Breaking the 125 Year Maximum Lifespan Barrier

Breaking the Maximum Lifespan Barrier

by Frank Ernhart

Page 2 In 1934 Clive McCay and Mary Crowell of Cornell University found that calorie restricted rats lived up to 2 times their expected life spans. This discovery stimulated further work in the area of the "calorie restriction effect" on the life spans of animals. The most notable was the work of Dr. Roy Walford and his student at the time Richard Weindruch. They showed that calorie restricted mice not only had increased life spans, but also exhibited a more youthful appearance. Dr. Walford's very popular book Maximum Lifespan was based in large part on this research. Calorie restriction research has since been extended to other animals.

Members of an organization called The Calorie Restriction Society have a web page (calorierestriction.org) that allows subscribers to post messages about CRON. In addition their members receive emails about research being done in the area. The CR society started out in January 1993 as a usernet discussion group called Sci.life-extension. The aim was to promote a more scientific dicussion in the "life extension" area. In December 1994, the organization morphed into then CR Society. Further history as well as membership information is available at their website.

Actual laboratory studies on the effects of calorie restriction on human beings is difficult because of the relatively longer lifespan of humans when compared to other animals. The problem is that such a research study to be completed would take over 100 years. For this reason most of the studies are done using mice, rats, monkeys, worms, and yeast, all of which have shorter lifespans.