Calorie restriction and periodic fasting from rodent to human: lost in translation?

In recent years, nutrition has attracted attention and interest from the scientific community, as it has emerged as a fundamental player in improving lifespan and healthspan by preventing non-communicable ageing-related diseases. Preclinical studies have shown that caloric restriction and periodic fasting extend the lifespan in animal models, prevent tumorigenesis, delay the onset of age-related diseases, and enhance the efficacy of anticancer therapies. This review provides the current state of knowledge on the benefits of calorie restriction and periodic fasting on tumor development and ageing in a rodent model and summarizes the clinical progress with calorie restriction and periodic fasting in clinical trials. We also discuss the numerous caveats that might arise with the implementation of these dietary interventions in clinical practice.