Eat less, live longer

From ACA

Tue 16/10/07

By ACA staff

While most of us struggle with the latest fad diet and excessive exercise plans, one scientist claims the way to stay lean into old age — and even enjoy a longer life — is to just eat less. Sounds simple, but is it good for your health?

Professor Everitt, a physiologist with Sydney University, has been eating around 20 percent less than the minimum calorie intake recommended for men — and has been doing it for much of his adult life. As a result, he has managed to slow down his bodily functions and he argues, increase his longevity.

"Calorie restriction has effects in reducing body functions in just about all tissues that have been looked at," he said.

"Not only does the heart beat more slowly, the blood pressure would fall and I would say the blood cholesterol would come down. So everything is operating at a slower rate."

"Therefore it (the body) lasts longer."

The lifestyle change is based on the principle that people who eat fewer calories are less likely to have common illnesses associated with ageing.

A similar eating principle is used in Japan and other parts of Asia where people eat less as they grow older.

Getting back to basics and eating simpler foods is great for the body, according to best-selling author Dr John Tickell.

"Let's get back to being like those healthy, happy, long living people in the Asian villages and Japanese villages," he said. "It's very simple food and what I call low H-I, low Human Interference."

Not all diet experts though think lowering your calorie intake is a great idea.

"The people who are living to 120, it's not simply because they've cut back on their diet," said nutritionist Claudette Wadsworth. "Yes that does have an effect but…its' really important to look at the quality of the food that they're eating and changing to those things in your diet ."