One Monkey will mess you up, the other…not so much
The above picture was taken from the article “Proof mounts on restricted diet” found on the BBC news website.
Obviously, there is a difference between these two monkeys…
The best way I can describe it is as follows – When you look into the eyes of the monkey on the right, you see there is a WHOLE LOT OF FIGHT left in him. The monkey on the left…nothing.
Here’s the kicker… Both of these monkeys are OLD…27 to be exact (In monkey years..these guys are geriatric). The difference is the one on the left ate more over his lifetime then the one of the right who was calorie restricted.
So just as the title of the article says..the evidence for the life-extending properties of calorie restriction is definitely mounting.
But it’s not just life extension. It’s quality of life.
Look at the two monkeys again. They are the same age…one just…well, one still ‘has it’.
And if you don’t find the top picture convincing, check out this photo:
So it’s not just extending your life, it’s extending the quality of your life.
Now there are people who don’t like the idea of calorie restriction.
To quote directly from the article:
“Monkeys may be a close relation but there are significant differences which means not everything we see in them can be translated to humans,” said Catherine Collins, spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association.
“And there should be some serious reservations about cutting calories so dramatically, particularly for anyone under the age of 30. Any such diet would need to be very balanced to avoid malnutrition, and it would be a long-term commitment.
“People would have to weigh up whether they are prepared to compromise their enjoyment of food for the uncertain promise of a longer life, and a life which could be dogged by all sorts of problems – including osteoporosis.”
Of course, I understand why they did this…
Journalism 101, find someone (anyone) who will give an opposing view point.
OK so the point of all this…
The dietitian missed a HUGE point.
Calorie restriction DOES NOT have to be a “compromise of the enjoyment of food for the uncertain promise of a longer life”
Eat Stop Eat is a form of Calorie restriction (a term I HATE, but more on that later)
It’s true. Flexible Intermittent Fasting is an easy and effective way to reduce your overall calorie intake while still enjoying the foods you eat.
The other thing is that it’s a mistake to say the longevity is ONLY about living a longer life. It’s about living a younger life too.
Personally, I’m not sure I want to live to 200, but I do know, that when I get older…I want my great grand kids to look into my eyes and think “Man, great grandpa Pilon still has some fight left in him!”
BP
PS – The ‘osteoporosis’ that the dietitian bought up this is one of the reasons we weight train. Bones are like muscles, they respond to the challenge. Keep loading them and they will stay strong for a long time.
PPS- The reason I hate the term ‘calorie restriction’ – If evidence suggests that eating ‘normal’ leads us to being overweight with a high risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease, where as eating ‘restricted’ doesn’t…well…then shouldn’t restricted be ‘normal’ and ‘normal’ be “sorry, we messed up an overestimated how many calories a human needs”???
***The original article can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8141082.stm
