Main description:

How does dietary restriction affect the physiological and biochemical state of laboratory animals? How will the present conclusions affect further research? What are the implications for human health and safety assessment? These are the main questions asked in this book by leading international researchers. After a first look at feeding regimens and diets of laboratory animals, the book elaborates on a variety of age-associated toxicological and pathological endpoints including tumor development. The following sections detail the underlying mechanisms which may induce the broad spectrum of physiological and biochemical changes. This summary of current multidisciplinary research will enhance understanding of the practical applications and implications of dietary restriction.

Contents:

I. Feeding Regimens and Diets.- 1. Terminology and Methods in Dietary Restriction Research.- 2. Nutritional Adequacy in Dietary Restriction.- 3. Significance of Dietary Contaminants in Diet Restriction Studies.- II. Effects of Dietary Restriction on Toxicological Endpoints.- 4. Dietary Restriction and Toxicology Endpoints: An Historical Overview.- 5. Effects of Caloric Restriction on Aflatoxin B1 Metabolism and DNA Modification in Fischer 344 Rats.- 6. Dietary and Caloric Restriction: Its Effect on Cellular Proliferation in Selected Mouse Tissues.- 7. The Impact of Calorie Restriction on Mammary Cancer Development in an Experimental Model.- 8. Pathological Endpoints in Dietary Restricted Rodents - Fischer 344 Rats and B6C3F1 Mice.- 9. Effects of Dietary Restriction on Age-Associated Pathological Changes in Fischer 344 Rats.- 10. Influence of Diet Restriction on Toxicity and Hormonal Status in Chemically Treated Mice.- III. Effects and Mechanisms of Dietary Restriction: Physiological Consequences.- 11. Physiological Consequences of Dietary Restriction: An Overview.- 12. Aging, Dietary Restriction, and Glucocorticoids: A Critical Review of the Glucocorticoid Hypothesis.- 13. The Effect of Dietary Restriction on the Endocrine Control of Reproduction.- 14. Chronic Energy Intake Restriction: Influence on Longevity, Autoimmunity, Immunodeficiency, and Cancer in Autoimmune-Prone Mice.- 15. Behavioral and Neurobiological Effects of Dietary Restriction in Aged Rodents.- 16. Prevention in the Decline of Membrane-Associated Functions in Immune Cells During Aging by Food Restriction.- IV. Effects and Mechanisms of Dietary Restriction: Biochemical Consequences.- 17. Caloric Restriction and Its Effects on Molecular Parameters, Especially DNA Repair.- 18. Prevention of Free Radical Damage by Food Restriction.- 19. Modifications in Regulation of Intermediary Metabolism by Caloric Restriction in Rodents.- 20. Effects of Long-Term Caloric Restriction on Hepatic Drug-Metabolizing Enzyme Activities in the Fischer 344 Rat.- 21. Urinary Biomarkers of Oxidative DNA-Base Damage and Human Caloric Intake.- V. Models for Dietary Restriction Research.- 22. Models for Investigating How Dietary Restriction Retards Aging: The Adaptation Hypothesis.- 23. Aging, Dietary Restriction, and Cancer in a Germ-Free Animal Model.- 24. Chronic Caloric Restriction in Old Female Mice: Changes in the Circadian Rhythms of Physiological and Behavioral Variables.- 25. Genes Regulate Effects of Dietary Restriction.- 26. 1200-Rat Biosure Study: Design and Overview of Results.- 27. Primate Models for Dietary Restriction Research.- VI. Impact of Dietary Restriction on Bioassays and Recommendations for Future Research.- 28. Impact of Dietary Restriction on Bioassays and Recommendations for Future Research: Panel Discussion.