There have been hundreds of studies done to date that show the positive effects of caloric restriction on the body. Many of these studies focusing on life expectancy have proven the efficacy on rats, mice, yeast, & monkeys, but any studies done on humans to date are inconclusive.
It’s difficult to ascertain the life-long effects due to our relative life expectancy, but bio indicators such as body fat percentage, body temperature, and plasm insulin prove caloric restrictive diet’s efficacy. Other studies show that decreasing the caloric intake can lower the heart rate, blood pressure, and increase the bodies sensitivity to insulin.
When studied in rodents, these effects were noted to peak after one month of a 40% caloric reduction, but quickly return to normal once the standard ad libitum(unlimited) diet was resumed.
Studies done on rodents and monkeys show that heart and brain cells develop increased resistance to ischemic injury during myocardial infarction & stroke. Ischemic injury occurs when cells do not receive enough oxygen to function normally.
I know some of you are thinking that cutting back your diet up to 40% seems a little extreme, and I would have to agree.
Fear not! A research team at the University of Sothern California lead by gerontologist Valter Longo propose it’s probable to achieve the anti-aging benefits without the extreme caloric deficits previously thought. He suggests that a 5-day reduction in diet “as needed” is all that is required to attain lasting results.
Longo said that these proposed benefits were greater for obese and other unhealthy individuals. He said that these individuals may need to repeat the 5-day regimen as often as once a month, where healthier individuals might just repeat it twice a year.
Again, this study does not prove that CR will increase your life span, but they do improve on key bio markers that we link to longevity. According to researchers, the objective is simply to make the healthy portion of our lives last longer.
The same effects found from participating in a CR diet can also be found through frequent exercising.
I have a hard time believing that mixing a CR diet with frequent exercising won’t substantially increase our lifespan. Although there hasn’t been any conclusive scientific research to back this claim, these two methods will certainly lead to a happier, more rewarding life.
Sources:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095528630400261X
http://www.fasebj.org/content/20/6/631.short
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-hunger-gains-extreme-calorie-restriction-diet-shows-anti-aging-results/
http://vitaminagent.com/reduce-calorie-intake-for-resilience-and-longevity-cr-explained/
http://www.crsociety.org/
https://livelongthrive.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/twelve-scientific-studies-that-confirm-the-amazing-benefits-of-calorie-restriction/
