R E V I E W Lifestyle and nutrition, caloric restriction, mitochondrial health and hormones: Scientiﬁc interventions for anti-aging Luis Vitetta1 Bill Anton2 1Unit of Health Integration, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Australia; 2Path Lab, Melbourne, Australia Correspondence: Luis Vitetta Level 2, Centres for Health Research [R Wing], Room 2RS.36.0, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Ipswich Rd, Woolloongabba, Qld 4102,Australia Tel +61 7 3240 2903 Email l.vitetta@uq.edu.au Abstract: Aging is a universal process to all life forms. The most current and widely accepted deﬁnition for aging in humans is that there is a progressive loss of function and energy produc- tion that is accompanied by decreasing fertility and increasing mortality with advancing age. The most obvious and commonly recognised consequence of aging and energy decline is a decrease in skeletal muscle function which affects every aspect of human life from the ability to play games, walk and run to chew, swallow and digest food. There is hence a recognised overall decline of an individuals’ ﬁtness for the environment that they occupy. In Westernised countries this decline is gradual and the signs become mostly noticeable after the 5th decade of life and henceforth, where the individual slowly progresses to death over the next three to four decades. Given that the aging process is slow and gradual, it presents with opportunities and options that may ameliorate and improve the overall functional capacity of the organism. Small changes in function may be more amenable and likely to further slow down and possibly reverse some of the deleterious effects of aging, rather, than when the incremental changes are large. This overall effect may then translate into a signiﬁcant compression of the deleterious aspects of human aging with a resultant increase in human life expectancy. Keywords: human aging, life expectancy, lifespan, energy Introduction Understanding the difference between life expectancy and lifespan is the framework upon which any selective review of anti-aging interventions must originate from. Human life expectancy is determined from mortality data tables. Life expectancy is a statistical projection of the length a human being is expected to live based upon probabilities and assumptions of genetic predispositions, living conditions, medical discoveries and advances, natural disasters and other environmental factors. Morbidity statistics track presumed causes of death over time, producing trend data that can be factored into life expectancy tables (Mathers and Loncar 2005). Lifespan, however, is deﬁned as the characteristic observed age of death for its very oldest individuals. Throughout most of recorded human history, it has been recognized that poor socioeconomic and nutritional status, have been strongly associated with decreased life expectancy, a trend that is also very much evident today (US Gov. Report, 2005). Current data estimates, show that on average human life expectancy in western countries is approximately 82 years for women and 80 years for men (US Gov. Report, 2005). In this brief selective review we present scientiﬁc evidence as to what anti aging prac- tices may better serve to increase mean life expectancy and hence the human lifespan. Lifestyle Willet (2002) recently emphasized that genetic and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle, both contribute to cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and other major Clinical Interventions in Aging 2007:2(4) 537–543 © 2007 Dove Medical Press Limited. All rights reserved 537