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Appetite for reproduction: dietary restriction, aging and the mammalian gonad

Roopa L Nalam1,2†, Scott D Pletcher3,4,5† and Martin M Matzuk1,2,3,6*†

  • * Corresponding author: Martin M Matzuk mmatzuk@bcm.edu

  • † Equal contributors

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA

2 Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA

3 Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA

4 Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA

5 Programs in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA

6 Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA

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Journal of Biology 2008, 7:23 doi:10.1186/jbiol84

Published: 16 September 2008

Abstract

The major physiologic theory of aging, the disposable soma theory, links dietary restriction (DR), also known as calorie or food restriction, to prolonged lifespan and makes specific predictions about the effects of aging and DR on reproduction. A recent study in BMC Biology profiling the effects of aging and DR on gonadal gene expression provides novel molecular evidence that has a significant impact on this theory of aging.