A self-proclaimed curmudgeon reports: Mangan’s: The unfortunate influence of the weather on the rate of aging
A paper by noted aging researcher Aubrey de Grey, The unfortunate influence of the weather on the rate of aging: why human caloric restriction or its emulation may only extend life expectancy by 2-3 years(PDF), argues that calorie restriction may have limited effect on longevity in humans:What has been generally overlooked is that the extent of the evolutionary pressure to maintain adaptability to a given duration of starvation varies with the frequency of that duration, something which is – certainly for terrestrial animals, and less directly for others – determined principally by the weather. The pattern of starvation that the weather imposes is suggested here to be of a sort that will tend to cause all terrestrial animals, even those as far apart phylogenetically as nematodes and mice, to possess the ability to live a similar maximum absolute (rather than proportional) amount longer when food is short than when it is plentiful. This generalisation is strikingly in line with available data, leading (given the increasing implausibility of further extending human mean but not maximum lifespan in the industrialised world) to the biomedically and commercially sobering conclusion that interventions which manipulate caloric intake or its sensing are unlikely ever to confer more than two or three years’ increase in human mean or maximum lifespan at the most.
If true, here’s another influence on human biology that’s been overlooked: weather.
My primary purpose for caloric restriction is to lose the major excess poundage I’ve put on. Beyond that, I’ll look at the research and go from there. More research like this would limit my willingness to pursue the practice as a life-long goal.
Diabetes And Weight Loss | Best Syndication
Diabetes (and pre-diabetes) is the result of changes to cells in the pancreas that reduce the amount of insulin that they can produce. Doctors have always believed that those changes are irreversible. Now however, the research seems to suggest that losing weight with a healthy balance of exercise and diet can actually heal those early damages caused by diabetes.Here’s the even better news. Those results were achieved by people who lost ‘moderate’ amounts of weight - from 5-7% of their total body mass. In other words, if you weigh 200 pounds and have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, losing just 10-15 pounds can more than halve the risk of developing full-blown diabetes, and may reverse your condition entirely.
The article goes on to list tips from the American Diabetes Association on healthy eating habits.
Even many who practice calorie restriction see it as a stopgap until there are medical ways to slow the aging process. Can We Slow Aging? - Health For Life - MSNBC.com
We already know that some animals do not seem to age. Many cold-water ocean fish, some amphibians and the American lobster never reach a fixed size; they continue to grow bigger, to be able to reproduce and to live until something kills them. What these creatures seem to be telling us is that something in their genes—and possibly in ours—controls the pace of aging, and that aging is not the fate of every living thing.Throughout the history of life on earth, one of the most common difficulties that animals (and their cells) have faced has been a lack of food. About 70 years ago, scientists discovered that when animals are forced to live on 30 to 40 percent fewer calories than they would normally eat, something unusual happens: they become resistant to most age-related diseases—cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s—and live 30 to 50 percent longer. Restricting calories slows aging.
But how? What are the underlying genes that preserve vitality and stave off disease? No one knows for sure why aging occurs, but one important reason is probably the accumulation of DNA damage—from radiation, mutation-causing chemicals or, particularly, oxidants.
The more we know about how the mechanisms work, the more likely it will be that we can live longer, healthier lives.
The Most Fattening Cocktails - Forbes.com
That’s because the average serving of one ounce of 80-proof alcohol contains about 90 calories. And that’s before mixers are added. While many people who spend hours on treadmills or yoga mats may smugly eschew dessert or ban butter from their diets, often they will happily consume a cocktail–or three–without giving it a second thought. But they do so at considerable peril to their waistlines. A Pina Colada, for example, has more calories than a Big Mac.
Red wine is best.
They may not have figured out what causes the life extension properties of calorie restriction, but they sure are finding plenty of hints. Here’s another.
Reduced Diet May Offer Parkinson’s Help - PakTribune
A team of researchers fed one group of monkeys the low calorie diet for six months, during which they lost about 12 percent of body weight compared to monkeys fed a normal diet.Then both groups of primates were given a toxin which causes damage similar to Parkinson’s disease, causing the degeneration of dopamine neurons in the brain.
Movement was affected in all monkeys, but the ability to move and speed of movement were greater in the low-calorie monkeys than in those that had been fed normally.
The researchers found that the monkeys on a restricted diet had significantly higher concentrations than normal weight animals of two chemicals that protect nerve cells, BNDF and GNDF.
Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase levels of BNDF in rodents, the researchers noted. GNDF, they said, currently is being given to Parkinson’s patients in clinical trials.
It seems like there are all kinds of positive effects that stem from the practice.
The Better Sex Diet - Forbes.com
To really get your blood going, consider circulation-enhancing dishes. Food that’s high in Omega-3 fatty acids such as mackerel, salmon and wild salmon are best. “Omega-3 makes your nervous system function better,” says Dr. Barbara Bartlik, assistant professor of psychiatry and sex therapist with the Human Sexuality Program at Weill Cornell Medical Center. “Sex is really about circuitry.” Multivitamins and minerals will help, too. Both improve neurological function, which contributes to good circulation.
Improved circulation results in greater erectile response. To accomplish that, go for food rich in L-Arginine, such as granola, oatmeal, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, dairy, green vegetables, root vegetables, garlic, ginseng, soybeans, chickpeas and seeds. Studies show that L-Arginine is helpful for improving sexual function in men. There haven’t been studies done on women–but remember, erectile response isn’t just a guy thing. “Women have erections too: in their clitoris and the tissue surrounding the vulva,” says Bartlik.
Let’s see… are any of these good options for calorie restricters? Salmon? check. Oatmeal? check. Nuts? check. Veggies? check. Spices? check. Soybeans, chickpeas and seeds? Check, check check!
No wonder I feel so good.
Study: Almonds May Protect Against Heart Disease, Diabetes Risk
A study published today in the Journal of Nutrition found that eating almonds may play a role in avoiding blood sugar spikes after consuming a carbohydrate-rich meal of foods that raise blood sugar levels. Additionally, eating almonds helps prevent oxidative stress.”We found that eating almonds can have a significant impact in blunting the gylcemic and insulin responses of the body when fed with a carbohydrate meal,” said co-author Dr. Cyril Kendall from the University of Toronto.
“Almonds have already been found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels and contain a variety of important nutrients,” he said. “This new research shows that incorporating almonds in the diet may help in the management of blood glucose levels and the onset of such illnesses as diabetes, while promoting a healthy heart.”
Besides, they taste good and provide good fat.
A study showed the exercisers lost less muscle mass than calorie cutters (not surprising since everything else was controlled.) Both groups lost the same amount of weight.
Quick and Fast Weight Loss Diet » Blog Archive » Exercise works better than cutting calories when trying to lose weight
By the study’s end, both groups lost roughly 9 to 10 percent of their total body weight. However, the researchers found that the participants of the dieting group lost muscle mass during their weight loss, while the exercising group did not.“If push comes to shove and somebody wants to know if they should diet or exercise to lose weight, I would suggest exercise, provided they are willing to put in the extra time and effort and not offset the gains they make by eating more,” said Edward Weiss, the study’s lead author.
Though the most effective weight loss strategy is to combine diet and exercise, the researchers emphasized that people who only exercise to lose weight are missing out on some unique health benefits of calorie restriction.
“It’s important that dieting not be seen as a bad thing because it provides enormous benefits with respect to reducing the risk of disease and is effective for weight loss,” Weiss said. “Furthermore, based on studies in rodents, there is a real possibility that calorie restriction provides benefits that cannot be achieved through exercise-induced weight loss.”
Other factors to consider are the difficulty of burning 500 calories relative to the difficulty of not eating them.
We’ve talked frequently about the potential benefits (apart from weight loss) of following a calorie restricted diet. New research suggests that calorie restriction can boost the immune system. It is unsure whether this is an ancillary effect or whether it is directly associated with the already-documented life extension benefits (if you don’t get sick you will probably live longer.)
Cutting Calories May Aid Immune System
The researchers took blood samples from the monkeys four times over about four years, waiting at least six months between blood tests.The scientists focused on T-cells, which are part of the body’s immune system.
The blood tests showed the T-cells of the calorie-restricted monkeys were less affected by age than those of the monkeys on a normal diet.
The exact reason for the pattern isn’t clear.
The study can’t show whether the calorie-restricted monkeys will live longer — or whether the findings will apply to people.
But if calorie restriction aids the immune system’s T-cells, that might lead to better resistance to infection and, ultimately, to longer life, the researchers note.
But at the least, you may feel better while living longer.
Since we have presented information regarding studies showing that calorie restriction extends lifespan, it seems fair to point out studies that show that there is no effect.
glycotoxin restriction extends rodent lifespan :: NNSeek
Feed restriction has extended lifespan in a wide variety of short lived animal species. It had been assumed that the toxic effect of ad-libitum feed consumption was due to excess calories. In the last several years this assumption has been proven to be false. In nematodes, the benefit of feed restriction is now ascribed to the restriction of coenzyme Q. In drosophila, the benefit of feed restriction has been ascribed to protein restriction. In mice, the benefit of feed restriction has been ascribed to glycotoxin restriction. Over the years there have been a number of failures in CR studies, where lifespan was not extended. These can be explained, in the case of rodents, by a failure to control for glycotoxin intake.
Glycotoxin content of rodent chow can be increased by roasting it at high temperatures during sterilization. Rodents are adapted to consuming only raw food in the wild, and they may be more vulnerable than humans to the deletarious effects of Advanced Glycation End-products. Below serum AGE levels closely predicted two year survival. Calorie intake by itself was without effect. Note that glycotoxins are believed themselves to affect body weight by influencing water retention.
One can avoid excessive AGEs in food by avoiding food that has been processed at high temperatures. Example: Boiled oatmeal is low in AGEs, while “Fiber 1″ bran cereal is high in AGEs since “Fiber 1″ is extruded at a higher temperature. In general, steam, or boil instead of fry, or broil. However it must be added that humans are not rodents, and may not benefit much from dietary AGE reduction.
Still, kind of goes along with the theory that less processing is better for you.