Caloric Restriction Longevity Benefits

Whenever we hear that we have to eat less in order to lose weight we start envisioning ourselves as being deprived and starving. Losing weight is one of the benefits of caloric restriction (CR). The truth is that reduction of our caloric intake may lead to longevity health benefits as well! Experimental studies have even shown that it is possible live longer by eating less calories. Let us take a look at how to slow aging with caloric restriction.

One important fact to keep in mind is that caloric restriction (CR) is not necessarily equivalent to malnutrition if the nutrient values are dense. This is not about ending up starved but about being healthier with what is consumed by the body. Initially calories consumed can be lowered by changing not how much is eaten but what is eaten. It is not surprising that fruits and vegetables are lower in calories but have high nutrient density. If you are interested to slow aging with caloric restriction, eat a lot of those, as well grains, beans and fish.

Lessening the consumption of calories has been found to be effective towards having a longer life. There is also the absence of certain illnesses that are related to aging such as heart disease, hypertension and dementia to name a few. This is proven through modern experiments conducted on primates and mice.

In studies with experimental animals, when the brain regions responsible for cognition and memory were measured, there was a significant difference in the amount of atrophy of the brain tissues. In animals on caloric restriction, there was less atrophy as compared to the control group of animals, which was allowed to consume as much as they wanted. As a result, the control group that was on unrestricted caloric intake was showing the obvious signs of aging such as atrophy and other diseases. A 30% caloric reduction resulted in slowing the aging process by 30%-40%.

The average consumption of a human male is a little over 2600 calories daily. There is, however, no magic way to determine for everyone how many calories should be consumed if interested in slowing aging, because of body size differences, metabolism as well as the level of activities each individual partakes. This is the reason why two individuals consuming the same amount and kind of food can end up differently in terms of weight and size.

The key to slow down aging through less calorie intake is first by taking note of the number of calories taken in a day. Take note of this for a whole month to determine your average calorie intake. Lessen the amount of calories consumed by 5 percent on the second month. You should, however, be careful not to be left hungry or starving. The foundation of the whole process lies on the modification of one's diet. The high calorie foods should be replaced with foods of lower caloric value which are rich in nutrients.

Go to your doctor and have him establish a baseline for you of cholesterol levels, fasting blood sugar, and blood pressure. Each month, reduce your caloric intake by another five percent. At the end of the month, see your doctor again and have these three numbers rechecked. If they show improvement, you may very well be slowing the aging process in your body. You can reduce calories by another five percent for another month and repeat the tests. When your numbers level out and stop showing improvement, you will have reached what should be the optimal caloric intake to assure you of a longer, healthier life.

Resveratrol, which is found in red wine and skin grapes, has been shown to mimic the effects of a caloric restricted diet. Studies have shown that in addition to potentially slowing the aging process, Resveratrol is the biggest medical discovery since antibiotics with many cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits, just to name a few. If you want to slow aging with caloric restriction but the process seems too difficult to attempt, why not try nature's perfect supplement, Resveratrol?