Post-Feasting Reminder to Investigate Calorie Restriction

Fight Aging!

Do you want to live a longer life in good health? Simple practices can make some difference, such as exercise or calorie restriction. But over the long haul all that really matters is progress in medicine: building new classes of therapy to repair and reverse the known root causes of aging. The sooner these treatments arrive, the more lives will be saved. Find out how to help »

This seems to be an appropriate time of year to remind folks about calorie restriction, a lifestyle and diet option that has been demonstrated to bring dramatic health benefits.

A calorie restriction diet aims at reducing your intake of calories to 20-40% less than is typical, while still obtaining all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.
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The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published an impressive set of statistics on the effects of calorie restriction (CR) in humans, based on ongoing US research. It makes for compelling reading: "It's very clear from these findings that calorie restriction has a powerful protective effect against diseases associated with ageing. [Practitioners will] certainly have a much longer life expectancy than average because they're most likely not going to die from a heart attack, stroke or diabetes."

Calorie restriction has been proven to extend healthy life span in most animals - including mice and primates - and the weight of evidence suggests that it does the same in humans.

A human study by John O. Holloszy, a professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, published earlier this year noted that 18 people who had been practicing CR for three to 15 years showed dramatically reduced risk of developing diabetes or clogged arteries. ... It's very clear that calorie restriction has a powerful, protective effect against diseases associated with aging ... We don't know how long each individual actually will end up living, but they certainly have a much longer life expectancy than average because they're most likely not going to die from a heart attack, stroke or diabetes.

Calorie restriction has even been demonstrated to slow the progression of specific age-related conditions, such as Alzheimers:

Restricting the diets of mice reduces the build-up of plaques in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study that offers further evidence of the benefits of calorie restriction. Obese people are already considered to be at a higher risk for developing Alzheimer's but the findings offer some insight into a possible explanation for this trend.

If you haven't already investigated calorie restriction as a means to a longer, healthier life, you certainly shouldn't wait any longer.