Caloric restriction slows ovary ageing in monkeys

Researchers in the USA found that a moderate caloric restriction for three years when monkeys were about to enter menopause slowed alterations in the ovaries that usually occur with ageing.

The ovary is one of the first organs to be affected by ageing, leading to decreased fertility and hormonal alterations that affect many other organs. Monkeys were essential for these studies because no other animal has a menstrual cycle similar to that of women. 

Researchers from Northwestern University, Chicago, studied two groups of animals – young monkeys and monkeys that were about to enter menopause – to understand how caloric restriction impacts ovarian ageing.  

The researchers found no effects on the young monkeys but saw that the ovaries of older monkeys that had been under a calorie-restricted diet were more active and had less fibrosis, a tissue thickening like scars in the skin, which is not functional and usually occurs with ageing.  

These findings - published in Aging - can guide new interventions to maintain ovarian health in women and pinpoint the importance of the timing of treatments.