[whoa182]

Fewer calories may be prescription for longer life

At a time when everything from sport utility vehicles to hamburgers comes “supersized,” the notion that less is more may seem out of date to some Americans.

But when it comes to calories, eating fewer just might be a prescription for a longer, healthier life.

The secret to longevity? I was fascinated to learn that the island of Okinawa in Japan is home to the highest percentage of centenarians (those aged 100 or older) in the world — 39.5 for every 100,000 people, compared to about 10 in every 100,000 Americans.

The Okinawa islanders consume a high-quality diet — mainly homegrown vegetables, tofu and seaweed; they also tend to live low-stress, active lives. Interestingly, while most Okinawans have protein and fat intakes similar to those of their fellow citizens, the Okinawans’ total calorie levels are 20 percent less than the Japanese national average.

So, is eating fewer calories — without being undernourished — the answer to longevity? In animals placed on low-calorie, optimal diets, the typical signs of aging — such as declines in immune function and loss of functional capacity — slowed down.

In the Biosphere2 experiment, participants living in a self-contained ecological space outside of Tucson had to eat a low-calorie diet after experiencing problems with crop cultivation. Though the original plan called for them to eat 2,500 calories per day, the subjects averaged only 1,800 calories a day for the first six months, then increased their intake to about 2,000 calories daily for the remaining 18 months.

The diet consisted primarily of vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains and modest amount of dairy, eggs and meat.

At the end of two years, participants not only had lost weight but also reduced their blood pressure, blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, all of which when elevated are linked to the development of chronic disease.

Calorie restriction without undernutrition may turn out to be a prescription for a longer and healthier life. However, more studies are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

In the meantime, you can take small steps toward healthy lifestyle changes through proper eating habits combined with a comprehensive exercise pro- gram.

Here are some strategies you can use to reduce unnecessary calorie consumption without creating nutrient deficiencies:

——Make nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, the mainstays of your diet.

——Eat meat occasionally but focus on leaner cuts. Try to include fish as a regular source of protein.

——Avoid foods that are high in trans-fat acids and partially hydrogenated oils, found in margarines and many processed foods. Minimize consumption of fried foods and butter, palm and coconut oils.

——Include some essential fats in your diet. Good sources include unsalted nuts (e.g., pecans, walnuts and almonds) and plant oils, such as canola and olive oils.

——Check food labels for ingredients, serving sizes and fat content so you know what you are eating.

——When evaluating calorie intake, don’t forget the “hidden” calories found in many beverages and condiments.

——To get the best results, combine any reduction in calories with an increase in physical activity. But don’t overdo it, especially if you are new to exercise.

http://sun.yumasun.c...story_17495.php

This post has been edited by whoa182: 01 July 2005 - 04:16 AM

[whoa182]

I have been doing Calorie restriction now for about 4-5 months. ALthough I don't just lower my calories, what I am trying to do is get the most nutrients out of the least amount of calories possible. This is called Calorie Restriction With Optimal Nutrition or "CRON"

I have always never reallly met the recommended amount of calories a day but before I started cron I only ate the bad stuff, usually. But that changed after some reading...

CRON Is great if you can handle it. Some people suffer with being hungry a lot of the time - I don't seem to get this. Infact, I struggle to even get 1800 calories!

Im 5ft 7" My BMI is around 20.4 which is good and I feel great since I started this, I especially notice that I can 'think' a lot more clearly.

Although I really love chocolate and various other bad foods! I've so far managed to almost elminate it from my diet. I rarely have chocolate... I Probably ate around 3 chocolate biscuits last month. Which is ok, although I need to work harder to resist these foods. but I guess 3 wont kill me lol

I avoid simple sugars as much as I can and saturated fats, of course!

my diet consists of fruits, vegetables, high protein, high fibre, fish, 'good' fats - omega 3 - omega 6 - omega 9 ( monounsaturated fats ). I get plenty of foods and drinks that are high in antioxidants ( no proof that they extend life but may help you reach maximum life span )


Is there anyone else here that does CR?

Could you could ever do CR? or couldnt you, even tho the benifits seem to be good!

Although it can be dangerous if you dont get enough nutrients and can have an opposite effects. Malnutrition and huge weight loss. So it's best for you know what you are doing before taking up such an experimental diet.

This post has been edited by whoa182: 01 July 2005 - 04:35 AM

[Firien]

hi. i never knew there was a name for it. when i decided to drop weight i decided to count calories. and sure enough the pounds have dropped. i like to eat so the healthier it is, i can eat more of it..and i like to feel like im eating something lol. so yes, lots of fruit, salad, veggies for me. less carbs..but not completely gone. and for a while no sugar hardly..and i need to get back to that. been slipping a cookie here and there. anyway, i feel so much better and look better at the same time lol. and i dont feel hungry either..

[Super Pancake]

I change my diet all the time just to try new things So I wanted to try the benefits of a low calorie diet (extremely low body being one of them but I weight only 138 so I don't need it) but when I researched it, they said some of the known downside of it is low energy, and lack of a sex drive. I'm very active so I need the calories and I don't want to rely on viagra already.

[Euphoric Deception]

I'm an soda addict so I could never pull off any CRON stuff like whoa182. I drink about 7-10 cans every 24 hours, that has to be trimming my life span LOL. Though I have a very high metabolism so I dont need to worry about my weight.

[whoa182]

one can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites.

70 tea spoons of sugar a day ! ! ! ! * WOW * just from soda...

That is horrible. It is certainly having an effect on your mental abilities and is definitly increasing the speed of ageing and risk of developing serious diseases that you are likely to develop with that kind of sugar consumption.

My brain would turn into that of a zombie with 70 tea spoons of sugar a day

If you were to carry that on every day you will develop neuro-degenerative diseases. experience memory loss, depression, Cognitive Function.

This post has been edited by whoa182: 21 November 2005 - 11:54 PM

[greychupa]

Calorie reducing : how many calories a day are you supposed to consume then?

[whoa182]

the average-size human on a CR diet might consume 1,500 calories a day, compared to the 2,100 calories of the typical American.

I believe the daily calorie recommendation is around 2700 for men

You have around four or five small meals a day and consists predominantly of vegetables and fruits.

Here is some proper information about it http://www.drlam.com...esthatcount.cfm

This post has been edited by whoa182: 03 July 2005 - 12:39 PM

[hyperactive]

I change my diet all the time just to try new things So I wanted to try the benefits of a low calorie diet (extremely low body being one of them but I weight only 138 so I don't need it) but when I researched it, they said some of the known downside of it is low energy, and lack of a sex drive. I'm very active so I need the calories and I don't want to rely on viagra already.

if done properly you won't become viagravated!

i have lived most of my life on a controlled diet (calorie wise, vegan, alkaline, etc, etc, etc) and could easily impregnate 50 women a week (if suitable candidates were located that readily).

[Super Pancake]

Most of the stuff I read still say it reduces the sexual drive. But is there a difference in what you use the low calorie diet, do you use it to live longer like this thread is suggesting or live healthy or another reason?

Maybe I'm doing the wrong research? The article I read in a health journal said the low calorie diet also reduces the bodies ability in producing HGH one of the reason for the low sex drive.

Anyway I found a suitable diet for my life style.

And wow 146 reasons to love sugar even more, living life dangerously.

This post has been edited by Super Pancake: 04 July 2005 - 02:21 AM

[hyperactive]

my diet is for athletic (and intellectual) perfomance.

it isn't so much an untra-low cal diet, but an untra-optimized diet that is modular (base + components for activities based on acitivity, intensitity, and duration)

i am naturally very hightly wired - when younger i could go weeks with no sleep with no effect. at full tilt i can consume 8000 calories a day and burn it all. however, i have been trained in metabolic control and can run for long periods on less than 300 calories a day!

to put it simply, i have been compared to a reptile! yay!!

i am very physically active which contributes to high verility. this might be more than enough to compensate for any loss from reduced calorie intake.

an example of the lengths i will go to is i ran the equiv an ulta marathon (68 km over 4400 meter elevation gain) with no rest, food, or water (clearly i could not eat or drink enough before setting out to fuel it. it was all through meta-control)

This post has been edited by hyperactive: 04 July 2005 - 12:44 AM

[Super Pancake]

Wow thats cool, how do you do that?

[hyperactive]

the best explanation is by understanding your body. i don't have a scientific reasoning for it. i was taught to meditate from an early age and it is from this i became able to control quite a bit (although not to the extent of "masters" that can have large needles and things shoved through them during meditation without bleeding or scars, etc.)

[whoa182]

I change my diet all the time just to try new things So I wanted to try the benefits of a low calorie diet (extremely low body being one of them but I weight only 138 so I don't need it) but when I researched it, they said some of the known downside of it is low energy, and lack of a sex drive. I'm very active so I need the calories and I don't want to rely on viagra already.

if done properly you won't become viagravated!

i have lived most of my life on a controlled diet (calorie wise, vegan, alkaline, etc, etc, etc) and could easily impregnate 50 women a week (if suitable candidates were located that readily).

Low energy is not associated with CR.

Studies on animals show that where as a free feeding mouse will run 1km in the night, the Caloric restricted mice will run 7-8 km in a night.

The free feeding mice will also stop running a km after around 8 months where as a CR mice are still running several km after 2 years.

[whoa182]

Fewer calories may be prescription for longer life

At a time when everything from sport utility vehicles to hamburgers comes “supersized,” the notion that less is more may seem out of date to some Americans.

But when it comes to calories, eating fewer just might be a prescription for a longer, healthier life.

The secret to longevity? I was fascinated to learn that the island of Okinawa in Japan is home to the highest percentage of centenarians (those aged 100 or older) in the world — 39.5 for every 100,000 people, compared to about 10 in every 100,000 Americans.

The Okinawa islanders consume a high-quality diet — mainly homegrown vegetables, tofu and seaweed; they also tend to live low-stress, active lives. Interestingly, while most Okinawans have protein and fat intakes similar to those of their fellow citizens, the Okinawans’ total calorie levels are 20 percent less than the Japanese national average.

So, is eating fewer calories — without being undernourished — the answer to longevity? In animals placed on low-calorie, optimal diets, the typical signs of aging — such as declines in immune function and loss of functional capacity — slowed down.

In the Biosphere2 experiment, participants living in a self-contained ecological space outside of Tucson had to eat a low-calorie diet after experiencing problems with crop cultivation. Though the original plan called for them to eat 2,500 calories per day, the subjects averaged only 1,800 calories a day for the first six months, then increased their intake to about 2,000 calories daily for the remaining 18 months.

The diet consisted primarily of vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains and modest amount of dairy, eggs and meat.

At the end of two years, participants not only had lost weight but also reduced their blood pressure, blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, all of which when elevated are linked to the development of chronic disease.

Calorie restriction without undernutrition may turn out to be a prescription for a longer and healthier life. However, more studies are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

In the meantime, you can take small steps toward healthy lifestyle changes through proper eating habits combined with a comprehensive exercise pro- gram.

Here are some strategies you can use to reduce unnecessary calorie consumption without creating nutrient deficiencies:

——Make nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, the mainstays of your diet.

——Eat meat occasionally but focus on leaner cuts. Try to include fish as a regular source of protein.

——Avoid foods that are high in trans-fat acids and partially hydrogenated oils, found in margarines and many processed foods. Minimize consumption of fried foods and butter, palm and coconut oils.

——Include some essential fats in your diet. Good sources include unsalted nuts (e.g., pecans, walnuts and almonds) and plant oils, such as canola and olive oils.

——Check food labels for ingredients, serving sizes and fat content so you know what you are eating.

——When evaluating calorie intake, don’t forget the “hidden” calories found in many beverages and condiments.

——To get the best results, combine any reduction in calories with an increase in physical activity. But don’t overdo it, especially if you are new to exercise.