Fat Loss 4 Idiots Opinion

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Eat Less and Live Longer

By Alex Ariel Sanders

Nobody remains unaware of the ever popular diet fact that focuses on losing weight by cutting calories in one's diet. Caloric restriction usually makes us think about diets that end up making us hungry and deprived. Scientific evidence supports the notion that caloric restriction may lead to anti-aging health benefits aside from basically just losing a few pounds! There are studies conducted that support the slowing of the aging process with caloric restriction.

One important fact to keep in mind is that caloric restriction (CR) is not necessarily equivalent to malnutrition if the nutrient values are dense. This is not about ending up starved but about being healthier with what is consumed by the body. Initially calories consumed can be lowered by changing not how much is eaten but what is eaten. It is not surprising that fruits and vegetables are lower in calories but have high nutrient density. If you are interested to slow aging with caloric restriction, eat a lot of those, as well grains, beans and fish.

Recent studies have shown in primates, mice, worms, and flies that caloric restriction while maintaining a healthful diet regimen leads to a longevity without onset of many of the diseases associated with aging, including heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and dementia.

In studies with experimental animals, when the brain regions responsible for cognition and memory were measured, there was a significant difference in the amount of atrophy of the brain tissues. In animals on caloric restriction, there was less atrophy as compared to the control group of animals, which was allowed to consume as much as they wanted. As a result, the control group that was on unrestricted caloric intake was showing the obvious signs of aging such as atrophy and other diseases. A 30% caloric reduction resulted in slowing the aging process by 30%-40%.

The average consumption of a human male is a little over 2600 calories daily. There is, however, no magic way to determine for everyone how many calories should be consumed if interested in slowing aging, because of body size differences, metabolism as well as the level of activities each individual partakes. This is the reason why two individuals consuming the same amount and kind of food can end up differently in terms of weight and size.

The way to slow aging with caloric restriction is to pay attention to how many calories you normally consume in a day. Do this over a period of about a month to establish a solid average number of calories. In the second month, reduce the number of calories per day by five percent. Do not starve yourself or leave yourself feeling hungry. Instead, simply replace some of the higher calorie foods in your diet with lower calorie foods that are dense in nutrients.

Go to your doctor and have him establish a baseline for you of cholesterol levels, fasting blood sugar, and blood pressure. Each month, reduce your caloric intake by another five percent. At the end of the month, see your doctor again and have these three numbers rechecked. If they show improvement, you may very well be slowing the aging process in your body. You can reduce calories by another five percent for another month and repeat the tests. When your numbers level out and stop showing improvement, you will have reached what should be the optimal caloric intake to assure you of a longer, healthier life.

It has been scientifically found that Resveratrol, which is a compound found in grape skins and red wine, can mimic the anti-aging health benefits of caloric restriction. Studies at the University of Florida revealed that "the effects of low doses of Resveratrol were comparable to caloric restriction, the hallmark of life extension". It is never too late to get a head start on providing your body with the conditions it needs to live a longer and happier life. However, if restricting your daily calories by 15%-30% seems too hard, then when why not consider Resveratrol? Should you get healthier and slow aging with caloric restriction or Resveratrol? It is your choice. - 17269

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home