We can now see how TOR is connected to caloric restriction. Under CR, there are fewer nutrients around, and TOR, recognizing that, can switch off protein synthesis and other growth pathways, and also green-light autophagy. We have already seen how important both controlling protein synthesis and clearing defective proteins and other structures through autophagy are to keep the cell working optimally, and to aging in general. But what if we didn’t need caloric restriction to reap its benefits—if we could inhibit a normal TOR and mimic its effects, with no change to the human diet? TOR was
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