Dietary restriction has been reported to be associated with increased life span and increased DNA repair capacity in both male and female rats and mice. We examined dietary restriction effects on immune system function and prolongation of life span in specific pathogen free rats and mice. In this preliminary report the authors show that dietary restriction is correlated with a dramatic increase in the lifespan of both male and female rats and mice in a pathogen free environment, and in the capacity of cultured splenocytes from those animals to initiate blastogenesis in response to antigenic stimulation.