Carbs and Proteins Determine Your Life Span

Most people mask their intentions to lose weight by saying that they want to live a healthier lifestyle of eat healthier foods. Of course who can argue with such a life-changing commitment like that? So what do they do? They jump from one weight loss program to another and end up a few pounds heavier than they started. And every day, there is some miracle diet plan or the perfect weight loss regimen out in the market. Not to mention the overflowing of health and fitness equipment that promise flatter abs and gorgeous body in a fraction of what you’d normally take in a fitness gym. Yes, there is always something new out there for people to try. But will these guarantee longevity

Because we often look at what is the hype in the market we forget to look at the past for some sound advice when it comes to getting a healthy and fit body. Some 80 years ago, a paper on food intake showed that given all things equal the key to prolonging one’s life is kilojoule intake restriction. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s make this simpler. Kilojoule restriction is simply cutting down on protein and increasing carbohydrate intake in the diet. The Academic Director of Charles Perkins Center, Prof. Simpson said that this knowledge has been around for many years now. But, this diet strategy for long life is a bit too extreme for some people. Cutting down up to 40 percent of one’s kilojoule intake is quite difficult in the long term. Moreover, he mentions that this much reduction can cause loss of bone mass and some libido issues in the long term. Likewise, people tend to increase the intake of food due to the body’s need to eat more protein.

In a recent research with mice, the restriction of kilojoules has shown that there are tremendous health benefits that can be applicable to humans. Prof. Simpson argues that reducing food intake and body weight helps improve the body’s metabolic processes. Of course the reduction should be within healthy limits. As such, one may reduce or even eliminate the risk for diseases like diabetes and liver diseases. With proper control of the food we eat we can improve our health not just at the present but as we grow older.

The 40 percent reduction done in mice when applied to humans can benefit us as we age. In addition, Prof. Simpson says that kilojoule restriction will become easier and a better choice for people compared to caloric restriction. The key is eating high quality proteins and healthy carbohydrate food sources.

Based on the Charles Perkins Center research consuming low protein foods accompanied with high carbohydrate foods contribute to long life and improved cardio-metabolic health. On the other hand, consuming high proteins coupled with low carbohydrate diet promotes leaner body and better reproductive health but shorter lifespan and poor cardio-metabolic health.

Sure enough the topic on health, weight loss, longevity and diet is a continuous debate among experts. So the common person is left to what is available it the market. Or better yet, what the market deceptively “sells” as the latest and breakthrough weight loss program or miracle health diet. Suffice to say, whether we follow counting calories or eating at certain times of the day or whatever diet strategy you use, one thing is important: learn how it will affect your body in the short term and the long term.

I see the research not as another marketing gimmick to get us to buy a product or follow a fitness guru. Rather, it opens my eyes to the reality that our bodies are complex and that it requires the right food. What food and how much becomes a battle ground for the corporate world. But when we break it down to science, we learn that macronutrients in the diet affect our lifestyle and health not just for today but for the years to come.

What’s even amazing here is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are just talking about the foods and nutrients we take. There is a host of other factors such as health and fitness exercise and activities, stress management, health and fitness equipment just to name a few. In the end, we are all responsible for our own health. We are the ones who choose what diet programs to follow, what foods we purchase and eat and what lifestyle we choose to follow. I just hope that this research gives you a better handle on health, fitness, diet, weight loss and more importantly proper lifestyle.