- #1
ngrunenberg
- 9
- 2
Good Evening,
I have a question regarding, what seems to be the only proven way to extend life-span, caloric restriction. There seem to be new studies coming out every other month showing that caloric restriction is very positively correlated with an increase in lifespan, as well as a decrease in chronic diseases. The mechanisms behind this seem to be "[reductions in the] metabolic rate and oxidative stress, [improved] insulin sensitivity, and [altered] neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous system function in animals."1
In his newest book, Michio Kaku even points out that out of the three potential paths to immortality, “[...] one and only one method has proven to extend the life span of animals, sometimes even doubling it. It is caloric restriction, or severely limiting the intake of calories in an animal's diet.” He then continues to drive this point home "[...] On average, animals that eat 30 percent fewer calories live 30 percent longer. This has been amply demonstrated with yeast cells, worms, insects, mice and rats, dogs and cats, and now primates. In fact, it is the only method that is universally accepted by scientists to alter the life span of all animals that have been tested so far.”
A 30% extension in lifespan is insane, especially since it seems to be quite linear in regards to how much you restrict calorie intake.
My question then is this, and it involves two parts:
I have a question regarding, what seems to be the only proven way to extend life-span, caloric restriction. There seem to be new studies coming out every other month showing that caloric restriction is very positively correlated with an increase in lifespan, as well as a decrease in chronic diseases. The mechanisms behind this seem to be "[reductions in the] metabolic rate and oxidative stress, [improved] insulin sensitivity, and [altered] neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous system function in animals."1
In his newest book, Michio Kaku even points out that out of the three potential paths to immortality, “[...] one and only one method has proven to extend the life span of animals, sometimes even doubling it. It is caloric restriction, or severely limiting the intake of calories in an animal's diet.” He then continues to drive this point home "[...] On average, animals that eat 30 percent fewer calories live 30 percent longer. This has been amply demonstrated with yeast cells, worms, insects, mice and rats, dogs and cats, and now primates. In fact, it is the only method that is universally accepted by scientists to alter the life span of all animals that have been tested so far.”
A 30% extension in lifespan is insane, especially since it seems to be quite linear in regards to how much you restrict calorie intake.
My question then is this, and it involves two parts:
1) I am on a 4,000+ calorie diet as I exercise quite frequently and am attempting to gain muscle mass while keeping my body fat low. If I eat less than 3,000 calories, I will lose weight (my current BMI is ~22 with a BFP of ~8%). Are the benefits of calorie restriction mostly for people who are typically overindulging, based on the recommended daily 2,000 calorie intake, or would I still have to reduce intake of calories and thus reduce my exercise load in order to reap the benefits of caloric restriction. If you know of any studies where this has been tested in athletes or body builders, that would be of great help.
2) Why would we evolve to seek out the maximum number of calories, when it apparently seems to be detrimental past a certain threshold? Is it because we humans are unique in being able to, for the most part in the developed world, create and consume calories on demand to the point where we created a calorie rich environment faster than what evolution could potentially "create" adaptations for lowering those mechanisms which made us seek out calories in the first place?
2) Why would we evolve to seek out the maximum number of calories, when it apparently seems to be detrimental past a certain threshold? Is it because we humans are unique in being able to, for the most part in the developed world, create and consume calories on demand to the point where we created a calorie rich environment faster than what evolution could potentially "create" adaptations for lowering those mechanisms which made us seek out calories in the first place?