Calorie restriction

[Guest guest]

I saw that short segment and I thought the people looked sick....except for

the 28 yr old mom.

[Guest guest]

I bet the sick look is not as much from lack of calories, but from eating

foods that don't go with their blood type thus lowering their immune system

and decreasing their absorption of good nutrients on an already restricted

diet.

I'm thinking that if they would line up with their blood type and get

sufficient or at least minimal protein it would change their look.

I noticed ABC studio hosts didn't make any commentaries or segway talk about

it so it appeared to me that with the gaunt people they chose to interview

that they were silently discouraging it. That or all their high-calorie

poor nutrition food advertisers pitched a fit about them airing it at all so

they didn't want to promote it :-)

_____

From: dm12420@... [mailto:dm12420@...]

Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2003 9:21 AM

Subject: Re: Calorie Restriction

I saw that short segment and I thought the people looked sick....except for

the 28 yr old mom.

[Guest guest]

I was really interesting to hear the one guy admit he was hungry all the time.

Bet he is an O and can't get enough protein and fat. It looked like they were

all eating vegetarian, as far as I could see... Don't think that concentration-

camp -look is going to make many converts, LOL

It would be interesting to see a follow-up on them a few years down the line.

[Guest guest]

If you had to restict calories that much who wants to live that long. That

is my opinion.

Sharon (Ontario, Canada)

Re: Calorie Restriction

> I was really interesting to hear the one guy admit he was hungry all the

time. Bet he is an O and can't get enough protein and fat. It looked like

they were all eating vegetarian, as far as I could see... Don't think that

concentration- camp -look is going to make many converts, LOL

> It would be interesting to see a follow-up on them a few years down the

line.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/8/2003 3:50:11 PM Eastern Standard Time,

a.hultman@... writes:

> I am a good person, much better than most. I'm one of the best. I'm a

> Super-O. So if any of you people out there are trying to judge me, judge

yourself.

> Who was there to witness me writing out into the volatile, international

> cyber-waters of m.f.w? Who was there to witness an increase of about a hundred

> members in this group after that? I'm doing good things on this

> internet. I'm helping the world.

>

Don't be so hard on yourself Axel.

[Guest guest]

From: dm12420@...

Subject: Re: Calorie Restriction

I saw that short segment and I thought the people looked sick....except for

the 28 yr old mom.

From: " Tom " <tomwilson64@...>

Subject: RE: Calorie Restriction

I bet the sick look is not as much from lack of calories, but from eating

foods that don't go with their blood type thus lowering their immune system

and decreasing their absorption of good nutrients on an already restricted

diet.

I'm thinking that if they would line up with their blood type and get

sufficient or at least minimal protein it would change their look.

I noticed ABC studio hosts didn't make any commentaries or segway talk about

it so it appeared to me that with the gaunt people they chose to interview

that they were silently discouraging it. That or all their high-calorie

poor nutrition food advertisers pitched a fit about them airing it at all so

they didn't want to promote it :-)

From: " Super-O " <super-o@...>

Subject: RE: Calorie Restriction

Yeah. If you're going hypocaloric your avoids are gonna hurt you more. But I

disagree on the appearance thing. When I went into vegetarianism I was doing the

blood-type diet. I had tapered off the meats, when I was transitioning into

vegetarianism I was buying more of the expensive organic meats and was

unemployed at the time, so it was more than just spiritual exploration... after

2-3 months (first month was when I made the dramatic body composition alteration

to lowered body fat) I was beginning to get that gaunt, concentration camp look

that is in vogue these days. About half a year into experimentation with

vegetarianism, no matter how many calories I ate on a daily basis (and believe

me when you're deficient in protein your metabolism is stalling due to metabolic

inefficiency on those carbs... sheesh) I had that unhealthy, sickly look.

All I'm saying is, calories calories calories is not the only thing. I don't

know those CR people, didn't even see them, but I know first hand that all it

takes for an O to start to look ill is for a lack of protein, which is possible

on a hypocaloric diet. I had more body fat as an 8 month+ veghead but still

looked sickly. The first month I went headlong into a flesh based diet my body

effortlessly gained 10 pounds, practically all of it muscle and maybe even organ

weight, active tissue mass anyway, my legs filled out and my strength and

stamina increased noticeably. My cheeks weren't tight, either.

Hey, did you guys get the link I posted about a variation in the CR diet where,

instead of just pure hypocaloric dieting there is a scheduled " fast " portion of

the day until genuine hunger sets in, then plenty of food? Also a half off half

on arrangement (I think). It was interesting, seems as long as a period of

hunger, or, prolonged abstinence from food, takes place that the body gets set

into a physiological environment with the concomitant gene expression (or

non-expression in this case) that CR is all about. I'm pretty sure I sent that

link. Anyway, it looked good, because after the hunger period it seemed that

pigging out after the " fast " didn't effect the main intended CR physiology. This

put me at ease, because I've gone for plenty of 12 hour periods with food,

almost always as a 2 hour-sleep-2 hour lapse in my dietary schedule. I was kind

of berating myself for poor weight training behavior, but, by CR & life

extension theory I was right on the money. It led me to wonder about genetics

and the hormonal (hunger) signals and how they effect lifespan, as opposed to

being blessed with " good genes " that lead inevitably to longer life under

appropriate circumstances.

From: " E. Andersen " <meand@...> wrote:

" I was really interesting to hear the one guy admit he was hungry all the time.

Bet he is an O and can't get enough protein and fat. It looked like they were

all eating vegetarian, as far as I could see... Don't think that concentration-

camp -look is going to make many converts, LOL

It would be interesting to see a follow-up on them a few years down the line. "

I think it is okay to be hungry SOME of the time. As I said above, there are

alternative arrangements for CR. Given the low-carb camps and the hormonal

consequences of a higher protein and high-fat diet --slup!-- the loss of hunger

with low-carb meals is one of the big positives for facilitating healthy weight

loss. If you look at the common hypercaloric person, the SAD diet (standard

american diet) could easily cut out most of the carbs and leave the person with

a healthy hypocaloric diet. Simply put, you can cut out the excess carbs, which

are also excess calories, which relate most directly to the insulin factor, and

leave yourself for plenty of room in the other macronutrients.

Sharon Ferret wrote: " If you had to restict calories that much who wants to

live that long. That is my opinion. "

Exercise causes so many changes in cellular behavior that the health-giving

effects are still being studied. With hormonal levels it helps to youthify, or

enliven, our bodies and spirits. Because we're Os we can benefit more from the

strenuous than the wimpy exercise. If we create an energy deficit from energy

expenditure we can safely eat more food. But by the time we get old and wise we

most likely will not be the hedonists we were in our foolish youth. But it is

best not to be sprinting along a polluted road or any other polluted area, as

the additional toxins during our elevated metabolic activity will make the

exercise less than beneficial (I am constantly amazed at the city joggers who

are so out of touch with their own bodies that they continue to exercise in a

polluted environment).

Axel O+ secretor

P.S. I'm still eating this goat stew I made. I'm very surprised. I had eaten

some goat from a co-worker's take-out food from an African restaurant, and it

tasted pretty good. I like goat; I like to say goat. Like: " Eat my goat. " or

" Would you like to come over tonight and eat some goat with me? " or " Hey, I've

got some goat for you! " or " Tonight is goat night! " , " Goat, it's what's for

dinner! " ... you get what I mean? I bought this goat for 1.99, the second

cheapest sheep/lamb/goat product at this Greek grocer. Man, I was surprised by

the effective yield of the goat. I got a leg, with some hip bone. I roasted it,

for about 1 hour on the shank and almost two hours for the rest. After roasting

I cut off the meat from the bones and picked away, eating some delicious marrow.

I put the meat into a dutch oven with the separated bones and added rosemary,

oregano, mint, thyme, garlic, onion, seaweed, collards and for the last 15

minutes a dried lemon. Stewed for about an hour. Yummy. I was surprised by the

yield, I bought this leg for under 7 US dollars and it is feeding me for a very

long time. If I was poor, I mean poorer than I am now, like, with a kid or two,

I'd buy goat and make economical meals out of it.

My drop off site for my non-HFS co-op, the Institute for Agriculture & Trade

Policy, keeps its frozen foods in its basement. A while ago the freezer went out

due to electrical failure in the outlet, I think this may be the second time it

happened. So I lost more of my grass-fed meats. I must have lost 4-6 pounds of

grass-fed meat, which is more expensive than the imported meats from New Zealand

& Australia. Which means I've lost even more money. This sucks. Now I'm gonna be

eating more meat from another country, though it makes me feel really good it

isn't supporting my local American farmers. So I run out of the grass-fed WFC

meat early and will depend on the lamb & goat. I basically went to the Greek

grocer when I wanted lamb, anyway, because quality (i.e. grass-fed) lamb costs

so much in the Midwest. Now that they've had a power failure I am even less

inclined to get my food from WFC if it is dropped off at my nearest drop site,

IATP. They didn't even look at my bag of food, so I don't even know how much

food (i.e. money) I have lost. So I have to figure my expenses with a big

question mark for this December. <sigh> I guess it's all Greek to me!

Anyway, I hope that if there are any people involved in the movement towards

more natural, environmentally & physically healthier foods in America, I hope

they will forgive me, because I am too poor to be paying all this money for the

more expensive lamb meats, and though I enjoy beef I also want some variety, I

can't afford that variety in seafoods, I can't afford to eat the more expensive

cuts of meats. I am 25% below the government's poverty line and spend upwards of

450 a month on rent & utilities alone. Don't even think of calling me a

hypocrite. I support my local farmer's at the farmer's market, I support my

Whole Farm Co-Op, I even support the good meats from other countries, more out

of economic reasons than anything else. When it comes to food, what I do with my

life, my energy, what I integrate into my being, what I am infusing myself with,

merging with, becoming, as a symbolic being... I am a good person, much better

than most. I'm one of the best. I'm a Super-O. So if any of you people out there

are trying to judge me, judge yourself. Who was there to witness me writing out

into the volatile, international cyber-waters of m.f.w? Who was there to witness

an increase of about a hundred members in this group after that? I'm doing

good things on this internet. I'm helping the world.

[Guest guest]

> Don't be so hard on yourself Axel.

The outlet electrical failure happened too soon after my post about

getting imported New Zealand lamb. Also, the tone of voice was

suspicious and... I have plenty of reason to suspect. For every

poster there are a ton of cowards who lurk, read, judge, and sabotage.

Luckily no cops have approached me since my... wilder posts!

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/8/2003 9:21:44 PM Eastern Standard Time,

a.hultman@... writes:

> Luckily no cops have approached me since my... wilder posts!

>

No, this is America and you can say what you want to but, so far, we're

allowed to not listen if we want to unless you're a Dixie Chick.

[Guest guest]

Calorie restriction

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#column-one>, search

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#searchInput>

*Calorie restriction* or *Caloric restriction* (CR) is the practice of

limiting dietary energy intake in the hope that it will improve health

and retard aging <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senescence>. In human

subjects, CR has been shown to lower cholesterol

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol>, fasting glucose, and blood

pressure <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_pressure>. Some consider

these to be biomarkers <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomarker> of

aging, since there is a correlation between these markers and risk of

diseases associated with aging. Except for houseflies (below

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Objections_to_Calorie_Restrict\

ion>),

animal species tested with CR so far, including primates

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primate>, rats

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat>, mice

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mice>, spiders

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider>, Drosophila

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila>, C. elegans

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._elegans> and rotifers

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotifer>, have shown lifespan extension.

CR is the only known dietary measure capable of extending maximum

lifespan <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_lifespan>, as opposed to

average lifespan <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_lifespan>. In CR,

energy intake is minimized, but sufficient quantities of vitamins

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin>, minerals

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral> and other important nutrients

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient> must be eaten. To emphasize the

difference between CR and mere " FR " (food restriction), CR is often

referred to by a plethora of other names such as CRON or CRAN (calorie

restriction with optimal/adequate nutrition), or the " high-low diet "

(high in all nutrients aside from calories, in which it is " low " ). Other

names for the diet emphasize the goal of the diet, such as CRL (calorie

restriction for longevity <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity>), or

simply The Longevity Diet, as in a recently published book by that name.

Contents

[hide <javascript:toggleToc()>]

* 1 Research history

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Research_history>

* 2 Effects of CR on different organisms

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Effects_of_CR_on_different_org\

anisms>

o 2.1 Primates

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Primates>

o 2.2 Rats <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Rats>

o 2.3 Mice <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Mice>

o 2.4 Spider

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Spider>

o 2.5 Drosophila

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Drosophila>

o 2.6 C. elegans

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#C._elegans>

o 2.7 Rotifer

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Rotifer>

* 3 Why might CR increase longevity?

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Why_might_CR_increase_longevit\

y.3F>

o 3.1 Hormesis hypothesis

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Hormesis_hypothesis>

o 3.2 Sir2 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Sir2>

o 3.3 DHEA <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#DHEA>

o 3.4 Free radicals and glycation

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Free_radicals_and_glycation>

o 3.5 Papers on CR in yeast: dismissing increased respiration

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Papers_on_CR_in_yeast:_dismiss\

ing_increased_respiration>

* 4 Objections to Calorie Restriction

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Objections_to_Calorie_Restrict\

ion>

o 4.1 No benefit to houseflies

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#No_benefit_to_houseflies>

o 4.2 Catabolic damage

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Catabolic_damage>

o 4.3 Physical activity testing biases

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Physical_activity_testing_bias\

es>

o 4.4 Insufficient calories and amino acids for exercise

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Insufficient_calories_and_amin\

o_acids_for_exercise>

o 4.5 Benefits only the young

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Benefits_only_the_young>

o 4.6 Possible contraindications

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Possible_contraindications>

o 4.7 Negligible effect on larger organisms

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Negligible_effect_on_larger_or\

ganisms>

* 5 Note on Terminology: Calorie Restriction vs. Caloric Restriction

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Note_on_Terminology:_Calorie_R\

estriction_vs._Caloric_Restriction>

* 6 Intermittent fasting as an alternative approach

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Intermittent_fasting_as_an_alt\

ernative_approach>

* 7 See also <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#See_also>

* 8 Notes <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Notes>

* 9 References

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#References>

* 10 External links

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#External_links>

o 10.1 Articles

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Articles>

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=1>]

Research history

In 1934 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934>, Clive McCay and

Crowell of Cornell University

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_University> observed that

laboratory rats fed a severely reduced calorie diet while maintaining

vital nutrient levels resulted in life spans of up to twice as long as

otherwise expected. These findings were explored in detail by a series

of rigid experiments with mice conducted by Roy Walford

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Walford> and his student

Weindruch

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=_Weindruch & action=edit>.

In 1986 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986>, Weindruch reported that

restricting the calorie intake of laboratory mice proportionally

increased their lifespan compared to a group of mice with a normal diet.

The calorie-restricted mice also maintained youthful appearances and

activity levels longer, and showed delays in age-related diseases. The

results of the many experiments by Walford and Weindruch were summarized

in their book /The Retardation of Aging and Disease by Dietary

Restriction/ (1988) (ISBN 0-398-05496-7

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Booksources & isbn=0398054967>)\

..

The findings have since been accepted, and generalized to a range of

other animals. Researchers are investigating the possibility of parallel

physiological links in humans (see Roth /et al/ below). In the meantime,

many people have independently adopted the practice of calorie

restriction in some form, hoping to achieve the expected benefits

themselves. Among the most notable are the members of the Calorie

Restriction Society

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_Restriction_Society>.

Washington University

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_University_in_St._Louis> trials

were set up in 2002 and involved about 30 participants. Dr. Luigi

Fontana, clinical investigator, says CR practitioners seem to be ageing

more slowly than the rest of us. “Take systolic blood pressure

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systolic_blood_pressure>,†he says.

“Usually, that rises with age reliably, partly because the arteries are

hardening <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arteriosclerosis>. In my group,

mean age is 55, and mean systolic blood pressure is 110: that’s at the

level of a 20-year-old.

“Of course, I can’t tell you if my subjects will live to 130. So many

uncontrollable factors affect length of life. I don’t have enough

evidence to prove these people are ageing more slowly, but it looks like

it.â€

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=2>]

Effects of CR on different organisms

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=3>]

Primates

Researchers at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine found that

compared to monkeys fed a normal diet, squirrel monkeys on a life-long

calorie-restrictive diet were less likely to develop Alzheimer's-like

changes in their brains.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=4>]

Rats

Seventy years ago, McCay CM, et. al., discovered that by reducing the

amount of calories fed to rats, there was a substantial increase in the

length of the lifespan - it was almost doubled. For the last seventy

years, scientists have proposed hypotheses

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothesis> as to why. Some explanations

included reduced cellular divisions, lower metabolism rates, and reduced

production of free radicals generated by metabolism

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism>. Recently Harvard professor

A. Sinclair has conducted research that provides a new explanation

for the lifespan extension caused by *calorie restriction*. It involves

the activation of a gene called /Sirt1

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirt1>/. When /Sirt1/ gene activity is

increased by genetic manipulation, caloric restriction does not increase

it any further. Knocking out the /Sirt1/ gene also eliminates any

beneficial effect from caloric restriction. Resveratrol

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resveratrol> has been demonstrated to

increase the activity of the /Sirt1/ gene the same way caloric

restriction does.^[/citation needed/

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources>] When

resveratrol increased lifespan, caloric restriction failed to increase

it any further. This provides evidence that caloric restriction acts by

increasing the activity of the gene /Sirt1/ and that the benefits of

caloric restriction might be had with the use of resveratrol.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=5>]

Mice

Studies in female mice have shown that estrogen receptor

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrogen_receptor>-alpha declines in the

pre-optic hypothalamus <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothalamus> as

they grow old. The female mice that were given a calorically restricted

diet during the majority of their lives, maintained higher levels of ERα

in the pre-optic <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye> hypothalamus than

their non-calorically restricted counterparts.^[1]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-0> Age-dependent

loss of insulin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin>-like growth

factor <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_factor>-1 receptor

immunoreactive cells in the supraoptic hypothalamus is reduced in

calorically restricted mice.^[2]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-1>

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=6>]

Spider

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wiki_letter_w.png>/This section is a

stub <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Perfect_stub_article>. You

can help <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Stub> by adding to it

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit>./

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=7>]

Drosophila

Research in 2003 by Mair et al. ([1]

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Retrieve & dopt=Abstr\

actPlus & list_uids=14500985 & itool=pubmed_AbstractPlus>)

showed that calorie restriction has an instantaneous effects on death

rates in fruit flies of any age.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=8>]

C. elegans

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wiki_letter_w.png>/This section is a

stub <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Perfect_stub_article>. You

can help <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Stub> by adding to it

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit>./

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=9>]

Rotifer

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wiki_letter_w.png>/This section is a

stub <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Perfect_stub_article>. You

can help <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Stub> by adding to it

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit>./

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=10>]

Why might CR increase longevity?

There have been many theories as to how CR works, and many of them have

fallen out of favor or been disproved. These include reduced basal

metabolic rate <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate>,

developmental delay, the control animals being gluttons

<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glutton>, and decreased glucocorticoid

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucocorticoid> production.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=11>]

Hormesis hypothesis

A small, but rapidly growing number of researchers in the CR field are

now proponents of a new theory known as the " Hormesis Hypothesis of CR " .

In the early 1940s, Southam & Ehrlich, 1943 reported that a bark extract

that was known to inhibit fungal growth, actually stimulated growth when

given at very low concentrations. They coined the term " hormesis

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormesis> " to describe such beneficial

actions resulting from the response of an organism to a low-intensity

biological stressor. The word " hormesis " is derived from the Greek word

" hormaein " which means " to excite " . The Hormesis Hypothesis of CR

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hormesis_Hypothesis_of_CR & action=edit\

>

proposes that the diet imposes a low-intensity biological stress on the

organism, which elicits a defense response that helps protect it against

the causes of aging. In other words, CR places the organism in a

defensive state so that it can survive adversity, and this results in

improved health and longer life. This switch to a defensive state may be

controlled by longevity genes

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_genes> (see below).

Recent research has suggested (see Matthias Bluher

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matthias_Bluher & action=edit>,

C. Kahn

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=C.__Kahn & action=edit>,

Barbara B. Kahn

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barbara_B._Kahn & action=edit>,

et al.) that it is not reduced intake which influences longevity. This

was done by studying animals which have their metabolism changed to

reduce insulin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin> uptake,

consequently retaining the leanness of animals in the earlier studies.

It was observed that these animals can have a normal dietary intake, but

have a similarly increased lifespan. This suggests that lifespan is

increased for an organism if it can remain lean and if it can avoid any

excess accumulation of adipose tissue

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adipose_tissue>: if this can be done while

not diminishing dietary intake (as in some minority eating patterns, see

e.g. Living foods diet <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_foods_diet>

or Fuhrman <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_Fuhrman>) then the

'starvation diet' anticipated as an impossible requirement by earlier

researchers is no longer a precondition of increased longevity.

The extent to which these findings may apply to human nutrition

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition> and longevity

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity> is as noted above under

investigation. A paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_National_Academy_of_Sciences>,

U.S.A. in 2004 showed that practitioners of a CR diet had significantly

better cardiovascular health (PMID 15096581

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=15096581>).

Also in progress are the development of CR mimetic

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CR_mimetic> interventions.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=12>]

Sir2

Recent discoveries have suggested that the gene

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene> Sir2

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir2> might underlie the effect of CR. In

baker's yeast <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker%27s_yeast> the Sir2

enzyme is activated by CR, which leads to a 30% lifespan extension in

test subjects. Sinclair ^[/citation needed/

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources>] showed that in

test mammals the Sir2 equivalent gene known as SIRT1

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIRT1> is turned on by a CR diet, and this

protects cells from dying under stress. An article in the June 2004

issue of the journal Nature

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_%28magazine%29> showed that SIRT1

releases fat from storage cells. ^[3]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-2> See also

SIRT1 in the Ensembl genome browser

<http://www.ensembl.org/Mus_musculus/geneview?gene=ENSMUSG00000020063>.

Sinclair's lab reported that they have found small molecules (e.g.

resveratrol <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resveratrol>) that activate

Sir2 and can extend the lifespan of yeast. ^[/citation needed/

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources>]

More recent discoveries at the University of Washington

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Washington> have

demonstrated that CR may not act through Sir2. This research discredits

Sinclair's work with resveratrol by suggesting that the findings in

Sinclair's Nature paper are an artifact of the Biomol Fluor de Lys

assay. ^[4] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-3>

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=13>]

DHEA

While calorie restriction has been shown to increase DHEA

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DHEA> in primates (PMID 12543259

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=12543259>),

it has not been shown to increase DHEA

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DHEA> in post-pubescent primates (PMID

15247063

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=15247063>).

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=14>]

Free radicals and glycation

Two very prominent theories of aging are the free radical theory

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-radical_theory> and the glycation

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycation> theory, both of which can

explain how CR could work. With high amounts of energy available,

mitochondria <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondria> do not operate

very efficiently and generate more superoxide

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superoxide>. With CR, energy is conserved

and there is less free radical generation. A CR organism will be less

fat and require less energy to support the weight, which also means that

there does not need to be so much glucose in the bloodstream. Less blood

glucose means less glycation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycation> of

adjacent proteins and less fat to oxidize in the bloodstream to cause

sticky blocks resulting in atherosclerosis. Type II Diabetics

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus> are people with insulin

insensitivity caused by long-term exposure to high blood glucose.

Obesity leads to type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes and uncontrolled type

1 diabetes are much like " accelerated aging " , due to the above effects.

There may even be a continuum between CR and the metabolic syndrome

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome>.

In examining Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition, it is observed

that with less food, and equal nutritional value, there is a higher

ratio of nutrients to calories. This may lead to more ideal essential

and beneficial nutrient levels in the body. Many nutrients can exist in

excess to their need, without side effects as long as they are in

balance and not beyond the body's ability to store and circulate them.

Many nutrients serve protective effects as antioxidants

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidants>, and will be at higher

levels in the body as there will be lower levels of free radicals due to

the lower food intake.

Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition has not been tested in

comparison to Calorie Excess with Optimal Nutrition. It may be that with

extra calories, nutrition must be similarly increased to ratios

comparable to that of Calorie Restriction to provide similar antiaging

benefits.

Stated levels of calorie needs may be biased towards sedentary

individuals. Calorie restriction may be more of adapting the diet to the

body's needs.

Although aging can be conceptualized as the accumulation of damage, the

more recent determination that free radicals participate in

intracellular signaling has made the categorical equation of their

effects with " damage " more problematic than was commonly appreciated in

years past.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=15>]

Papers on CR in yeast: dismissing increased respiration

In late 2005 Matt Kaeberlein

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matt_Kaeberlein & action=edit>

and Kennedy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_Kennedy> published

two important papers on calorie restriction in yeast. In a paper

published in PLoS Genetics

<http://genetics.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document & doi=10.1371/jou\

rnal.pgen.0010069.eor>

they show that Lenny Guarente's model for calorie restriction increasing

respiration is wrong. In a potentially much more important paper

published in Science

<http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/310/5751/1193> they tell

us what might actually be happening with calorie restriction - decreased

TOR activity. TOR is a nutrient-responsive signaling protein already

known to regulate aging in worms and flies, and this paper is the first

to directly link TOR to calorie restriction.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=16>]

Objections to Calorie Restriction

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=17>]

No benefit to houseflies

One of the most significant oppositions to caloric restriction comes

from , who has shown that caloric restriction has no

benefit in the housefly <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housefly> PMID:

15319362

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=15319362 & query_hl=22 & itool=pubmed_docsum>.

claims that the widely purported effects of calorie

restriction may be because a diet containing more calories can increase

bacterial <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria> proliferation, or that

the type of high calorie diets used in past experiments have a

stickiness, general composition, or texture that reduces longevity.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=18>]

Catabolic damage

A major conflict with calorie restriction is that a calorie excess is

needed to prevent catabolizing the body's tissues. A body in a catabolic

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catabolic> state promotes the degeneration

of muscle tissue, including the heart. It also makes gaining muscle

tissue difficult. Loss of muscle tissue is a strong indicator of aging.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=19>]

Physical activity testing biases

While some tests of calorie restriction have shown increased muscle

tissue in the calorie-restricted test subjects, how this has occurred is

unknown. Muscle tissue grows when stimulated, so it is possible that the

calorie-restricted test animals exercised more than their companions on

higher calories. The reasons behind this may be irrelevant, as in any

case it would be a bias in testing. Such tests need to be monitored to

make sure that levels of physical activity are equal between groups.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=20>]

Insufficient calories and amino acids for exercise

Exercise has also been shown to increase health and lifespan and lower

the incidence of several diseases. Calorie restriction comes into

conflict with the high calorie needs of athletes

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athlete>, and may not provide them

adequate levels of energy or sufficient amino acids for repair.

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=21>]

Benefits only the young

There is evidence to suggest that the benefit of CR in rats might only

be reaped in early years. A study on rats which were gradually

introduced to a CR lifestyle at 18 months showed no improvement over the

average lifespan of the Ad libitum

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_libitum> group. ^[5]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-4>

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=22>]

Possible contraindications

*ALS*: Both animal and human research suggest CR may be contraindicated

for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis> (ALS).

Research on a transgenic

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism> mouse model

of ALS demonstrates that CR may hasten the onset of death in ALS.

Hamadeh /et al/ therefore concluded: " These results suggest that CR diet

is not a protective strategy for patients with amyotrophic lateral

sclerosis (ALS) and hence is contraindicated. " ^[6]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-5> Hamadeh /et

al/ also note two human studies^[7]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-6> ^[8]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-7> that they

indicate show " low energy intake correlates with death in people with

ALS. " However, in the first study, Slowie, Paige, and Antel state: " The

reduction in energy intake by ALS patients did not correlate with the

proximity of death but rather was a consistent aspect of the illness. "

They go on to conclude: " We conclude that ALS patients have a

chronically deficient intake of energy and recommended augmentation of

energy intake. " (PMID 8604660

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=8604660>)

Previously, Pedersen and Mattson also found that in the ALS mouse model,

CR " accelerates the clinical course " of the disease and had no

benefits.^[9] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-8>

Suggesting that a calorically dense diet may slow ALS, a ketogenic diet

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet> in the ALS mouse model has

been shown to slow the progress of disease.^[10]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-9>

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=23>]

Negligible effect on larger organisms

Another objection to CR as a lifestyle would be that the effect is small

to negligible in larger organisms. A review of CR suggests that the

situation is vastly oversimplified when applied to larger mammals. ^[11]

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#_note-10>

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=24>]

Note on Terminology: Calorie Restriction vs. Caloric Restriction

Most believe that " calorie restriction " is the best term for this diet.

The adjective " caloric " is inappropriate for the same reason that the

theory of music is not called " musical theory, " but rather " music

theory. " A musical theory is a theory of a musical nature, not a theory

of or about music. The CR diet is not a " restriction of a caloric

nature. " Likewise, the restriction of protein in the diet is referred to

as " protein restriction, " not " proteinic restriction. " Nonetheless, many

researchers still say " caloric restriction. "

[edit

<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calorie_restriction & action=edit & secti\

on=25>]

Intermittent fasting as an alternative approach

Studies by Mark P. Mattson, Ph.D., chief of the National Institute on

Aging <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_on_Aging>'s (NIA)

Laboratory of Neurosciences, and colleagues have found that intermittent

fasting and calorie restriction affect the progression of diseases

similar to Huntington's disease

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington%27s_disease>, Parkinson's

disease <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_disease>, and

Alzheimer's disease <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease>

in mice (PMID 11119686

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=11119686>).

In one study, rats and mice ate a low-calorie diet or were deprived of

food for 24 hours every other day (PMID 12724520

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=12724520>).

Both methods improved glucose metabolism, increased insulin sensitivity

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_sensitivity>, and increased stress

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_%28medicine%29> resistance.

Researchers have long been aware that calorie restriction extends

lifespan, but this study showed that improved glucose metabolism also

protects neurons <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurons> in experimental

models of Parkinson's and stroke <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke>.

Another NIA study found that intermittent fasting and calorie

restriction delays the onset of Huntington's disease-like symptoms in

mice and prolongs their lives (PMID 12589027

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstr\

act & list_uids=12589027>).

Huntington's disease (HD), a genetic disorder

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_disorder>, results from neuronal

degeneration in the striatum <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striatum>.

This neurodegeneration results in difficulties with movements that

include walking, speaking, eating, and swallowing. People with

Huntington's also exhibit an abnormal, diabetes-like metabolism that

causes them to lose weight progressively.

This NIA study compared adult HD mice who ate as much as they wanted to

HD mice who were kept on an intermittent fasting diet during adulthood.

HD mice possess the abnormal human gene huntingtin and exhibit clinical

signs of the disease, including abnormal metabolism and

neurodegeneration in the striatum. The mice on the fasting program

developed clinical signs of the disease about 12 days later and lived 10

to 15% longer than the free-fed mice. The brains of the fasting mice

also showed less degeneration. Those on the fasting program also

regulated their glucose levels better and did not lose weight as quickly

as the other mice. Researchers found that fasting mice had higher

brain-derived neurotrophic factor

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-derived_neurotrophic_factor> (BDNF)

levels. BDNF protects neurons and stimulates their growth. Fasting mice

also had high levels of heat-shock protein-70 (Hsp70

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hsp70>, which increases cellular

resistance to stress.

Another NIA study indicates that intermittent fasting may be more

beneficial than cutting calorie intake. The researchers fed one group of

mice 40% of the calories given to a control group. A third group was

fasted for 24 hours, then permitted to free-feed. According to an

Associated Press article (29 April 2003), the fasting mice " didn't cut

total calories because they ate twice as much on days they weren't

fasting. Both the fasting mice and those on a restricted diet had

significantly lower blood sugar and insulin levels than the free-fed

controls. A toxin that damages hippocampal cells was injected in all of

the mice. Hippocampal damage is associated with Alzheimer's.

Interestingly, the scientists found less damage in the brains of the

fasting mice than in those that ate either a restricted or a normal

diet. The NIA is planning a human study that will compare a group eating

three meals a day with a group eating the same diet and amount of food

within four hours and then fasting 20 hours. "