The Longevity Diet?

The Longevity Diet?
Have you heard of the Longevity Diet or Calorie Restriction
Diet? It's been in and out of nutrition news for many
years, the theory and related research starting in the
1930s. The concept is that by eating less total calories
and ensuring that the calories we do eat are highly
nutritious, we can extend our life span. So what's the
science behind this? No one knows exactly, but the research
is growing, and so are the numbers of people trying it out.

In the 1930s, researchers studying growth patterns and food
deprivation in mice noticed that adult mice that were
underfed lived much longer than their well fed
counterparts. Since then, there have been studies done on
different animals, including primates, with basically the
same results: those animals that were fed much fewer "high
quality" calories lived longer and had better overall
health.

Do you remember Biosphere 2? It was the project where they
built a sealed, self-contained facility in Arizona and
people lived there for 2 years. Well, the food production
part of the experiment didn't go so well yet the
participants stayed anyway. It was observed that although
they became very thin, their health profiles (particularly
the biomarkers of aging: cholesterol, blood sugar and
c-reactive protein/inflammation) improved considerably.

This led to the formation of the Calorie Restriction
Society by one of the Biosphere 2 members, Dr. Roy Walford.
The society aims to raise money for research as well as to
educate people on the benefits and risks of Calorie
Restriction as a lifestyle. They have renamed the concept:
Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition. This is an
important distinction, because if one restricts their
calories from between 10 to 30%, it is imperative that what
is eaten is high quality in terms of nutrition. No junk
food allowed!

What have researchers found are the benefits of Calorie
Restriction with Optimal Nutrition? Well, in humans it's
not an easy research study to design because we live so
long and there aren't many people willing to go to such
extremes. But there have been some interesting findings.

This year, a research group studied 25 members of the
Calorie Restriction Society (aged 41-65) who had been
following the lifestyle eating 1400 to 2000 calories per
day for an average of 6 years, along with another 25 people
who had been eating "normal" American diet of 2,000 to
3,000 calories per day. They measured the diastolic
function of all of them. This is a biomarker of age in
hearts. The calorie restrictor's diastolic readings were of
people 15 years younger.

One research group has been able to prove that calorie
restriction in mice slows down death rates, particularly of
cancer and kidney failure. Well fed, sedentary lab rats
commonly die of these afflictions. They demonstrated that
calorie restriction slows down the growth speed of breast,
skin and white blood cells... which means a slower tumor
growth rate.

One researcher is studying the implications of the fact
that calorie restriction lowers the levels of insulin and
insulin growth factor -another cancer trigger. This also
can't be bad in the fight for diabetes prevention and
control!

And yet another research group is studying the idea that
slowing down the amount of energy given to the mitochondria
of our cells gives us fewer free radicals (cellular
respiration generates free radicals). Hmm... many of us are
taking anti-oxidant vitamins to combat free radical damage
- maybe we just need to eat less.

Although the concept really hasn't been studied enough to
lend concrete answers, it deserves the attention of those
of us who are looking to live longer and more productive
lives. Many of the principles put forth by this lifestyle,
such as to eat more nutrient dense foods (veggies, fruits,
lean dairy, fish, lean meats and whole grains) and eat
fewer empty calories (sugar, white flour, white rice and
other processed foods), couldn't be bad for anyone!

It's pretty obvious that being overweight is a risk factor
for a shortened lifespan, so why wouldn't being mildly
underweight lengthen lifespan? It's an idea well worth
consideration.

To find out more, check out the Calorie Restriction Society
web site at http://www.calorierestriction.org/.

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About the Author:
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years
and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds
certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and
Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional
engineer and mom. To see more articles by Ainsley visit
http://www.bodyformind.com or the blog at
http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com