Methionine Restriction, Aging and Cancer

Abstract

Methionine restriction (MR), the feeding of a diet low in methionine, was found to extend mean and maximum life span by 40-50% in F344 rats. While MR is associated with decreases in body weight, pairfeeding and metabolic studies have indicated that the beneficial effects of MR are not due to a restriction in caloric intake. More recent studies have indicated that MR was also effective at increasing longevity in mice and drosophila, and at delaying or inhibiting a number of aging related diseases and pathologies including cancer. Also, in the rat, MR dramatically reduced azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that the anti-aging properties of MR may be mediated, in part, by reductions in oxidative stress driven by decreased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Overall, these data indicate MR as an important new tool for anti-aging research with potential clinical implications.