Background: Calorie restriction increases longevity in many species and attenuate the development of chronic disorders including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In mice reduced activity of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and/or insulin is associated with extended longevity. Growth hormone (GH) is the main regulator of IGF-I production, but the molecular mechanism whereby GH switches from IGF-I stimulation (protein anabolism) to fatty acid oxidation (fatty acid catabolism) as well as induction of insulin resistance during fasting remains enigmatic.