Calorie restriction as an anti aging solution

Calorie restriction with optimum nutrition, also known as CRON, is also called the Longevity Diet. This diet can potentially increase a human being's average lifespan. In effect, participants in this diet maximize nutrients but minimize calorie intake so as to take in the minimum amount of calories healthfully possible, while making sure every bit of food taken in counts nutritionally.

Some proponents say that with calorie restriction, one can avoid most major causes of death. Maximum lifespan (purported to be roughly 120 years at present) has remained steady throughout time despite a marked increase in average lifespan over the last century. Even today, only about one in 10,000 people in developed countries such as the United States are expected to live to be 100 years old.

Much of this can be done by giving rigorous attention to and reducing preventable disease. For example, heart disease is still the number one preventable cause of death in the United States as of 2002, followed by cancer and stroke. The biggest cause of this type of preventable disease is consuming a diet high in unhealthy substances such as white flour or sugar, while avoiding or limiting nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables. Calorie restriction done in tandem with optimal nutrition may extend lifespan and increase health. It is not entirely understood why calorie restriction works, and studies are still underway.

Who may benefit from it?

Adults who have finished growing will gain the most benefit from nutritionally optimal calorie restriction. Pregnant or nursing women and growing children should not practice caloric restriction, nor should anyone undergoing serious illness.In general, the later in life you start calorie restriction, the less restriction you should do. Calories should slowly be reduced over a two- to three-year period, so as not to shock the body, encourage unhealthy behaviors such as anorexia, or slow metabolism down markedly.

Your calorie needs are determined by your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Your basal metabolic rate supports normal metabolic activities such as digestion, breathing and maintaining body temperature, as well as physical activity performed. If your lifestyle is very active, in addition, calorie restriction may not be for you. You should always check with your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough to undertake calorie restriction and that your lifestyle can support it.

You want to strike a happy balance in that you eat just enough nutritious food to sustain you so that you don't burn needed fat and muscle tissue, but not so much that you become overweight. Optimal calorie restriction to shoot for is usually approximately 15 to 16%. If you severely limit calories, your health may be damaged even if nutrition is optimal. Even though you may not see deficiency immediately, you can eventually experience osteoporosis, decreased libido, depression, or even death.Because exercise is also an important component of a healthy lifestyle, your calorie needs will change as your activity increases or decreases. In general, moderate exercise will burn about 300 calories an hour, so you will need to increase calorie consumption in tandem with exercise as necessary. In addition, your needs will change as your life stages do.

Things to consider

To help ensure that you are getting the proper nutrition from your anti aging diet, you should use software that analyzes your nutritional intake. Focus on nutrient dense foods that are low in calories for protein and necessary fats, and reduce carbohydrates and saturated fats. This means that your protein intake will be roughly 30% of your diet, with 30% "good" fats, and 40% complex carbohydrates. If you are vegan or vegetarian, you may need supplementation to ensure that you get all the nutrients you need. In addition, you also need the right amount of fiber and probiotic bacteria for best health.When should you eat?

How often you eat is up to you, but one major point of interest in aging studies concerns the glycemic theory. This states that too much glucose in the body leads to what are called "advanced glycation end products" or AGEs. Therefore, some people may graze or increase intake of fiber to slow absorbtion of carbohydrates, while others change the way they eat so that they get many more calories from fat and fewer calories from carbohydrate. Both of these methods reduce elevated blood glucose levels. In addition, "intermittent fasting," wherein one only eats every other day, has also significantly reduced serum glucose and insulin levels. "Anti aging wise", this type of eating may be beneficial because it does not require calorie restriction on the days one eats, and it also does not cause stunted growth.

It is still not known which of these methods, if any, is better than the other.

Longevity and ideal weight

We know that obesity increases the likelihood of many diseases such as cancer and diabetes, but being very thin also brings its own health problems and may also put the body under great stress during times of stress. Normal BMI, or Body Mass Index, is generally considered to be in the range of 18.5 to 24.9. Many CRON practitioners follow the practice of losing weight gradually until they reach a BMI of about 20. It is still not known what is optimal, and will continue to be studied.

Related links:

The Mediterranean Diet: How to Feel Younger with the Foods You Eat