Will Calorie Restriction Prolong Your Life?

The idea that calorie restriction will add more years to your life expectancy has been out there for quite some time and some people have taken it seriously and have been eating less calories than recommended for years. If eating less calories will indeed prolong your life, then we might be on to something, but firstly we need to know for sure if that is the case and secondly we need to ask ourselves the following question: do I want to live a life of hunger just to live longer? Let’s see what the studies have shown concerning calorie restriction.

The claim that calorie restriction may prolong life has been tested by scientists in since the 1930s. First, mice were given less food and observed, but the scientists soon realized that if relevant results are expected, the studies need to be performed on animals who are more genetically similar to humans – monkeys to be more precise. In 1989 the Wisconsin Study took 30 rhesus monkeys and embarked on a mission to test the claim. Rhesus monkeys live about 30 years – when the monkeys were fully grown (about 10 years of age) the scientists cut the calories by 30% and the results started yielding.

These studies performed on rhesus monkeys have indicated that a cut in calories will indeed reduce the age-related deaths and slow the aging process. After about 20 years into the study, 14 of the 38 rhesus monkeys in the control group were dead by age-related causes (heart illnesses and cancer) and in the diet group only five of the 38 had died. Quite a difference, we might say. The autopsies performed on the deceased monkeys showed that the content of grey matter in the diet monkeys was higher than in those in the control group. So we could conclude that a calorie restrictive diet will not only keep your bodies young but also our brains.

If you plan to give it a try, do so, it really does reduce the risk of developing a heart disease, it lowers your blood pressure, the risk of heart disease and cholesterol. People who are on the diet say they’re feeling great and have lots of energy. If it appeals to you, consult your physician before going on any diet. Cholesterol levels, both HDL and LDL should be regularly looked into, and can now be efficiently and affordably ordered online, from Health Testing Centers.

Will Calorie Restriction Prolong Your Life?

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