For long now it has been said that decreasing meal frequency and caloric intake protects nerve cells from genetically induced damage and prolongs life of individuals. Calorie restriction is a dietary regimen, that when applied properly and with all essential nutrients, improves age related health slows the aging process and promotes longevity in many animals and possibly humans. This belief has given birth to the very modern concept of a CRON diet, i.e., Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition.
Individuals following a CRON diet, popularly called CRONies, trace a goal to reduce their calories by 30%. What would this entail? A breakfast comprising of four walnuts, six almonds, 10 peanuts! Isn’t this quite contrary to the age-old belief that breakfast is the most important meal in a day?
It is least surprising to see this diet working its ‘pied-piper’ charm on people. But according to the latest research, it may not be this straightforward after all.
Caloric Restriction’s best “human study” was conducted at Washington University School of Medicine. Subj
ects analyzed here had very low cholesterol, triglyceride, inflammation, plasma insulin, and plasma glucose concentration levels, and lowered blood pressure. On the flip side, these subjects also lacked sufficient energy to fight off parasites, bacteria, and viruses. This only goes on to show that a calorie-restricted individual might jolly well escape lifestyle-induced diseases, but might die of flu.
Another study at Drexel University noted that underweight mice were more susceptible to influenza, correlating with UC Irvine research that indicates being underweight is a dangerous condition in the elderly. A point to note would be that experiments conducted to validate calorie restriction are done on mice living in controlled environments with little or no exposure to potentially life-shortening diseases. Moreover, a UCLA molecular biologist Dr. Jay Phelan admitted that starving mice brought about a change in their demeanour, making them more unpleasant and irritable. A question to be raised here is if a starving human would react any differently?
Many scientists now speculate that a calorie-restricted diet’s success is largely due to reduction of an essential amino acid-methionine- in diet. Mice on methionine-reduced diets live up to 40% longer even if the consume their normal quota of calories. Studies have also shown that women following such a diet are often infertile and have weak libidos. Children if put on a calorie count would have stunted growth.
People may be tempted to reduce their food intake radically by the prospect of adding a few more years of life. But lets not forget that the favourite foodstuffs of Jean Calment — 122 year old Frenchwoman — were olive oil, port wine and chocolate, totalling to about 4,500 calories per kilogram, her weekly in take. It is a very healthy practice to monitor one’s calorie intake, but it’s not necessarily healthy to eat using a gram scale!
Article By Snigdha Taduri For Biomed-ME