Eating less doesn’t only help you stay trim, it may also lets you live longer. This has been known for a while, but further science — from the land of pasta — is shoring up the evidence.
Italian researchers in Rome at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart report that a molecule called CREB1, which is activated by drastically lowering calorie intake, can activate genes linked to longevity and proper brain functioning.
Studies show that overeating and obesity are not good for the brain because they cause accelerated brain cell aging. This slow down makes it susceptible to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Even more studies link caloric restriction to longevity and other favorable health markers.
However, the processes behind these effects has been unknown. “A plausible conclusion could be that overeating causes brain aging and decline, while eating less may help our brain stay young,” say boomer generation health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel, authors of the new books TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (April 2011, BSH) and The TurboCharged Mind (January 2012, BSH).
“As usual, however, the researchers commented that this discovery will hopefully lead to the creation of a new drug that would activate CREB1 and provide the benefits of caloric restriction without the need for strict dieting.”
They say the key to calorie restriction and “enlightened” fasting to trigger the associated benefits is to maximize nutrition yet minimize concentrated carbohydrates and calories.
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