Food and herbal nutritional products » Diet » Low-cal fountain of youth?
Low-cal fountain of youth?
View PDF | Print View
by: Guest
Total views: 664 Word Count: 389
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy
Could it be that the proverbial fountain of youth has been right under our noses all along?
Forget the lotions and potions. The key to longevity and better health, according to researchers at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, is a low-calorie diet.
Anyway, that's what two decades of study of 76 rhesus monkeys indicates. Such diets may slow aging in people, too.
Half of the monkeys in the study were placed on reduced-calorie diets, while the other half continued their normal diets. After 20 years, five monkeys on restricted diets died of age-related causes such as cardiovascular disease or cancer, compared with 14 monkeys on normal diets. Monkeys on the restricted diet had no diabetes and fewer cases of cancer or cardiovascular disease. Also, their brain tissue shrank less than monkeys on regular diets.
Here's another bonus: The monkeys on normal diets looked visibly older than their dieting peers.
Although monkeys are genetic cousins of humans, experts say animal research does not address other aspects of the diet as it applies to humans. For instance, are the monkeys hungry? Are they happy? Are they able to cope with stress?
In other words, the research on rhesus monkeys adds to the evidence of the health benefits of calorie reduction. Similar results have been found in studies of mice, worms and flies.
But the primate researchers themselves caution that their work is ongoing. They have yet to determine how long the 33 monkeys that remain in the study group will live. Twenty are on the restricted diet, while 13 eat normally. The average life span of a rhesus monkey is 27 years.
Research is under way at Tufts University that should shed light on the health and psychological effects of calorie restriction in humans.
While humans await those findings, the prevention of diabetes in the monkey research is a very noteworthy finding, scientists unrelated to the research have said.
It's something to contemplate when filling your plate with that second helping of casserole, isn't it?
Additional information:
Diabetes Prevention Risk Factors and Prevention on MedicineNet.com
Vegetarians in Paradise Diabetes Diet Diabetes Prevention
Diabetes Diet and Disease Food and Nutrition Information Center
Striving for a more active community Lessons from the diabetes
Diabetes Monitor diabetes prevention program
More Olive Oil, Please: Mediterranean Diet and Type 2 Diabetes
The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study
Diabetes Prevention Diet Weight Loss Centers Health Care
Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes by Diet and Lifestyle Modification
Diabetes Prevention Diet
Related "Diet":
- Coca-Cola and diet
This man has lived through so much history. As the ... - Long-term weight loss success
About 1-2 diet drinks a day or coffee with sweeten ... - Diet and Breast Cancer 2
My son spent a year as an in-patient at National J ... - 7 riveting new diet and health research studies for you to think about
Jimmy Moore is a freelance writer on the subjec ... - Eli Lilly 'Ghostwrote' Articles to Market Zyprexa, Files Show
June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Eli Lilly & Co. official ...
Rating: Not yet rated (votes: 0)
