H, Willcox DC, Willcox BJ (2004) The effects of post-war dietary change on longevity and health in Okinawa. Okinawa J Amer Studies 1:52–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Willcox BJ, Yano K, Chen R, Willcox DC, Rodriguez BL, Masaki KH, Donlon T, Tanaka B, Curb JD (2004) How much should we eat? The association between energy intake and mortality in a 36-year follow-up study of Japanese American men. J Gerontol Biol Sci 59:789–795

    Google Scholar 

  • Willcox DC (2005) Okinawan longevity: where do we go from here? Nutr Diet 8:9–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Willcox BJ, Willcox DC, He Q, Curb JD,Suzuki M (2006) Siblings of Okinawan centenarians share lifelong mortality advantages. J Gerontol Biol Sci [in Press]

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Craig Willcox.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Willcox, D.C., Willcox, B.J., Todoriki, H. et al. Caloric restriction and human longevity: what can we learn from the Okinawans?. Biogerontology 7, 173–177 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-006-9008-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-006-9008-z

Keywords

Navigation