the necessary amounts of vitamins, minerals, and
other nutrients the body needs to sustain itself and
grow. This calorie restriction has been shown to
increase the lifespan of various animals, including
rats, fish, fruit flies, dogs, and monkeys, by 30–50%.
Some human studies have also been done—and long-
term studies are underway— but evidence of its impact
on humans is very limited compared to results avail-
able from the animal studies. The completed studies
indicate that calorie restriction can increase the max-
imum human lifespan by about 30%. The problem
preventing scientists from offering substantive proof
that humans can greatly increase their lifespan by
restricting calories is that the current maximum
human lifespan is 110–120 years and full compliance
with the diet is difficult. A 30% increase would extend
the human lifespan to 143–156. This is an exception-
ally long time for a scientific study and requires
involvement of several generations of scientists. Only
several hundred people have ever been documented to
lived past age 110 and there are only two people with
confirmed documentation who have lived to at least
age 120: Jeanne Louise Calmet (1875–1997) of France
who lived 122 years and 164 days; and Shigechiyo
Izumi (1865–1986) of Japan who lived 120 years and
237 days, according toGuinness World Records.
Since 1980, dozens of books have been published
offering specific calorie reduction diets aimed at
increasing lifespan. The most popular diets include
the Okinawa Diet, Anti-Inflammation Diet, Longev-
ity Diet,Blood Type Diet, Anti-Aging Plan, and the
120-Year Diet.
Calorie restriction is a lifelong approach to eating
by significantly lowering daily calorie intake while still
getting all the body’s required nutrients. People who
experience starvation or famine receive no longevity
benefits since their low calorie intake contains little
nutrition. The diet is believed to most benefit people
who start in their mid-20s, with the beneficial effects
decreasing proportionately with the age one begins the
diet.
Although there are variations between anti-aging
diets, most reduced calorie diets recommend a core set
of foods. These include vegetables, fruits, fish,soy,
low-fat or non-fat dairy products, nuts, avocados,
and olive oil. The primary beverages recommended
arewaterand green or black tea.
Guidelines on calorie reduction vary from diet to
diet, ranging from a 10% reduction to a 50% reduc-
tion of normal intake. Roy L. Walford (1924–2004),
author of several books on anti-aging diets, says a
reasonable goal is to achieve a 10–25% reduction in
a person’s normal weight based on age, height, and
body frame. The Anti-Aging Plan diet recommends
men of normal weight lose up to 18% of their weight in
the first six months of the diet. For a six-foot male
weighing 175 lb, that means a loss of about 31 pounds.
For a small-framed woman who is five-foot, six-inches
tall and weighs 120 pounds, the plan recommends
losing 10% of her weight in the first six months, a
loss of 12 lb.
Walford’s Anti-Aging Plan is a diet based on dec-
ades of animal experimentation. It consists of com-
puter generated food combinations and meal menus
containing all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Recommended Daily Allowances of vitamins and
other essential nutrients using foods low in calories.
On the diet, the maximum number of calories allowed
is 1,800 per day. There are two methods for starting
the diet: rapid orientation and gradual orientation.
The rapid orientation method allows people to eat
low calorie meals rich in nutrients. This is a radical
change for most people and requires a good deal of
willpower. All foods low in nutrients are eliminated
from the diet. The nutritional value and calories inKEY TERMS
Alzheimer’s disease—A degenerative disorder that
effects the brain, causing dementia and loss of
memory usually late in life.
Antioxidant—Substance that inhibits the destruc-
tive effects of oxidation in the body.
Body mass index (BMI)—A scale that expresses a
person’s weight in relation to height.
Calorie reduction—A decrease in the number of
calories that a person consumes.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)—A nucleic acid
molecule in a twisted double strand, called a dou-
ble helix, that is the major component of chromo-
somes. DNA carries genetic information and is the
basis of life.
Free radicals—Highly reactive atoms or molecules
that can damage DNA.
Osteoporosis—A disease that causes bones to
become porous, break easily, and heal slowly.
Parkinson’s disease—An incurable nervous disor-
der marked by symptoms of trembling hands and a
slow, shuffling walk.
Testosterone—A male sex hormone responsible for
secondary sex characteristics.Anti-aging diet