Cutting calories smart way to slow aging.

November 2, 2006

Cutting Calories Better than Exercise at Slowing Aging? Medically Reviewed On: Friday, March 31, 2006 Consuming fewer calories may slow down the effects of aging in both the heart and body. http://sciencedaily.healthology.com/main/article.aspx?content_id=3504 & focus_handle=diet & sky=hty|newsletter|nutrition-11-01-06|link2 Primary aging refers to the maximal length of a person's life. Secondary aging refers to any

disease, such as heart disease or cancer that can prevent a person from reaching their maximum life span. By reducing or eliminating factors that interfere with secondary aging, a person should be able to better reach their projected lifespan. By slowing primary aging, a person can effectively increase the length of their projected lifespan. Previous research has suggested that calorie restriction helps make the heart more elastic, allowing it to relax more between beats. This effect appears to allow older hearts to beat more like young hearts. The researchers found that only those participants who practiced calorie restriction experienced a reduction in concentrations of a thyroid hormone called triiodothyronine (T3). T3 has previously been shown to help control the energy balance and cellular metabolism in the body. Individuals who practiced calorie restriction also experienced a reduction in an inflammatory molecule called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF). The researchers believe, based on earlier animal studies, that this combination of lowered T3 levels and reduced inflammation may slow down the aging process by reducing the body's metabolic rate. It may also help reduce any oxidative damage being done to cells and tissues. The effects of calorie restriction on primary aging had previously been hinted at in animal studies, which showed that calorie restriction can extend the life of rats more than exercise. "Sedentary rats who ate a standard diet had the shortest average life-spans. Those who exercised by running on a wheel lived longer, but animals on calorie restriction lived even longer," explained John O. Holloszy, M.D., professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, in a 1997 report that appeared in the

Journal of Applied Physiology. The results of this latest study appear in the May 23 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Copyright 2000-2006 HealthCentersOnline, Inc. After all, they (the pro-vaccine lobbyists) say to themselves, you can't make an omelette withoutbreaking eggs. But the eggs being broken are small, helpless, and innocent babies, while the omelette is being enjoyed by the pediatricians and vaccine manufacturers. - Harris L. Coulter, PhD

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