A very low calorie diet can help the heart age
more slowly according to researchers who released what they call the
first-ever human study on the subject. The findings confirmed earlier
studies on mice and rats that demonstrate the cardiac benefits of a
restricted calorie diet.
The study looked at the heart function of 25
members of the Caloric Restriction Society, ages 41 to 64, who consume
1,400 to 2,000 nutritionally balanced calories per day. They were
compared to 25 people who eat a typical Western diet, consuming 2,000
to 3,000 daily calories on average.
The result: Those limiting caloric intake had
the heart functions of much younger people - typically about 15 years
younger than their age. Ultrasound exams showed group members had
hearts that appeared more elastic than most people their age; their
hearts were also able to relax between beats in a way similar to
hearts in younger people.
"This is the first study to demonstrate that
long-term calorie restriction with optimal nutrition has
cardiac-specific effects that (delay or reverse) age-associated
declines in heart function," said Luigi Fontana, lead author and
assistant professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.
Fontana said simply consuming less food is
not the answer. Members of the study group eat food resembling a
traditional Mediterranean diet, focusing on vegetables, olive oil,
beans, whole grains, fish and fruit. They avoid refined and processed
foods, soft drinks, desserts, white bread and other sources of "empty"
calories.
For the general public, the researchers
recommend a moderate reduction in calories, combined with moderate,
regular exercise.
Research on mice and rats indicated that
life span can be stretched by about 30 percent with stringent and
consistent caloric restriction. That research also suggested that
restricting calories can help prevent cancer.
Heart attacks and strokes cause about 40
percent of deaths in Western countries, researchers said. Cancer causes
another 30 percent. Fontana said those deaths are attributable to
"secondary aging" from high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure
and other often-preventable conditions.
While it has long been known that a healthy
diet and exercise can reduce risks, the study suggests that caloric
restriction combined with optimal nutrition can do even more.
Fontana said most participants in the study
had immediate relatives who suffered heart attacks or strokes, so it was
unlikely their genetic makeup was a contributing factor to their
unusually healthy hearts.
"We don't know how long each individual will
end up living, but they certainly have a longer life expectancy than
average because they're most likely not going to die from a heart
attack, stroke or diabetes," said Professor John O. Holloszy, who worked
on the study. "And if, in fact, their hearts are aging more slowly, it's
conceivable they'll live for a very long time."
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References:
worldhealth.net
AP
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