Posted on August 20, 2007 in Latest News
Recent research suggests that eating a low calorie diet not only helps in losing weight, but also slows down the aging process and protects your heart. To find out the long-term effects of low calorie diets, researchers carried out an extensive study on mice.
They fed 14-month-old mice with either a low calorie or higher calorie diet. When the mice turned 30 months old, which is the equivalent of being 90 years old in human life span terms, the researchers analyzed their heart tissue. They found that the mice that are fed low calorie diets had 20% fewer heart-related genetic changes, which are generally associated with aging process.
It is also found that eating fewer calories inhibits changes in the immune system that can cause diseases. Though the researchers conclude that low calorie diets help reduce aging of the heart, they advise those who cut calories to ensure that they take enough vitamins and minerals.
Link Between Lifestyle and Aging
An Australian study proved that lifestyle decisions that one makes before age 40 determines how long that person lives, quality of health in older age, and susceptibility to chronic illness. It also showed that skin and body aging is immensely accelerated by hormonal and nutritional disturbances, which is a common feature of obesity. The numerous nutritional deficiencies can cause dry skin. Low zinc, high copper, or iron levels are the normal deficiencies that can cause aging.
Metabolic Syndrome
Faster aging generally results from the effects of excessive oxidation and reactive oxygen species, which are commonly known as free radicals within our bodies. ‘Metabolic Syndrome’ and stress adaptive responses help promote elevated levels of insulin and cortisol. These are combined offenders of faster aging in overweight people.
Metabolic syndrome can be diagnosed when two or more of following problems are present:
Link between Menopause and Obesity
It has become a common factor that those over 45 years of age are overweight or obese. While it is recognized that body weight increases with parity, many women believe that weight gain also occurs with menopause. Prospective studies showed increase in total and central abdominal fat and decrease in lean muscle tissue during menopause.
However, these changes in body composition cannot be separated from the effects of the decrease in physical activity, which commonly accompany aging. Individual women may find it difficult to differentiate the effect of age-progressive weight gain from a specific effect of oestrogen deficiency. Weight changes can often be quite marked in midlife, but weight gain is found to be associated with age, not menopause.
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