Calorie restriction (CR) extends lifespan and reduces the incidence and age of onset of age-
related disease in several animal models. To determine if this nutritional intervention has
similar actions in a long-lived primate species, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) initiated
a study in 1987 to investigate the effects of a 30% CR in male and female rhesus macaques
(Macaca mulatta) of a broad age range. We have observed physiological effects of CR that
parallel rodent studies and may be predictive of an increased lifespan. Specifically, results …