CRer study published today in PNAS

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

To my knowledge, this is the first CR study. It is a study in which

I was a subject in early November 2002. I had been calorie

restricting for 13 years at the time. I was one of the 18 subjects

studied in the PNAS study. The publication is one of multiple

publications expected to be forthcoming.

The press release on the study is as follows.

Cheers, Al Pater.

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A balanced diet with few calories practiced for an extended period,

perhaps

for one's whole life, is capable of drastically reducing the danger of

developing diabetes, arterial hypertension and arteriosclerosis. This

is the

conclusion reached by researchers at the Washington University of St.

Louis,

after having studied 18 individuals who voluntarily went on a severe

restricted calorie diet for an average period of six years. This

clinical

study, published in the " online " edition of the Proceedings of the

National

Academy of Sciences, is the first to have shown the beneficial

effects of a

long period of calorie restriction in a group of people who consume a

varied

and balanced diet and who live and work successfully in modern western

society. " Our research has shown that a chronic reduction of calorie

intake

exerts a potent protective effect against some of the illnesses that

are the

principle causes of death and disability in industrialized countries " ,

explained Luigi Fontana, the main author of the study and researches

at the

Department of Food Health of the Higher Institute of Health (HIH).

Hundreds

of scientific studies conducted on rodents have shown that calorie

restriction is capable of prolonging their maximum life span, by 30-

40% and

of reducing the incidence of cancer in these mammals. " It is certain

that

the prospects for the people involved in the investigation are better

than

the average, as most likely, they will not suffer blocking of the

arteries,

diabetes, or arterial hypertension, conditions that cause,

frequently, heart

attacks and strokes. "

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[1] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. - 4/19/04 published online before print

Long-Term Calorie Restriction Is Highly Effective In Reducing The

Risk For

Atherosclerosis In Humans

Luigi Fontana, E. Meyer, Klein, & O. Holloszy

ABSTRACT

Little is known regarding the long-term effects of caloric

restriction (CR)

on the risk for atherosclerosis. We evaluated the effect of CR on risk

factors for atherosclerotic arterial disease in individuals who are

restricting food intake to slow aging.

We studied 18 individuals who had been on CR for an average of 6

years (3-15

yr) and 18 age-matched healthy individuals on typical American diets.

We

measured serum lipids and lipoproteins, fasting plasma glucose and

insulin,

blood pressure (BP), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP),

platelet-derived growth factor AB (PDGF-AB), body composition, and

carotid

artery intima-media thickness.

The CR group were markedly leaner than the comparison group (BMI,

19.6 ± 1.9

vs. 25.9 ± 3.2; % body fat, 8.7 ± 7% vs. 24 ± 8%). Total serum

cholesterol

(Tchol), LDL-cholesterol, Tchol/HDLChol ratio, triglycerides, fasting

glucose, fasting insulin, hsCRP, PDFG-AB, systolic and diastolic BP

were all

markedly lower, while HDL-Chol was higher, in the CR, than in the

American

diet group. Based on previous medical record information, the CR

group had

serum lipid-lipoprotein and BP levels that were in the usual range for

middle-aged individuals on typical U.S.A. diets, and similar to those

of the

comparison group, before they began CR. Carotid artery intima-media

thickness was ~40% less in the CR group than in the comparison group.

Based

on measurements of a range of risk factors, it appears that long-term

CR has

a powerful protective effect against atherosclerosis. This

interpretation is

supported by the finding of a low carotid artery intima-media

thickness.

PMID: Unavailable

http://www.pnas.org/papbyrecent.shtml