Caloric restriction extends lifespan and delays age-related cardiovascular disease by attenuating oxidative stress and activating the Nrf2/antioxidant response element pathway.

This review focuses on the emerging evidence that attenuation of the production of reactive oxygen species and inhibition of inflammatory pathways play a central role in the antiaging cardiovascular effects of caloric restriction... We propose that caloric restriction increases bioavailability of NO, decreases vascular reactive oxygen species generation, activates the Nrf2/antioxidant response element pathway, inducing reactive oxygen species detoxification systems, exerts antiinflammatory effects, and, thereby, suppresses initiation/progression of vascular disease that accompany aging.