Would you like the extend your life, and decrease the odds of dying from cancer or a heart attack? I have a simple, scientifically-proven solution for you.
Caloric restriction is an effective intervention for delaying age-related disease and extending good health into later ages of the mammalian lifespan. Much interest in caloric restriction (CR) has centered on its unique life-extending effects, but increasingly, its impact on age-related disease and biomarkers of the aging process have received attention. In mammals, CR has been found to combat inflammation (Kalani et al., 2006), reduce endogenous levels of oxidative stress (Yu, 2006), increase insulin sensitivity (Anderson and Weindruch, 2006), decrease core body temperature (Mattison et al., 2003) and promote elevated resistance to stress treatments (Bruce-Keller et al., 1999; Apte et al., 2003). Taken together, these effects appear to combat many diseases of aging. Mammals that consume 30–40% fewer calories exhibit a lower incidence of Type 2 diabetes (Astrup, 2001), neurodegenerative disorders (Logroscino et al., 1996; Patel et al., 2005), hearing loss (Someya et al., 2006) and cardiovascular disease (Fontana et al., 2004). An especially important effect of CR is tumor suppression and reduced mortality due to cancer (Kritchesky, 2001; Hursting et al., 2003; Klebanov, 2007),
Well, if you are still paying attention, ask yourself: Why haven't you heard about Calorie Restriction (CR). Shouldn't CR be everywhere?
You haven't heard about CR because of this text (which I didn't highlight for you): Mammals that consume 30–40% fewer calories.
Calorie Restriction is not easy. It requires a person to be hungry during nearly every waking hour. For many, that is no way to live. There is a way to mimic Calorie Restriction's effects without starvation.
Instead of doing CR, you could combine Intermittent Fasting with resveratrol supplementation.
Intermittent Fasting.
One can receive many of the same benefits of CR through Intermittent Fasting (IF). IF works simply: You don't eat for 16-32 hours. When you eat, you eat nutrient-dense, nutritious foods until you are full.
For me, I eat my last meal at 8 or 9 p.m. My last meal is usually a small serving of lean protein and mixed nuts. My next meal is sometime around noon or one.
Oh, but wait: Isn't that how Americans eat? Large dinner, skip breakfast, get fat? And aren't you supposed to eat 5-6 meals a day. Well, yes and no.
The problem with Americans isn't that we skip breakfast. It's what we ultimately break our fast with.
If you break your fast from Carl's Jr. with a Hostess in the morning...Well, no offense, but there are probably other posts to be reading.
I break my fast with protein powder and fish oil; or blue berries and kefir, or some other healthy combination of lean meats, dairy, and nuts.
Intermittent Fasting can be hard. Unhealthy food is delicious and tempting. Food scientists know how to manipulate you into eating more. It's scientific fact that junk food is delicious and toxic.
Most worthwhile activities are challenging. Intermittent Fasting is no different..
Resveratrol.
Resveratrol has been all over the news. In animals, resveratrol expands lifespan and decreases diseases incidents. Resveratrol saved my dad from the daily agony of benign prostatic hypertrophy, and there's substantial research showing that resveratrol can prevent prostate cancer.
Vitamin D and fish oil.
Vitamin D (and, no, you don't get enough from milk) and fish oil are so insanely good for you that I am not going to talk about it. There is so much science behind vitamin D and fish oil that any discussion would be banal.
If you're not already taking 3-6 grams of fish oil and 2,000 IUs of Vitamin D a day, you're literally killing yourself. I use Carlson's brand fish oil and Vitamin D, both of which you can purchase here.
Does it work?
I don't know. I'm too young to have prostate issues. My blood work is insanely good. My HDL level is 68, even though I eat egg yolks, and full-fat milk.
Subjectively, I feel fantastic. Since starting IF and resveratrol, I feel like a wild animal. I am more active (unusual given I have a family of depressives), less inhibited - less tame. There is research that hunger triggers movement:
ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2009) — A body that is provided with food too often gets caught up in the maelstrom of a lack of exercise, obesity and ultimately diabetes. The trigger is a molecular switch that is controlled by insulin, a new study by scientists from ETH Zurich has revealed.
That which expands life has the wonderful side effect of enhancing it.
How you live today and how you will die tomorrow is your business. It is possible to have a longer and better life. It's up to you.
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