More good news for calorie restriction (CR) practitioners via The Scientist: "The link between caloric restriction and longevity may be mediated by reduced susceptibility to disease ... scientists found that calorie-restricted older adult rhesus monkeys have at least 30% more naive T cells than controls. ... Some people said there's something special about short-lived animals and that this wouldn't work in humans. This is one of the very best pieces of evidence that show those doubters may be wrong. If it works in something as long-lived as a rhesus monkey, then there's reason to hope that caloric restriction principles can work in people as well." Recall that you need naive T cells to mount a response to new invasions, and that the number of these cells declines with age - a significant part of age-related frailty is the inability to deal with infections and other microscopic threats.

Link: http://www.the-scientist.com/news/home/37246/