eLife · 21 authors, 11 centres
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This study combined mouse experiments and a literature review of human caloric restriction research to show that the metabolic benefits of CR, like fat loss and improved glucose homeostasis, are greater in young males than in young females, but these sex differences diminish or disappear when CR is started in older individuals.
This research used mouse experiments and a quantitative literature review to investigate how sex and age influence the metabolic effects of caloric restriction (CR). In young mice, CR decreased fat mass and improved glucose homeostasis more effectively in males than in females, with young females showing lower energy expenditure and greater postprandial lipogenesis. These sex differences were blunted or absent when CR was initiated in old mice. The study also found that CR-induced hepatic gene expression and sphingolipid content differed between young male and female mice. Analysis of published human data mirrored these findings, showing greater fat loss in younger males compared to females, but similar fat loss between sexes with increasing age. A major limitation noted is that the underlying mechanisms, including the role of oestrogen, were not directly tested, and human data were limited to overweight or obese individuals.
