Media!

For some of you new to CR these might be of interest to you. They are pretty good videos and interviews with CRONies and about CR in general. I hope you enjoy them!


Eat Less - Live Longer
Can a very low calorie diet extend life, and if so how? Animal studies seem to say yes, and one scientist is trying it out on himself.
Category: Biology/Nature, Medicine/Health
Episode: Never Say Die

April and Michael CNN video

Michael - Calorie-restriction devotee hungry for longer life Real player
Michael - Calorie-restriction devotee hungry for longer life Quick Time player


Cut Calories: You'll Live Long & Prosper

Joseph Cordell, Rhesus monkeys etc etc... (9 minutes)

Eri Gentry Calorie Restriction interview - resveratrol - anti aging

Discovery Canada Video on Calorie Restriction (inc MR interview)

Paul McGlotin and Meredith

Dean Pomerleau Calorie restriction interview (select Near-starvation diet on the video section on ther right)

Calorie Restriction videos on google (includes interviews with CRONies)

Monkey Studies 2

This monkey C58 was sent from India, and then put on a Calorie Restriction diet (30%). I believe he wasn't put on CR until late in his life, and he lived to 41 years (123 human years). Apparently he is the oldest Rhesus monkey documented (?)

One thing I forgot to mention is that in the NIA study the monkeys were throwing away their food, both ad lib and calorie restricted monkeys... apparently it is due to being in a depressive state. I mean they are locked up in those cages for so long, who wouldn't be!?!? So this could be an important factor. It might just be that the University of Wisconsin studies are better done and thats why they are showing increase in longevity. Answers will come soon, but not soon enough.

What about other recent studies? There was one done that was more of a weight maintaining study and had their ad lib eat what they want when they want. The results... the ad lib group lived to 23 and the 30% CR group lived, wait, 30% longer! (30 years) and that is equivalent to a group of humans living on average to 90 years.

I believe there was another study "Mortality and Morbidity in Laboratory-maintained Rhesus Monkeys and Effects of Long-term Dietary Restriction". Again this compared true ad lib vs CR obesity avoidance monkey diet. The ad lib monkeys lived on average to 25 while the calorie restricted monkeys lived to 32 on average. There were 117 monkeys, 8 were CR'd, and 109 ate however much they wanted. In human equivalent years 32 years is around 96 human years.

Both of those are OBESITY AVOIDANCE studies and not true life extending CR studies. Whatever reason the NIA are not seeing as a good results as the UW studies is yet to be determined. Things might shift back in favour of CR at some point. There was a learning curve for adult onset CR in rodents, and maybe so for monkeys.

Monkeys and Human CRers that have been on CR for long term look IMO significantly younger than their ages. But any reasonably healthy diet would probably keep one looking younger for a bit longer.

Costa Rica Expedition Day 2

"We discovered today that looking good in a bathing suit isn’t the only reason to stay in shape.

Yesterday, the online audience voted that I tackle the question of why Nicoyans are enjoying such lower levels of obesity than the rest of Costa Rica. So today I joined the team’s Docs — demographer Michel Poulain and longevity expert Gianni Pes — conducting health surveys of local nonaterians --- those over 90 years old --- and centenarians. It was a long, hot day, full of hundreds of questions, measurements and tests. My eyes glazed over just watching, but fortunately the 97-year-olds demonstrating their level of physical fitness seemed to be having a blast."

"Centenarians in other Blue Zones eat low-calorie diets, and rarely over indulge. In Okinawa they call it “hara hachi bu,” eat until you’re 80% full. A 1958 cultural study of Nicoya confirms that a similar practice is part of the traditional diet here. After a day of working in the fields, Nicoyans ate a light, simple supper of rice, beans, tortillas, and the occasional egg at dusk. Nutritional evaluations from 1969 and 1978 indicate Nicoyans consumed the fewest amount of calories nationwide — as much as 20 percent less than other regions.

Are Nicoyans living longer because of regular physical activity and a caloric restricted diet? Maybe yes, maybe no — our surveys of this area are nowhere near complete enough to make a definite conclusion.

But walking down the streets full of lean physiques, pretty Ticas in tank tops and broad-shouldered cowboys in tight jeans, it’s obvious they’re doing something right."

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

Monkey CR Studies

I've asked this question a few times on the CR Society mailing lists but failed to get a response. Whether it was because I posted it on the community list rather than the main list may have something to do with it... I would assume that not many have time to read the comm lists too.

Earlier in 2006 the rhesus monkeys in the NIA study apparently had some problems. The Calorie Restricted monkeys had a higher mortality rate. But then the data and articles coming from the University of Wisconsin on CR monkeys and its a different picture. So what if we end up with two different results? What if the NIA studies fail to show any significant longevity gain and the UW do show it? -- I what we can say is that there are certainly other factors that are involved and CR has to be done right. You can look at the food they were given, and the conditions they were kept it. Apparently in the NIA study the rhesus monkeys were being given candy! Who knows how this will all end up, but i'm most interested in how it will affect those of us who do CR. If the results came back not so good would you carry on doing moderate to severe CR?

This was April and Michael CNN video a while back. Also shows the Rhesus monkeys and stuff
See the video here

Headaches

You know what, this is something I haven't really given much thought to but I can only remember having just 1 mild headache that lasted for a day or so in two years of being on CR. This includes when I've been sick with infections... no headaches! I thought about it today after I said I'd help out with this survey on coughs and chest infections. It's a study involving around 4000 people and I just basically keep a diary of my symptoms and see what I take and how long symptoms usually settle and whatever. I have to basically check boxes each day and then send it off. One of ths symptoms was headaches. Then it occured to me that I've not taken one painkiller in two years for a headache, I just don't get them anymore! Usually its a symptom of flu, throat infections and such, but nope, not even then!

I guess a lot of headaches maybe down to glucose spikes and dips from your regular western junk food diet. Even the stress I had earlier last year never caused any headaches. I wonder if any other CRers are free from headaches almost always now?

And also I am planning for those blood tests in feburary sometime.

Doctor put on my file to be done: CBC, Renal Function, Liver Function, Lipids, Fe, Fasting Glucose, CRP (can't get hs-CRP but hoping for <1mg/L). I forget to ask him for testosterone, DHEA or T3. Doctors can be a reluctant on the latter because of expense, but are generally ok about getting 1 or 2 of them done if its not too often. I will have to go back and speak to him about these blood tests.

Costa Rica Longevity Expedition

The new expedition begins! The team that went to okinawa and met with the centenarians are now in Costa Rica to meet the people there. The expedition will last 3 weeks. Keep checking back there for new videos!

"In 2005, Dr. Luis Rosero, a Costa Rican demographer trained in the U.S, presented a paper at an international conference claiming to have discovered that 60 year-old Costa Ricans have the longest life expectancy of anyone in the world. In other words, if you are middle aged and live in Costa Rica, you are more likely to reach, say, a healthy age 90 than your counterparts worldwide. The academics at the conference did not believe Dr. Rosero. After all, Central America is still considered "Third World," a place of poverty, tropical disease, and, during the 1990's, terrible wars. How could the people here live longer than "First World" countries like those in Europe and the U.S?"

(video on this page)
http://www.bluezones.com/

You can DIRECT the team where to go by voting!

Enjoy!

A difficult experiment

I'm still experimenting with removing certain foods out of my diet, although it is very difficult to guage the success of removing a food on my nasal symptoms. Removing low fat yogurt never did anything, I never noticed any change at all. When I started to cut back on eating apples I noticed a subtle improvement, but was good enough to justify me removing them from my diet. Something triggered this problem early on in 2005, and I think it may have been stress related. So I've got the problem now and I'll try to learn to deal with it. I used to have really bad hay fever symptoms during the summer for many years during high school. I started Calorie Restriction and the symptoms never came back again so I thought it was the end of allergies, forever!

Not so, stress is bad for you so you must do what you can to be a CRer with limited amounts of daily stress to have the best benefits of doing CR.

The good news is that Medicine are making great strides in developing effective treatment for allergies, and they believe within 2 years hay fever will be 'cured' and food allergies within 5-10 years. There are many trials going on using different methods and the success rate is 100% for quite a few of the trials. So for those of us that still have some minor allergy problem, there might be an end to it real soon!

Me and the doc agreed that it could be food related with me, but I'm on the waiting list to see an ENT doctor anyway, to check that there is nothing going on in my nose other than just some inflammation.

So I'll have to keep steaming my veggies, avoid some raw fruit, and use my nasonex... and continue trying to figure which foods may worsen symptoms. So far I've been able to stop nasal bleeding by cutting out apples. Apples are the fruit that people with hay fever are most allergic to, and symptoms can manifest as mouth sores, itchy throat, rhinitis and a bunch of other symptoms.

I've spoken to my doctor about getting an allergy test done, but he thinks there is no point. Why? Because he says that I'm probably going to be allergic to so many foods that it may just put me off eating most things, or put me in a hopeless situation.

It reminds me a little like something that was said to my sister a while back, although in my case it would be less serious, for her I feel it is something she has to know as soon as possible.

One of the doctors in the place I go to (not my one) said to my sister "don't get tested for lupus because you'll just keep thinking about it and get worried" - My mother has lupus. So my sister has never been tested, isn't that crazy!? I guess I am lucky that this is only a minor nuisance, rather than something more serious. A lot of others have far worse problems to worry about.

The Adventure

(1:32)"I wanna have the same last dream again
The one where I wake up and I'm alive
Just as the four walls close me within
My eyes are open up with pure sunlight
I'm the first to know
My dearest friends
Even if your hope has burned with time
Anything that is dead shall be re-grown
And your vicious pain, your warning sign
You will be fine

"Any type of love it will be shown
Like every single tree reach for the sky
if you're gonna fall
i'll let you know
that i will pick you up
like you for i"

I think thats a nice song. April posted a song in her blog post "magic" and it had some meaning to her and her cr.

I have selected a song which has some meaning to me (posted above which you can listen to...) it's called 'the adventure' and I think it fits with what CR is. Calorie restriction is an adventure or journey where you will probably have both hard and good times but it's all a learning experience and things you can carry on with you. If you fail, or do something bad, we'll let you know and help you out (like April did in her last blog post). We all should look out for each other :) Blogging is great because we share out experiences so we can learn from each other.

Enjoy that song! and good luck to all those who are just starting CR :)

Smile!

Lately I just feel like smiling and laughing... and I don't know why, or do I? The part time job I do is so boring yet I couldn't help but feel happy when I was in work last night. It feels strange, but amazing. I think it may have started when I tried to not eat anything after 3pm and have kept to this regimen. It seems the good feelings I'm having, have been increasing. I'm going to stick this now because it fits in very well with my day and regulates my sleeping pattern. Which I've always had lots of problems with, because I seem be a 'night person' and always have been. My sleeping pattern will always go this way if I don't get proper control.

What I eat

This is just an example of what I might eat in one day... it's usually minus the fish these days (only eat it once or twice a month), I alternate between sweet potatoes and carrots. Eat a quite a lot of beans, dry beans and when I don't have too much time baked beans in tomato sauce, but they are extremely low in sugar and salt pack. My diet have changed a bit since I typed out this, but it is still quite similar. I don't always have oats now either.

Macronutrient ratio C=46 F=31 P=23

1. Quaker Rolled Oats (w/water) 50g
2. Bananas, raw 80g
3. Blueberries, raw 50g
4. Nuts, almonds, dried, unblanched 20g
5. Whey Protein drink (w/water) 25g
6. Walnuts 06g
7. Lindt Dark Chocolate Excellence 85% 10g
8. low fat stawberry yoghurt(omega3) 150g
9. Fish oil (twice a week) rest of week flax oil
   
10. Apples, raw, with skin 150g
11. Broccoli, steamed 250g
12. Cauliflower, steamed 250g
13. Brussels sprouts, steamed 150g
14. Beans, snap, without salt 135g
15. Onions, raw 100g
16. Tesco Salsa 15g
17. Spinach, raw 200g
18. Leeks, (bulb and lower leaf-portion), raw 100g
19. Tomatoes, orange, raw 200g
20. Oil, olive, salad or cooking 13.5g
21. Whey Protein drink (w/water) 25g
22. Sweetpotato with skin, steamed 150g
23. Salmon fillets 50g
24. Zinc 15mg 15mg
25. Spices, basil, ground 5g
26. Garlic, raw 6g
27. Spices, turmeric, ground 2g
28. Essential Mix (36 vitamin/minerals) 7g