EAT LESS TO AGE LESS

Adhering to a calorie-restricted diet over the long term ameliorates the normal age-related decline in diastolic function of the heart in healthy, non-obese adults.  The cardiac beneficial effects of caloric restriction are mediated by reductions in blood pressure, systemic inflammation, and myocardial fibrosis as per a study published in January issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

It is the first study in humans that strongly suggests that calorie restriction may delay primary aging. Calorie restriction has previously been shown to slow aging and increase lifespan in small mammals. Dr. Fontana, fromWashingtonUniversityinSt. Louis, performed Doppler echocardiography and measured inflammatory markers in 25 healthy adults who followed a severely calorie-restricted, nutritionally balanced diet for an average of 6.5 years. Results were compared with those from 25 matched control subjects consuming a typical Western diet.

The calorie-restricted diet consisted of roughly 1,671 kcal per day derived approximately 23% protein, 49% complex carbohydrates, and 28% fat (including 6% saturated fat). The Western diet consisted of roughly 2,445 kcal per day made up of about 17% protein, 52% carbohydrates, and 31% fat (11% saturated fat).

The calorie-restricted diet included at least 100% of the recommended daily intake for all nutrients, and it was lower in salt than the Western diet.

People who followed a severe calorie-restricted diet but with optimal nutrition had a younger heart in terms of diastolic function, which is a well-accepted marker of primary aging because, independently of disease, as you get older your diastolic function gets worse and worse.

Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly lower in the calorie-restricted group (102/61 vs. 131/83 mm Hg), as were levels of the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein, TNF-α, and TGF-β₁.

‘Eat less to live more’ has its origin in Vedas. The Ayurvedic text from Atharvaveda defines the limit of food intake in a particular meal. It says one should not eat more than what can be accommodated in an outstretched palm.