PREVENTION OF OBESITY IN MIDDLE-AGED MONKEYS - FOOD-INTAKE DURING BODY-WEIGHT CLAMP

Prevention of obesity and increase in longevity in obesity-prone rodents can be achieved by long-term moderate dietary restriction, In order to examine the likelihood that caloric restriction could have similar salutary effects in humans, rhesus monkeys, after reaching mature adult stature, were placed on a protocol to clamp or stabilize body weight by weekly caloric adjustment, Further weight gain was prevented by this caloric titration procedure, and thus middle-age onset obesity, which is very common in this species, was prevented, The present study analyzed daily food intake for six weight-clamped monkeys and six adlibitum fed age-matched animals over a 3-year period, ages 18.5 to 21.5 years, After approximately 9 years of caloric restriction the daily calorie load to maintain stable adult body weight proved to be 40% less than the amount ingested by ad libitum fed animals, Calories per kg body weight did not differ significantly between the groups although the ad libitum fed animals were significantly fatter than the weight-clamped group, Prevention of obesity using this weight clamp protocol has also maintained lower insulin levels and higher glucose tolerance in the restricted animals.