[extropy-chat] Caloric Restriction

[Ian Goddard]

--- spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> The March 06 issue of Scientific American commented
> that caloric restriction is the only longevity 
> strategy absolutely proven to work.  


 Right, but only in animal models. The lifespan effect
on humans is not yet proven and may never be apart
from extrapolations from studies involving less than
the full human lifespan. Some such studies look good
for CR's long-term effect on humans. For example:

http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/6362.html 

But still, we're left to extrapolate. And that study
is questionable in that the subjects are also 'health
nuts' in general (ie, ideal diets, fitness, exercise),
and they were compared to average people of the same
age (most of whom eat junk and are overweight). So
perhaps the results are a consequence of generally
healthier lifestyles rather than CR. ??

 Back in 2001 I started on a CR program. In 2001 I
weighted 220 lbs, I was obese. Buy late 2002 I was
down to 140 lbs (BMI 19.5). That's 80 pounds of fat
lost by simply eating less. I held my weight perfectly
at 140 to 145 lbs from late 2002 until February 2006.
At that point I felt that I was too weak and prone to
injuries when I exercised. It seemed like my level of
CR was forcing me to exercise less and less. Given
that the benefits of exercise are well known and that
strong CR effects are not, I opted to change course to
facilitate more exercise.

 Since February, with steady resistance exercise I've
put on 20 lbs, almost entirely of muscle. At 160 lbs I
still wear the same pants as at 140 lbs, tough a
little tighter that measures how little of the added
weight is fat. It feels better to feel, be, and look
stronger as well as to be able to exercise full tilt! 

 For some people moderate-to-strong CR can raise
quality-of-life issues. Such didn't become apparent to
me for several years, but I'm happier now at a higher
caloric intake. But I still constantly strive to
minimize calories and am learning ways to cut calories
and maintain physio-structural integrity. Use of
infrared devices that speed healing of strains and
supplementation with amino acids that have been shown
to maintain or even build lean mass are important
strategies for such optimization.  ~Ian


http://IanGoddard.net

"Without philosophy thoughts are, as it were, cloudy
and indistinct; its task is to make them clear and to
give them sharp boundaries." -- Wittgenstein


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