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The evidence for increasing one’s
life span through dietary restriction is enormous and irrefutable. Reduced
caloric intake is the only experimental technique to consistently extend
maximum life span. This has been shown in all species tested, from insects and
fish to rats and cats. There are so many hundreds of studies that only a small
number are referenced below.
Scientists have long known that mice
that eat fewer calories live longer. Research has demonstrated the same effect
in primates (i.e., you). A study published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences found that restricting calories by 30 percent significantly
increased life span in monkeys. The experimental diet, while still providing
adequate nourishment, slowed monkeys’ metabolism and reduced their body
temperatures, changes similar to those in the long-lived thin mice. Decreased
levels of triglycerides and increased HDL (the good) cholesterol were also
observed. Studies over the years, on many different species of animals, have
confirmed that those animals that were fed less lived longest. In fact,
allowing an animal to eat as much food as it desires can reduce its life span
by as much as one-half. High-nutrient, low-calorie eating results
in dramatic increases in life span as well as prevention of chronic illnesses.
From rodents to primates we see:
1.Resistance to experimentally induced
cancers
2.Protection from spontaneous and
genetically predisposed cancers
3.A delay in the onset of late-life
diseases
4.Nonappearance of atherosclerosis and
diabetes
5.Lower cholesterol and triglycerides
and increased HDL
6.Improved insulin sensitivity
7.Enhancement of the
energy-conservation mechanism, including reduced body temperature
8. Reduction in oxidative stress
9.Reduction in parameters of cellular
aging, including cellular congestion
10.Enhancement of cellular repair
mechanisms, including DNA repair enzymes
11.Reduction in inflammatory response
and immune cell proliferation
12. Improved defenses against
environmental stresses
13.Suppression of the genetic
alterations associated with aging
14.Protection of genes associated with
removal of oxygen radicals
15. Inhibited production of metabolites
that are potent cross-linking agents
16.Slowed metabolic rate
The link between thinness and
longevity, and obesity and a shorter life span, is concrete. Another important
consideration in other animal studies is that fat and protein restriction have
an additional effect on lengthening life span. Apparently, higher fat and
higher protein intake promotes hormone production, speeds up reproductive
readiness and other indicators of aging, and promotes the growth of certain
tumors. For example, excess protein intake has been shown to raise insulin-like
growth factor (IGF-1) levels, which are linked to higher rates of prostate and
breast cancer.
In the wide field of longevity research
there is only one finding that has held up over the years: eating less prolongs
life, as long as nutrient intake is adequate. All other longevity ideas are merely
conjectural and unproven. Such theories include taking hormones such as estrogen,
DHEA, growth hormones, and melatonin, as well as nutritional supplements.
So far, there is no solid evidence
that supplying the body with any nutritional element over and above the level
present in adequate amounts in a nutrient-dense diet will prolong life. This is
in contrast to the overwhelming evidence regarding protein and caloric
restriction.
This important and irrefutable
finding is a crucial feature of the H = N/C equation. We all must recognize
that if we are to reach the limit of the human life span, we must not overeat
on high-calorie food. Eating empty-calorie food makes it impossible to achieve
optimal health and maximize our genetic potential.
Copyright ©Joel Fuhrman MD –Originally appeared in Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman MD
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