Calorie Restriction

Closely related to maintaining a lean body weight is the practice of caloric restriction, or CR. There is now extensive evidence across a wide range of animal species that restricting calories slows down aging and can extend both life and youthfulness. These experiments have not run long enough to demonstrate actual life extension in humans, but studies of humans practicing caloric restriction show the same reduction in disease and aging markers (changes associated with increasing age) that we see in animal populations.

Applying CR to Humans

There have been a number of human population studies that illustrate the potential of caloric restriction for humans. For example, the people living in the Okinawa region of Japan have 40 times the number of centenarians (People age 100 or older) than the northeastern prefectures, and they have very little serious disease before age 60. Okinawans remain active much longer than their peers in other regions of Japan. The primary difference in their diet appears to be a lower caloric intake.

The benefits of caloric restriction also extend to your remaining life expectancy. If you are 40 and thus have a remaining life expectancy of about 40 years, you will be extending only that remaining period. So the earlier you start CR the greater the benefits. However, regardless of when you start, you'll quickly realize the benefits of maintaining a lower weight.