Caloric Restriction Aging Control

 

If there was indeed a genie in the bottle, the proverbial three wishes would definitely include a longer lifespan. Men have concocted all sorts of contraptions and programs to address this issue squarely and what we have now is a billion dollar industry bent on lengthening life. Perhaps for the most of us, a hundred years is not yet enough to enjoy the blessing of life. As such, the quest for methods that aim to make one’s lifespan longer remains. Recent studies show a promising method that was tested on rhesus monkeys. The experiment involved a process aptly named caloric restriction aging.  

 

Under this experiment, two sets of rhesus monkeys were compared. The first set, grouped as free-feeding monkeys, were given their standard diet and allowed to feed as they please or would normally do. The other set, however, were given about 30 percent less than what the monkeys would usually gobble up in a day.  The preliminary results of this experiment showed that the monkeys under caloric restriction aging process exhibited lower body temperature, fat and weight than the free-feeding ones.  Furthermore, insulin – a crucial hormone for metabolizing sugars – was found to be more efficient at its job. This suggests that the restricted monkeys would less likely develop diabetes than the free-feeding monkeys. Some biological markers of aging like cholesterol, blood pressure and triglyceride levels were also promising, suggesting that cardiovascular problems would also be minimized if not altogether avoided. 
Even more surprising is that with the 30 percent reduction of food intake, the lifespan of these animals were improved by at least 30 percent as well. Several experiments similar to this have been done before with lower animals like mice and water fleas but what is interesting is the consistency of the results.  The researchers state that caloric restriction initiates a switch in the metabolism prompting the body to survive and adapt in such a restricted environment.

 

Aging has basically been categorized as primary and secondary. Primary aging means the maximal lifespan an animal is able to achieve while secondary aging deals more with external factors that limit lifespan like diseases. While a good exercise regimen targets lean mass development, scientists say that what it really does is eliminate factors contributory to secondary aging. On the other hand, primary aging is improved directly by caloric restriction, at least as shown by the experiments on lower animals. If what is proven in the experiments is commensurately applicable to humans, caloric restriction aging would definitely be the way to go. It is essentially under-nutrition without malnutrition. The individual minimizes his food intake but still obtains his minimum essential nutrients for the body. It might be taxing for an individual to start and apply the principles of caloric restriction but what is essential is that the person is not actually starving himself to death, but only limits the bulk of his normal diet into portions that still comply with his minimum dietary nutrition allowance. To some, following such a diet may be a huge task, but if you think about it, if in lower animals the method shows a promise of a longer life, what can the method have in store for humans?