Of course, it is not known if this holds for mammals, and if so to what
extent or how much ferrets may differ from other animals, as well as
other gaps existing in the information (See related mentions in
article.).
 
I know that some people have been trying this since Bob posted the
concept -- and not just to the level where the ferrets are not obese or
not under-exercised from being too heavy which are two separate and known
health hazards (with both being WAY too common among companion animals,
especially ferrets.
 
What are you seeing?
 
Given how sensitive ferrets' liver enzyme levels are to caloric reduction
and how bullet-proof their livers normally are how are liver tests
holding up and how often and recently were the tests done?
 
Could such folks, please, post updates that also take into consideration
that longer term effects will take longer term observations and
comparisons over a large enough range of individual animals?
 
Oh, and note that these are young and middle aged fruit flies.  I've read
in human papers on geriatric medicine that all bets are off for most
things in old age, with finding and treating the existing problems the
largest predictor but that obesity risks are still present and these are
of course worse if an individual is prone to certain malignancies,
cardiovascular disease, breathing difficulties, etc.  There are a lot of
gaps in the knowledge still and some disproven hypotheses attached to the
postulated mechanisms so the reason for the effect remains unknown which
also makes it harder to know what species will be exceptions and why.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/19/science/19DIET.html?ex=1064635200
&en=f774e5bd574c5df9&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
 
A good number of assorted excerpts placed into a format where they can be
read as a lump (and use less space):
 
[In a study of] 7,492 fruit flies, published today in Science magazine,
Dr. Partridge and her colleagues discovered that the protective effect of
dieting snaps into place within 48 hours, whether the diet starts early
in life or late... But the effect can be lost just as quickly.
 
"It seems like the dietary restriction puts the flies into a different
kind of state where they are temporarily able to resist damaging events
so that they survive rather than die," Dr. Warner said "It's been
assumed that the reason things live longer when they diet is that there
is a slowing down of age-related damage," Dr. Partridge said.  But,
she added, it now appears that cannot be true.  "The system has no
memory."... It would take a study with as many as 500 rodents to see
if dietary restriction has the same immediate effect in mammals... "the
more interesting question is, What is killing them when they eat too
much?" ... not every bit of damage to the body [accrued over time] can be
erased... But this doesn't mean there is nothing that can be done about
old age.  Even though there are some things you can't do anything about,
current conditions are surprisingly important and more important than the
legacy of all the bad things..."
 
                             ---
 
Anyway, I hope that anyone trying assorted hypotheses doesn't fade into
the background but does update the group in general from time to time
on both the good and the bad so that we can all learn.  That is true
for ANY hypotheses mentioned here by anyone, because it's all about
the ferrets first.  (Yes, that is also a hint for those who have been
complete darkness for 14 or more hours each day to report!  Ditto other
hypotheses.)  Please, give up-dates, good, bad, or neutral over time on
any of them being tried so that we can all learn.
[Posted in FML issue 4278]