gribbon Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Eating less - whilst maintaining adequate nutrition is a recipe for longer lifespan in animals. Might it help humans as well? Experiments conducted as early as 1930 proved convincingly that calorie restriction allows for a longer lifespan in rodents, increasing life expectancy figures by 33%, and in general improving the overall health of the animals. The rodents suffered fewer later life diseases. To prove that this is nothing unique to the rodent family, experiments conducted since that era in animals ranging from water fleas to fish have demonstrated the benefits of calorie restriction. In most studies, the animals consumed 30-50% less (and weighed this much less) than the control subjects, but maintained adequate quantities of fat etc. When rodents get older, they will usually clear glucose from their blood less efficiently than in their youth, and synthesise proteins a lot slower, hence the stiffening of their muscles. This, along with a number of other old age attributes where non-existent when calorie restriction was enforced. Water flea Normal diet Average lifespan: 30 daysMaximum lifespan: 42 days Calorie restriction Average life span: 51 daysMaximum life span: 60 days. Guppy Normal diet Average life span: 33 monthsMaximum life span: 54 months Calorie restriction Average life span: 46 monthsMaximum life span: 59 months Even if calorie restriction does turn out to be the fountain of youth for humans to, it is unlikely that it will ever catch on, for, as Pyrotex righteously mentioned in the thread regarding obesity, when one suggests that self-discipline is the answer to solving a health problem, one is often met with a somewhat hostile reaction. However, if we can understand how calorie restriction affects the body, we may find the answer. The university of Wisconsin has made a particular commitment to discovering the molecular chemistry behind this. What has been understood for a significant length of time is that the destructive energy of free radicals generated in Mitochondria can permanently damage the machinery of a cell. Although this is still regarded as theory there is much evidence to support it. Free radicals are formed when energy producing machinery of Mitochondria use Oxygen to synthesise ATP, which is then used to power most other activities in the cell. When Complexes II and I take up electrons from food and relay them to Ubiquinone, which sends them to III and IV to complete the process, electrons might escape from the transport chain they usually combine with oxygen in their vicinity, forming free radicals. Protons, however, are relayed past all the 4 stages in the transport chain, and are used to turn ADP to ATP. The search for an anti-aging pill The most intensively studied chemical for anti-aging has so far been, mimetic; 2DG (2–deoxy–D- glucose) that works by altering the way glucose is produced. When used, it allows for glucose to reach the cell in abundance, but prevents it from being processed in the cell, inhibiting one of the enzymes, thus reducing the amount that enters the cell. Unfortunately, it has proved toxic in animals and presumably humans, too. Does anyone know of any other theories regarding calorie restriction and lifespan, or any other inhibitors etc that are being studied? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imaplanck. Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Are you aware "Walford"(The worlds most famous researcher and self guinea pig of calorie restriction) died of natural causes at, aged 80? It occurs to me that(assuming calorie restriction does retard aging in humans) maybe the oldest lived of us were already calorie restricted, thus 130 years already has the 30% extra that is added to our maximum life span. In other words or maximum lifespan unrestricted is actually 90,and the CR proponents have overlooked the possibility that the explanation for people living beyond 90 is already due to the phenomenon seen in the test animals(fruit fies, mice, rhesus monkeys etc) i.e their metabolism has already slowed compared to what it would have if they ate significantly more.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 There's already a similar thread. Check out Michaelangelica's post here: http://hypography.com/forums/medical-science/9766-what-best-foods.html#post151815 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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