A Mainstream Media Piece on Calorie Restriction

The quality of these sorts of articles is slowly improving, though there are still the normal errors and biases lurking in the background. From the National Post: "As early as the 1930s, it was shown that calorie reduction could double the lifespan of rats. What's more, a 1988 study noted that mice on a calorie-restricted diet had a more youthful appearance, a higher activity level and a delay in age-related diseases, compared with those on an unrestricted feeding schedule. The first studies on the effects of caloric reduction on humans were done in the 1940s, when it was observed that Scandinavians, living on a diet in which their calories were restricted by 20% because of the hardships of the Second World War, showed a decrease in cardiovascular disease. More recently, investigations have shown that a reduction in body weight decreases the risk of Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. Other researchers examined a group who had been on a calorie-restricted diet for six years and found they had improved blood fat profiles, lower fasting glucose and insulin levels, lower body fat and a reduced level of C-reactive protein, a measure of inflammation. Further work has shown a neurological benefit for a calorie-restricted diet. One study involving mice demonstrated that intermittent fasting helped to decrease the effects of degenerative brain disease."

Link: http://www.nationalpost.com/life/health/story.html?id=1395296

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