Eating more calories than your body uses has deadly consequences. Not only does it put you at an increased risk of health problems, but those complications often lead to premature death. Reducing the number of calories you eat, while maintaining the nutrients your body needs to live, dramatically slows the aging process. Scientists expect that significantly cutting your calories can increase your lifespan.
Calories and Aging
Eating too much puts you at risk of an early death. This is because added fat and body weight increases your risk of deadly diseases, like metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. In addition, as you age, your brain has fewer receptors to the hormone leptin, which tells your brain that you've had enough to eat. Over time, the processed foods you eat take their toll on your digestive tract, which can lead to symptoms of premature aging.
Effects of Calorie Restriction
According to research published by "Life Extension" magazine and the journals "Science" and "Annals of the New York Academy of Science," a calorie-restrictive diet lowers your risk of health problems, decreases the hallmarks of aging and possibly adds years to your life. "Life Extension" reports that calorie restriction improves many of the biomarkers of health, including cognitive function and memory, blood sugar regulation, heart health and cancer risk. A low-calorie diet for the purpose of anti-aging involves eating fewer calories than your body needs on a daily basis but still getting the appropriate vitamins and nutrients needed for life. The deficits reported in research involve a range of 20 to 30 percent fewer calories than needed and maintaining that deficit for the rest of your life.
Life Extension
Some researchers say you get the life extension from a low-calorie diet because the restriction on calories activates a survival mechanism that allows animals to outlive temporary shortages of food. This triggering causes cells to become more efficient and speed up the process that cells remove damage. In currently available research, these diets increased life expectancy by 4 to 17 percent, MayoClinic.com reports. Other research says calorie restriction activates molecules called sirtuins, which control gene expression, aging, metabolism and certain cellular functions.
Youthful Substitutes
Although research demonstrates that the best known way to increase life span is the calorie restriction of a low-calorie diet, scientists know it's not easy to forgo calories for long, especially in an obesogenic society like the United States, where an abundance of high-calorie and inexpensive foods tempt you into overeating. That's why scientists are now looking into anti-aging agents that can mimic the effect of calorie restriction. In the journal "Aging," calorie-restriction "mimetics" like rapamycin, found in organ transplant drugs, and spermidine, a compound involved in cell metabolism have proven promising. In addition, a substance found in strawberries, fisetin is believed to have antioxidant features that could be another mimetic.
Side Effects
Talk to your physician about your desire to go on a calorie-restriction diet for longevity. Sustained over a long period of time, it could have serious risks and side effects, such as menstrual irregularities and a loss of fertility in women, hormonal changes, loss of bone density and muscle mass, anemia, lethargy and depression.
No Guarantees
No lifelong studies have been conducted on the effects of calorie restriction as a longevity aid; only short-term trials have been undertaken that demonstrate the effect of cutting a certain percentage of calories. Because in these studies significant calorie cutting reduces risk of major killer diseases, like heart disease, diabetes and obesity, scientists expect calorie restriction to result in an increase in life expectancy. There are no guarantees, however. The increase in life span you could expect can only be estimated. In addition, the benefit should be weighed against gains. For example, on average American women consume 25 percent fewer calories than men and live about five years longer. Okinawans eat about 40 percent fewer calories than Americans and live just four years longer. You should contact your health care provider to discuss the risks of severely limiting your food intake.
References
- "Life Extension Magazine": You Are Eating More Calories Than You Think
- "Newsweek" magazine: Eat Less, Live Longer?
- Medical News Today: First Gene Discovered That Specifically Links Calorie Restriction To Longevity
- Science Daily: Calorie Restriction Leads Scientists to Molecular Pathways That Slow Aging, Improve Health
- "Aging": Bile Acids Extend Longevity Beyond Calorie Restriction
- PubMed: Life Extension by Calorie Extension in Humans
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