By Alex Baran,
Project Weight Loss Staff Writer
July 10, 2009 I have bad news for you: Having the right weight is not enough anymore. Restricting calories is the best way to postpone death and the risk of some diseases. According to a new study, to live longer is not enough just to be fit, you should eat less too.
The National Institutes of Health funded a study that demonstrates the above benefits in primates. "It adds to the evidence piling up that caloric restriction, independent of thinness, is a healthy way to stay alive and healthy longer," says Susan Roberts, Senior Scientist.
If you follow a caloric restriction you can eat three meals a day. Breakfast should include cereals, nuts, and fruits. For lunch have a salad. Dinner time? You can eat lean meat and reasonable portion sizes. Don’t take dramatic measures. From time to time it’s ok to have a couple of snacks and a dessert.
Studies conducted on monkeys showed that having a caloric restriction leads to a smaller predisposition to age-related diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. There are brain benefits too: These monkeys have less atrophy of gray matter. Going further – they look less wrinkled and flabby, according to the report.
Studies on mice show caloric restriction makes their bodies to activate fewer genes that are related to inflammation, which plays an important role in aging.
Another explanation would be caloric restriction reduces body temperature, so it limits production of dangerous free radicals that break down the body, in time, damaging DNA and tissues.
Bottom of line, on animals a caloric restriction is better for the immune system. Until more studies are done maybe you should focus on the extra weight and keep exercising, along with a healthy nutrition, to keep yourself healthy and alive.
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Project Weight Loss. All rights reserved.
