|
Calorie Restriction Boosts Dopamine Receptors
(Thursday October 25 2007)
 | Continuing the long litany of specific improvements in molecular biochemistry produced by calorie restriction, ScienceDaily notes this research: "scientists found that genetically obese rats had lower levels of dopamine D2 receptors than lean rats. They also demonstrated that restricting food intake can increase the number of D2 receptors, partially attenuating a normal decline associated with aging." It seems that the definition of "normal" is up for grabs if you can do better by better managing your diet. The article is very focused on obesity, but there is a little more on calorie restriction: "The finding that food restriction can attenuate the effects of aging on the brain's ability to respond to dopamine may also help explain why food restriction slows down other changes associated with aging, such as declines in locomotor activity and sensitivity to reward. ... Another main finding was that D2 receptor availability - that is, the number of receptors available for binding dopamine - was greater at adulthood in the obese rats compared to the lean rats. This suggests that perhaps the release of dopamine had significantly decreased with age in the obese unrestricted animals more than in the restricted ones or the lean rats. The possibility of lower release of dopamine in obese subjects is presently being examined." |
|
