Nutritionist Sherwood AR
Nutritionist
For decades, people have restricted their calories purely to lose weight and fit into their favorite clothes. Health often hasn't factored into the equation. Now, a growing subset of health-conscious folks is advocating calorie restriction as a way to tap the fountain of youth. In other words, eat less and you'll ward off a host of diseases and live longer. But is it true? Can you extend your lifespan simply by pushing away your dinner plate after one or two servings of nutritious food?
Science says maybe you can. Studies on mice, fish, flies and worms indicate that reducing the calories they ingest enables them to live longer and lower their chances of contracting diseases. Studies on monkeys are less conclusive, but they appear to show a lower death rate and lower levels of age-related illnesses in monkeys who were fed fewer calories. Calorie restriction seems to reduce metabolic rate and the stress on the body caused by oxidation. It also bolsters insulin function and makes the nervous system function more efficiently.
This does not mean, of course, that calorie restriction is a definitive panacea for aging in humans. But studies and personal anecdotes suggest that it holds promise for people looking to live as long and as well as possible. In one study, 28 members of the Calorie Restriction Society, a group that espouses calorie restriction as a lifestyle, had their thyroid hormones measured against a control group. The results showed that calorie restrictors had more desirable hormone levels than the control group, even though the control group was also exercising...
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