Reprinted with permission of Life Extension

How long we live may not be determined by what we eat so much as how much we eat. Of all the potential antiaging approaches, none have so far shown the promise of caloric restriction. Over the past 75 years, many studies have shown that caloric restriction extends life span in a wide variety of species, from invertebrates to rodents, to mammals.

People imagine that caloric restriction is associated with near-starvation and constant hunger, or malnutrition due to inadequate intake of dietary nutrients. In fact, caloric restriction, if undertaken correctly, is a healthy lifestyle that is accompanied by weight loss, only occasional hunger, optimal nutrition, and other health benefits. To stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle, caloric restriction will henceforth be referred to as “caloric restriction with optimal nutrition” or CRON.

Data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging suggests that long-lived humans exhibit some of the same physiological and biochemical changes that accompany caloric restriction in animals. Survival rates are highest in those with low body temperatures and low levels of circulating insulin (Roth GS et al 2002). In addition, levels of serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a presumed longevity marker (Kalimi M et al 1999), are also higher in long-lived individuals (Roth GS et al 2002). In primates undergoing CRON, DHEA levels are also conserved (Lane MA et al 1997).

Before going on a CRON program, the Life Extension Foundation recommends that you obtain a blood chemistry profile. This will allow you to monitor your progress through subsequent blood tests. During CRON, fasting blood glucose and insulin levels should fall, as should insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels. HDL should rise. Blood pressure, which can be measured at most pharmacies without charge, should fall. For more information on blood testing, call 1-800-544-4440. If you intend to practice severe caloric restriction (30 percent to 40 percent), we recommend that you do so under the care of a knowledgeable physician.

The Life Extension Foundation suggests that you reduce calories by eating plenty of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, soluble fiber, and lean protein.

Another product we carry at our office is the Standard Process line of supplements, plus their MediHerb line of herbs and herbal tinctures.

Standard Process products are made entirely of whole foods that have been dehydrated or ground up into tablet or capsule form. This may sound strange, but our bodies evolved by getting vitamins and nutrients through natural plant and animal sources, not from sources synthesized in a lab. Therefore, it isn’t just the vitamin itself that is important, but the entire framework and delivery system of, for example, the orange juice and pulp that contains the vitamin C.

Here’s what the Standard Process website has to say:

Nutritional scientists are continually discovering what we at Standard Process have taught and practiced since 1929: Micronutrients, both known and unknown, found only in whole foods are more essential to health than selected vitamins and minerals taken away from their complete food matrix.

Our product formulas contain unique combinations of whole foods (whole plants, animal tissue extracts and concentrates, and botanicals), which contain essential vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals to provide optimal health for your patients. Ingredients are selected for their specific supportive effects in metabolism.

Standard Process and MediHerb products and literature are only available through qualified health care professionals. Their knowledge and experience allows them to recommend both Standard Process products and health regimens that meet each patient’s unique health needs.

Check out more information at www.standardprocess.com.

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