Fun with genetics

This is a link to an article about an experiment on obesity and longevity conducted on genetically altered lab mice. They have allready determined that caloric restriction extends the lifespan of animals, but they wanted to see if it was due to the decreased consumption or the lower levels of body fat. They disrupted the insulin receptor gene for fat cells in a group of lab mice and they were able to eat as much as they wanted, stay lean, AND THEY LIVED LONGER as well! These mice consumed 55 per cent more food than the regular mice, had up to 70 percent less body fat, and thier lifespan increased! WHERE CAN I GO TO GET MY FAT CELL INSULIN RECEPTOR GENE DISRUPTED?!!! ANYBODY KNOW?!!! Here’s the link to the article News articles and features | New Scientist

Calorie restricted diets produce many effects in addition to improved insulin sensitivity. One of the theories of aging is glycation, “The process by which glucose links with proteins and causes them to bind together, thus stiffening tissues and leading to the complications of diabetes and perhaps some of the physiologic problems associated with aging.”

These mice gained a benefit of 18% life extension, which would be equal to the results of a calorie-restricted diet at 18% below normal. If you are interested in improved insulin sensitivity, search Testosterone for insulin sensitivity. (R) Alpha Lipoic Acid is great at glucose disposal, and getting plenty of fish oil improves insulin sensitivity over time.

Thanks Mage, I know about the info on insulin sensitivity. I was joking about getting my genes disrupted, ouch that sounds painfull, haha. Anyway, I thought this might be interesting to the bodybuilding community because of the point that the article touched on. They were trying to figure out if the longer lifespan of the “starved” mice was due to the lower exposure to free radicals and higher work demand placed on organs when consuming higher quantities of food. This study would seem to point out that the higher consumption of food isn’t necesarily as harmful as they thought. Longevity may be more closely linked with bf%. So my interpretation was that if you eat big AND clean and train you don’ have to worry about keeling over a whole lot sooner. One less healthrisk for the healthy bodybuilder types to worry about. I was joking about messing with my genes but doesn’t it sound like it would be nice if your fat cells simply didn’t respond to insulin? It would have sucked for our ancestors but in this day and age it would make it alot easier to maintain that lean look while still overfeeding to put on more muscle.