Metabolic Rate Or Metabolic Stability?
From PubMed, an interesting paper on aging and metabolism: "The modern version of [the 'rate of living'] theory is that duration of life is influenced by the relative speed of a species' resting metabolism. However, empirical evidence does not consistently support this hypothesis. ... For example, if the metabolic rate/oxidative stress theory is correct, efforts to intervene in the aging process should be directed at finding ways to reduce metabolic rate, lessen the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), improve antioxidant defenses, or increase the quantity of antioxidants. If the metabolic stability hypothesis is correct, efforts to intervene in the aging process should be directed at finding ways to increase the stability of the steady state values of ROS, increase the robustness of metabolic networks, or improve the stability of antioxidant enzymes." Which is all about slowing the rate rather than addressing age-related damage directly, of course.