Latest Studies by Nature have shown that Dieting and Low Calorie intake does not extend Longevity nor are they a factor in improving general Health.
Recent tests conducted on Monkeys have revealed this fact , indicating while there might be resistance to some diseases like cancer by following CR and in some cases even this feature was missing.
I may also add that despite increased talk of general improvement to Health by Exercises and Walking(generally an hour a day), I am yet to find a solid case that these things have helped in improving general Health.
Many a Doctor seem to be suggesting the ‘Walk’ as a general prescription.
Let me quote an example.
About a couple of years back, I was becoming breathless after a walk of about ten to fifteen minutes.
I had a Master check up in Manipal Hospital,Bangalore.
There was an increase in LDL
(I had a heart attack about seven years earlier and had a check up at Vijaya Hospital,Chennai and was prescribed cholesterol controlling drug/s. I was using them for about two years and after another routine check up I found there was again an increase,hence I dropped these medication)
The Doctor at Manipal discussed the condition with me and advised me not to stop the drugs prescribed and continue with additional drugs:he also told me to take a Walk ‘ for at least an hour a Day.
My discussion with the Doctor went some thing like this.
‘Doctor, do you remember why I came to consult you?
‘Yes, You have a Heart problem‘
‘Sorry, I came because I had difficulty to in walking for more than fifteen minutes at a stretch- that I have a heart problem was diagnosed by you. If I could not walk for fifteen minutes how can I walk for an hour?
‘You got me wrong, You walk for till you become breathless, take rest and then walk and repeat the process.The body will tell you when to stop’
‘My body has already told me to stop after fifteen minutes.Do you think it has to remind me till I drop?
He laughed.
I continued.
‘ As to the drugs, my levels have increased despite taking these Drug, so..”
The Doctor was about to disrupt me. I continued.
‘ Wait, I am aware what you are about to say-that my diet has changed and I have stress. unfortunately I continue eating the same Thayir Saatham , Paruppu and Traditional South Indian Food and as to Stress , when compared to my earlier days I have less stress , sot there seems to be no logic in the recommendation , though it may be medical y correct for you. The long and short of it is that this Machine is getting old and it is showing up.better leave it to its ways than to tinker and invite trouble’
He replied’ Uncle, I wish I had patients like you, I have my father, who is 75 and he keeps on fussing about his heart.
” If he has a son who is a Doctor, he is likely to be so ‘
He advised me to take care and I am continuing with out drugs or Walks(that is as a regimen ‘if I have to go out on an errand , I Will.
(As to the question why I went to a Doctor if my views are like these, well, it was because my children can afford costly Medicare and they get upset if I do not go)
Coming to the Topic on hand, it is my view that all forced behaviour like walking exercises do not increase your longevity nor do they prevent diseases.
Leave the Machine be and avoid vices.
Take moderate food ,and walk when you feel.
Story:
Longevity differences aside, the two studies found remarkably similar health benefits of CR monkeys. Both found that monkeys on CR diets were less likely to develop tumors, showed reduced evidence of cardiovascular disease, and had better blood sugar control. Both studies have also found evidence that calorie restriction slows brain aging. The Wisconsin researchers found that age-related brain atrophy is lessened in CR monkeys, while the NIA group previously published that a CR regimen helps prevent symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in macaques.
“I love fact that in a lot of ways what we say really is the same,” said Ricki Colman, first author on the Wisconsin group’s 2009 paper. Colman pointed out that although CR-promoted longevity may get the most attention, possible health benefits are more important. “The point is not to live forever, but live a healthier life,” he said. “That’s what most people are after.”
In the NIA project, however, the researches divided the monkeys into “young-onset” CR macaques, who started caloric restriction between 1 and 14 years old, and “old-onset” CR monkeys, who started CR between 16 and 23 years of age, and found that health benefits depended on the sex and age of CR enrollment. Old-onset male monkeys had lower triglycerides and cholesterol, while young-onset CR monkeys did not show these benefits. When the NIA team looked at cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease together, they found no differences between old-onset monkeys and controls; only young-onset CR monkeys seemed to benefit, falling ill later in their lives.
For now, both primate studies will continue, and researchers at NIA and the University of Wisconsin are beginning to collaborate to understand which variables, like diet composition and genetics, are most important in determining CR’s health effects.
Much aging research has “ignored health and focused on longevity,” said Steven Austad of the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, who wrote the Nature commentary on the study but was not involved in the research. The NIA “monkeys got less diabetes and cancer, yet didn’t translate this didn’t translate to longer life,” he said, suggesting that these two effects can—and should—be separated.
http://the-scientist.com/2012/08/29/dieting-monkeys-dont-live-longer/
Related articles
- Starving yourself won’t help you live longer: study (vancouversun.com)
- Low-calorie diet may not prolong life: study (arabtimesonline.com)
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