Low Insulin Not Calorie Restriction Lengthens Your Life

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http://www.mercola.com/2003/feb/8/longevity.htm

 

 

Low Insulin Not Calorie Restriction Lengthens Your Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lean body devoid of fat may be more significant in determining lifespan than a

calorie-restricted diet, according to a new study of genetically altered mice.

 

 

 

The mice in the study were able to eat whatever they wanted and still stay slim

because their fat tissue had been altered so it could not respond to the hormone

insulin. Insulin helps to move sugar from the blood into the body’s cells and

also helps fat cells to store fat.

 

 

 

Researchers altered the insulin receptor gene in the fat cells of lab mice, and

since insulin is needed to help cells store fat the mice had less fat and were

protected against obesity.

 

The altered mice ate 55 percent more food per gram of body weight than normal

mice, yet had 70 percent less body fat by the time they reached 3 months of age.

 

Moreover, the altered mice lived 18 percent longer than normal mice, and after

three years all of the normal mice had died, but one-quarter of the altered mice

were still alive.

 

Previous studies have shown that a calorie-restricted diet can extend the

lifespan of everything from yeast to mammals. One theory for why this occurs is

that eating less produces fewer chemical by-products, known as free radicals,

which can damage cells. However, the current study suggests that leanness may

also play a role in promoting longevity.

 

The findings could open the possibility of a new drug that would fight obesity,

and related illnesses like type 2 diabetes, by blocking insulin receptors in fat

tissue. The drug would need to be targeted to fat only, however, as a loss of

insulin sensitivity through out the body results in type 2 diabetes, researchers

noted.

 

Science January 24, 2003;299:572-574

 

 

 

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

 

It appears that leanness, not food restriction, is a key contributor to a long

life. The elegant study from Harvard published in a prestigious science journal,

Science, confirms that insulin is the major mechanism through which this result

is mediated.

 

Most health care practitioners are not aware of the profound influence that

insulin has on health. Many basic science researchers, however, realize this and

that is why you will see more and more studies like the one above. A firm

appreciation of insulin’s role in health is one of the most important things you

can do to normalize your health on a physical plane.

 

If you have clinical signs of high insulin levels, such as:

 

Elevated Weight

High Blood Pressure

Elevated Cholesterol

Diabetes

High Fasting Serum Insulin Levels (above 5)

 

Then it would be especially wise to consider avoiding all grains and sugars

until those problems normalize. If you know your body is geared toward requiring

more carbs (from discovering your metabolic type), it is highly likely that

grains can be re-introduced into your diet in a limited quantity at a later

diet. To help in the process of understanding these principles and avoiding

grains and sugars, I urge you to consider reading my new book, which also

includes a basic test to help you determine your metabolic type.

 

If you have not read Dr. Rosedale’s insulin article below, I would strongly

recommend doing so. Dr. Rosedale is the physician who helped me appreciate the

importance of insulin in 1996. I have had many patients share with me how

helpful his article was in understanding insulin.

 

Related Articles:

 

Insulin and Its Metabolic Effects

 

Lower Your Grains and Increase Your Health

 

Lower Your Grains & Lower Your Insulin Levels!

 

Insulin Receptors in Brain Tied to Appetite and Weight Gain

 

 

 

 

 

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