Eat Less and Live Longer

cookinglongevity
Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Eat Less and Live Longer

A recent 6-month study examined the impact of calorie restriction and weight loss in overweight middle-aged people on several biomarkers previously associated with longevity in people as well as animals. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group, which maintained their body weight, or to one of 3 experimental groupings illustrated below.

The controls weighed 1% less at the end of 6 months. This study found both lower core body temperature and insulin levels in the two groups losing about 10% of their initial body weight compared to the controls. Insulin levels were also lower in the 3rd experimental group, which lost 13.9% of their initial body weight. All 3 experimental groups also experienced a significant decline in oxidative stress-associated DNA damage, compared to the control group.1

Bottom Line: This study demonstrates that reducing calorie intake and losing body weight improves insulin sensitivity, lowers body temperature, and reduces DNA damage. While it is still premature to conclude that calorie restriction slows aging in humans, the metabolic changes seen in this study should dramatically cut the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. It also seems increasingly likely that if these metabolic changes were maintained by consuming fewer calories (with or without more exercise), they may have the added benefit of slowing the aging process as well.By James J. Kenney, PhD, RD, FACN.

  1. JAMA. 2006;295:1539-48
Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII discovered her love of cooking at her grandmother's side, stirring raisin oatmeal on a Saturday morning. By 15 she had her first food service job. At 18 she was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, where she graduated second in her class, then went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland to study pastry arts and baking. A decade with Hyatt Hotels followed before she founded Food and Health Communications with a single conviction: food that is good for you should taste extraordinary.

Judy holds a Master of Professional Studies in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University (Summa Cum Laude), two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and the CIA's Pro Chef II certification. She has earned the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year award.

Today she develops every recipe on this site, shoots and styles food through her food photography and motion studio, and publishes nutrition education materials for dietitians, schools, extension offices, and health professionals through nutritioneducationstore.com. She uses the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to drive her creativity — whether that means a new twist on fajitas or Italian brownies made with toasted nuts and cooked honey. Her mission has never changed: help everyone make food that tastes as good as it is for them.

https://nutritioneducationstore.com
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