Effect of Dietary Restriction on the Healthspan of Caenorhabditis elegans

Dietary restriction (DR) is known to increase lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans, but its impact on healthspan(definition) is less clear. This study investigated the effects of DR on health parameters. N2 strain nematodes (n=40) were cultured on Nematode Growth Medium (NGM) plates with E. coli, where DR was induced by diluting the bacterial concentration 100-fold. Lifespan was recorded daily, and pharyngeal pumping and locomotion were measured on days 5, 9, 13, 17 and 21. Maximum lifespan for the DR group was 28 days, compared to 25 days for the control. The decline in locomotion from day 5 to day 21 was slower in the DR group (54.7%) compared to the control (62.9%). Additionally, locomotion levels in the DR group remained consistently higher than the control throughout the study period (p<0.05). Pharyngeal pumping decreased by 62.3% in the DR group compared to 89.2% in the control group, with the DR group showing significantly higher pharyngeal pumping levels throughout the study (p<0.05). These results suggest that DR may improve functional healthspan by preserving mobility during ageing. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to confirm DR’s impact on lifespan.