The most pressing research issue in caloric restriction is to identify exactly how it works to retard aging and disease. Caloric restriction might work at the level of the individual cell. Alternatively, it may work by stimulating the nervous system in some fashion, which can affect cells throughout the body. Or, caloric restriction may produce its benefits by inducing our glands to emit protective hormones.

Future research into caloric restriction will focus on whether it can be introduced in a real world setting, rather than in the protected environment of the laboratory, and still offer benefits. Scientists will be studying just how late in life caloric restriction can be introduced and still be useful in retarding further aging and disease. They will set up studies to determine at what level of calorie restriction benefits occur. In other words, perhaps a 30 to 40% calorie reduction is too extreme; perhaps 5 or 10% will still be effective.

Finally, scientists will be looking for other mechanisms and tools that are perhaps less drastic that can offer the benefits of caloric restriction in retarding the aging process and preserving health. They will try to understand why caloric restriction works, and that understanding could tell us much about the nature of aging itself.