An Overview of Calorie Restriction
Via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a decent overview of the practice of calorie restriction and some present scientific efforts to quantify effects on health and aging: "Early tests showed the practitioners, who call themselves 'CRONies,' (Calorie Restriction, Optimal Nutrition), had virtually no risks of cardiovascular disease or cancer ... It's becoming clear from studies with the CRONies - and from this brief, prospective study - that calorie restriction does change some of the markers we associate with aging ... Proponents of calorie restriction, which they call 'CR,' boast of disappearing triglycerides, healthy cholesterol levels, the elimination of low-level inflammation through the body caused by oxidation damage, lowered and more stable blood sugar, nonexistent cardiovascular disease and even instances of being cured of early stage diabetes. ... The attraction to CR by researchers was sparked by more than 60 years of uncommonly consistent tests on laboratory mice and rats. [When] laboratory animals were placed on calorie restricted diets, 'their life spans increased 20 to 40 percent.'" The quality of media examination of calorie restriction has greatly increased in past years thanks to the efforts of advocates and educators in the community.