Extending healthy life span--from yeast to humans

Fontana L, Partridge L, Longo VD · 2010 · Science · Atlas ID FON2010

What this study shows

The landmark synthesis showing that eating less (dietary restriction) and dialing down nutrient-sensing pathways - mTOR and growth hormone/IGF-1 - extend healthy lifespan by the SAME conserved mechanisms from yeast to monkeys to humans. This is the paper that frames why mTOR sits at the crossroads of diet and aging.

Abstract

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When the food intake of organisms such as yeast and rodents is reduced (dietary restriction), they live longer than organisms fed a normal diet. A similar effect is seen when the activity of nutrient-sensing pathways is reduced by mutations or chemical inhibitors. In rodents, both dietary restriction and decreased nutrient-sensing pathway activity can lower the incidence of age-related loss of function and disease, including tumors and neurodegeneration.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	R Review — secondary literature, not a new result Marked R because it is a review or synthesis of existing evidence rather than a new primary result; that is a different form of writing, not a weaker one.
Study type	Narrative Review
Model system	Review (yeast to humans)
Journal	Science
Year	2010
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-08-22
Source	DOI 10.1126/science.1172539 · PMID 20395504 · Free full text (PMC3607354)

Extracted findings

Intervention	Not applicable (review – dietary restriction / nutrient-sensing inhibition)
Target	Nutrient-sensing pathways (incl. TOR, insulin/IGF)
Model	Review (yeast to humans)
Effect	Dietary restriction and reduced nutrient-sensing activity extend lifespan and reduce age-related disease

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

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Fontana, L., Partridge, L., & Longo, V. D. (2010). Extending healthy life span--from yeast to humans. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1172539

@article{FON2010,
  author       = {Fontana, L. and Partridge, L. and Longo, V. D.},
  title        = {{Extending healthy life span--from yeast to humans}},
  journal      = {Science},
  year         = {2010},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.1172539},
  note         = {PMID: 20395504},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record FON2010) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/FON2010/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_FON2010,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record FON2010},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/FON2010/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}