Sunday, September 2, 2012

Calorie Counting

-"Calorie limits don't extend life span but might keep you healthier"
-Rosie Mestel, LA Times
-August 30, 2012
-http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-calorie-restriction-death-20120830,0,6696302.story

Scientists have tested on mice that eating fewer calories than normal has lead to them living fifteen to twenty percent longer than they should, leaving researchers thinking that humans have the possibility of living at least an extra day. However, when they had done these tests on monkeys, they had lived on average the same amount of time that a monkey that consumed more calories would. Even if it did not increase their life span, they had a lesser chance of being diagnosed with cancer, and appeared younger. By appearing younger, they meant in metabolic aspects, having lower blood sugar and lower cholesterol. This study "...suggests that what has proven true for rodents and various other animals may not hold true for primates — humans included..." (Rosie Mestel, LA Times). The same research was also done  in 2009 in Wisconsin, but had extremely different results. The researchers do not know how to explain this, but say it might have been because they had served different foods. 

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