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Circadian rhythms in 2022

Energy intake at the intersection of the clock and ageing

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 19, pages 72–73 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Calorie restriction and timed dietary intake are two approaches known to increase lifespan or delay age-associated diseases. New studies reveal the importance of the ‘how much’ and ‘when’ of dietary intake in ageing modulation and collectively demonstrate how protection of the internal clock by diet can delay the ageing process.

Key Advances

  • Dietary restriction results in a clock-dependent improvement in photoreceptor activity and lifespan in Drosophila4.

  • Caloric restriction induces oscillation of the ketone body, 3-β-hydroxybutyrate, which is both neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory5.

  • Time administration of calorie restriction to the active phase promotes insulin sensitivity during ageing and provides maximal lifespan extension, compared to ad libitum feeding or calorie restriction during the resting phase7.

Ageing is associated with a gradual decline of circadian rhythmicity, the 24-h biological oscillations that drive daily rhythms in physiology and behaviour. This association raises questions as to whether pharmacological or behavioural mechanisms that increase circadian robustness can slow the ageing process. Feeding restriction is one mechanism by which to augment internal rhythms. Time-restricted high-fat diet feeding, even during the active phase, can prevent diet-induced obesity and associated co-morbidities1,2. Although caloric restriction has been proven to promote longevity in a variety of species3, the extent to which the 24-h biological clock is involved is less clear. This year, several studies added new insights into the multifaceted mechanisms by which calorie restriction might delay disease progression and ageing, revealing that circadian rhythms in behaviour and cellular metabolism contribute strongly to its anti-ageing effect.

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Fig. 1: Dietary restriction can delay ageing in a circadian clock-dependent manner.

References

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Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the support of NIH grants R01DK114037 and R01DK125922.

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  1. Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Kristin Eckel-Mahan

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  1. Kristin Eckel-Mahan
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Correspondence to Kristin Eckel-Mahan.

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Eckel-Mahan, K. Energy intake at the intersection of the clock and ageing. Nat Rev Endocrinol 19, 72–73 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-022-00791-3

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