On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 10:41:49 -0500, you wrote:

>Paleogal wrote:
>
>>December 10, 2003
>>NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS
>>"Nutrition news is important.  We help you understand it!"
>>
>>Today's Topic: Eat Less, Live Longer
>>
>>
>
>A while back, someone posted a link to animal research showing that the
>benefits of caloric reduction could be gotten by eating every other day,
>with no actual net reduction in energy.  But I've lost that link.  Does
>anyone still have it?  I'm curious, because I think it wouldn't be
>unusual for large carnivores to eat this way, or something like it.

Actually, the benefits of caloric restriction have found to be due to
insulin, and thus a low-carb diet provides all the benefits of caloric
restriction:
===============================

Effect of Caloric Restriction on Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species
Production and Bioenergetics - REVERSAL BY INSULIN.

Lambert AJ, Merry BJ.

MRC-Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom; School of
Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United
Kingdom.

To gain insight into the anti-aging mechanisms of caloric restriction
(CR), mitochondria from liver tissue of male Brown Norway rats were
used to study the effects of CR and insulin on mitochondrial reactive
oxygen species production and bioenergetics. As assessed by hydrogen
peroxide measurement, CR resulted in a decrease in the production rate
of reactive oxygen species. This decrease was attributed to a decrease
in protonmotive force in mitochondria from the CR animals. The
decrease in protonmotive force resulted from an increase in proton
leak activity and a concomitant decrease in substrate oxidation
activity. Each of these effects of CR was reversed by subjecting CR
animals to 2 weeks insulin treatment. To achieve continuous and stable
insulin delivery, animals were placed under temporary halothane
anesthaesia and mini-osmotic pumps were implanted subcutaneously. To
gain further insight into how CR and insulin exerted its effects on
mitochondrial bioenergetics, the effects of CR and insulin were
quantified using modular metabolic control analysis. This analysis
revealed that the effects of CR were transmitted through different
reaction branches of the bioenergetic system, and insulin reversed the
effects of CR by acting through the same branches. These results
provide a plausible mechanism by which mitochondrial reactive oxygen
species production is lowered by CR, and a complete description of the
effects of CR on mitochondrial bioenergetics. They also indicate that
these changes may be due to lowered insulin concentrations and altered
insulin signaling in the CR animal.