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MIT biologist Leonard Guarente has spent much of the last two decades patiently chipping away at the genetic and biochemical underpinnings of the aging process, an area of research often plagued by extreme hyperbole and extravagant claims.

The MIT biologist is particularly focused on one tantalizing clue: for about 70 years, researchers have known that rats tend to live longer when fed a diet that is adequate in nutrition but very low in calories. While biologists are still unsure whether severe calorie restriction will have the same antiaging effect on humans, Guarente believes he and his fellow researchers have found the genes and a mechanism responsible for delaying the aging process -- at least in lower organisms.

A new Technology Review article interviews this important scientist. Here are some of the highlights of the Q&A session:

TR: If all goes well with antiaging research, what might be possible in five to 10 years?

Guarente: I hope in 10 years that we are way down the road of drug discovery in finding compounds that will deliver at least some of the benefits of calorie restriction.

TR: How large is this effect of calorie restriction on aging in rodents?

Guarente: Studies show this diet could extend life up to 50 percent. So, it is pretty substantial. But there are people out there claiming science will allow people to live thousands of years. I tend to believe that is a lot of bunk. But the opportunity we do have is nothing to sneeze at. I think it is the major opportunity that Mother Nature has given us to intervene in the aging process. And by intervene I mean not just to promote longevity but to fight diseases.

TR: Other researchers are testing the antiaging effects of calorie restriction in monkeys, aren't they?

Guarente: Those studies have been going on for some 15 years now. I know of two studies, and both are reporting that the diet induces the same physiological changes as in rodents, which is a very good indicator. There's no report yet on whether it makes the monkey live longer, because that data takes a long time to be available. But I think we'll know quite soon.

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I don't agree with Guarente's statement: "...most people who have tried this diet find it unpleasant [...] It makes them cold, it makes them hungry, they're irritable, and I think compliance would be very difficult."

Personally, I have never felt better. Most long-term followers of the diet in the CR Society -- those who practice good nutrition -- also concur that CRON has indeed improved their quality-of-life significantly over an ad lib diet -- i.e. their diet before adopting CRON. As far as hunger goes...if you stick with the diet long enough, it will be pushed into the background. And if you're cold ... wear a sweater ... and save energy at the same time!