Originally published February 12 2006
Lower calorie consumption may promote anti-aging processes in the body
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
After conducting tests on members of the Caloric Restriction Society, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis have concluded that reducing calories may help to reverse the aging process.
Genetics was not thought to be a factor, since most of the US volunteers had parents, grandparents, or siblings who had suffered heart attacks or strokes.
Members of the Caloric Restriction Society, to which the group belong, stay clear of processed foods, soft drinks, sugary desserts, and white bread.
Instead they consume a Mediterranean-style diet that includes a wide variety of vegetables, olive oil, beans, whole grains, fish and fruit.
They were compared with age and gender-matched individuals who ate a typical Western diet of between 2,000 and 3,000 calories.
They revealed striking features which were believed to slow down - and perhaps even reverse - ageing.
Biochemical markers of inflammation indicative of ageing were much lower in the restricted calorie group.
Another factor helped to revere inflammation and promote production of collagen - the elastic material that puts youthful springiness into skin and repairs wounds with scar tissue.
Calorie Restriction Society members also had low blood levels of cholesterol and triglyceride blood fats, and blood pressure readings normally seen in much younger individuals.
On average, about 7 per cent of their total body tissue consisted of fat, compared with 25 per cent for the comparison group.
Professor John Holloszy, who co-led the research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, said: "It's very clear from these studies that caloric restriction has a powerful, protective effect against diseases associated with ageing.
Dr Luigi Fontana, who also took part in the study, said: "The decline in diastolic function is a marker of primary ageing.
The scientists pointed out that it was not enough simply to eat less - a calorie-restricted diet had to be carefully planned to maximise nutrition.
They recommended a moderate reduction of calories, combined with moderate, regular exercise.
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