Testing done on rats in the 1930s by McCay demonstrated expected life could be extended by 40 percent with food levels just above the state of malnutrition. Since then, additional studies have been done on a wide variety of animals and humans. Over the past seventy-five years, testing has shown great success in healthy life extension.
Significant health improvements have been observed in the testing of rhesus monkeys on a CR (calorie restricted) regimen. The testing involved one group of monkeys fed a normal diet and another group fed 30 percent fewer calories. The non-CR monkeys died more often of age-related diseases (37 percent to 13 percent). The CR monkeys appeared younger than their counterparts. They had lower body and fat mass. The CR groups were generally free of diabetes and glucose intolerance. Cardiovascular disease was reduced in the CR group also. Other aspects of healthier aging were observed in the CR group compared to the non-CR group. Additional studies confirm the findings above.
The rhesus monkey was studied because its lifespan can be measured well within the normal lifespan of humans. How does this translate to humans? We won’t know until more than a couple of generations of humans accurately tracked on a CR regimen. However, biomarkers are used to compare states of aging. Body temperature and fasting insulin levels are good biomarkers for aging. As you age, you begin to make less and less of certain types of chemicals in your body. The body’s ability to make the required vitamins, enzymes and amino acids required for good health decline in our later years.
As people age, we see a decline in several physiological functions, such as:
● Hormone levels
● Electrolyte regulation
● Lean body mass
● Strength
● Digestive potency
● Cognitive ability
Okinawa has forty times the number of people living over one hundred years of age, compared to any other area in Japan. Okinawa has a lower daily caloric intake. They eat 20 percent to 40 percent less, compared their Japanese counterparts.
