Urinary Biomarkers of Oxidative DNA-Base Damage and Human Caloric Intake

Abstract

Life span extension is a fascinating goal that has captured human imagination throughout history, prompting much speculation and numerous investigations. Since the early experiments of McCay and coworkers (1935, 1943) with rats, the mechanisms of dietary restriction (DR) and its effects on extension of maximum life span (MLS) and reduction of degenerative diseases has been of great interest (Weindruch and Walford 1988). More recently, reducing the incidence of diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders through nutritional interventions (Ames 1983) has become an economic issue and a driving force in investigations of DR. In contrast to gross observations, however, the progress in mechanistic understanding has been quite modest. Although research on free radical and oxidative processes in biology and medicine (Simic et al. 1988) appears to have growing relevance to our understanding of DR, there has been relatively little interaction between the two areas of study. Nevertheless, novel ideas bridging these fields have been introduced by Harman (1981).