I was listening to the radio the other morning while driving tractor on the farm, and during the news they had a story about a study done at the UW-Madison campus. This TWENTY YEAR study showed that most americans can live a longer, healthier life by eating 30% less calories. Also, since you are eating less calories, there is less room in your diet for the junk food, empty calories.
So basically, my home state spent 20 years figuring out that americans can live longer and healthier by eating less, and eating more nutritional food.
Just thought some of you might find this amusing. Amazing huh?
The longest living people also eat the least.
I’m referring to the Japanese, Okinawins to be specific.
I wonder how much taxpayer money was spent on it?
there’s more to the theory than the obvious “no shit, healthy eating promotes a longer life.”
One of the leading theories on why we age is that our bodies are essentially “rusting.” Rust is formed when free electrons are added to iron. Well as our bodies make ATP in our mitochondria, we also form free radicals that are highly reactive that can then go and oxidize the other cells in our body. This leads to all sorts of problems, but the end result is that we age.
As anyone who has dieted for a while knows, a reduction in calories reduces metabolic rate, which reduces the rate at which free radicals are formed and in theory ultimately increases our lifespan. Ever wonder how some species of bats can live for 30 years, while mice of roughly the same size only live for 2 years? Both animals have screaming metabolic rates, but bats have a unique type of mitochondria with powerful antioxidant capabilities. And look at tortoises- really slow metabolic rates but they’ll outlive all of us.
Keep in mind, this is a theory. Virtually nothing is proven in science.