New Study Confirms Low Calorie / Long Life Link in Humans

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New Study Confirms Low Calorie / Long Life Link in Humans

JoAnn Guest

Aug 29, 2005 06:51 PDT

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http://okinawa-diet.com/news/20040906_phri_study.html

 

The latest analysis of data from a large group of Japanese American men

has provided the first reliable indication that a reduced-calorie diet

-- between 1,700 and 2,000 calories daily -- promotes longevity in

humans.

 

These findings confirm what has been seen in hundreds of previous animal

studies but have never been replicated in a longitudinal human study,

until now.

 

The research findings appear in an article by Dr. Bradley Willcox and

colleagues at Pacific Health Research Institute and Kuakini Medical

Center in Hawaii, titled " How Much Should We Eat: The Association

Between Energy Intake and Mortality in a 36-Year Follow-Up Study of

Japanese American Men " , published in the Journal of Gerontology:

Biological Sciences.

 

The study found that risk of death was lower in men who ate fewer

calories, and was most pronounced at about 1,900 calories per day or

about 15% fewer calories than the group average. This lower risk of

death persisted until participants ate about 50% fewer calories than the

group average.

 

The study utilized data from the Honolulu Heart Program, a 36-year

prospective study of middle-aged men conducted at Kuakini Medical

Center, and was funded by the US National Institutes of Health-Heart,

Lung and Blood Institute and Aging Institute, and the American Heart

Association (Hawaii).

 

" Dr. Willcox's work represents a significant step in confirming what

many scientists had suspected--that eating fewer calories may be linked

to human longevity, " commented Dr. David Curb, President and CEO of

PHRI, in a written statement.

 

Does this mean we should all start starving ourselves in order to live

longer, healthier lives? " That's a popular misconception. Fewer calories

does not necessarily mean eating less food " , says Dr. Willcox, whose

research on caloric density (CD) has been instrumental in providing a

healthy solution to the obesity epidemic. " In fact, " said Dr. Willcox,

" Okinawan elders have been eating a restricted calorie diet for years

and generally consume up to a half pound more food daily than the

average American. "

 

" The results of Dr. Willcox's fascinating study come at a time when

there is much confusion among the general public regarding the optimum

diet and its association with healthy aging, " stated Dr. Curb.

 

Dr. Willcox and his team are currently studying how to help people lose

weight and maintain this loss through on-line diet support programs.

They hope to compare the effectiveness of low carbohydrate, low fat, and

other approaches through a potential NIH-funded study.

 

Dr. Bradley Willcox is a nationally recognized expert on healthy aging,

formerly of Harvard Medical School and currently a

Clinician-Investigator at Pacific Health Research Institute. He is also

Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii, where he conducts

research funded by the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Willcox is

Co-Principal Investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study and along

with Doctors Craig Willcox and Makoto Suzuki, co-authored The New York

Times bestseller The Okinawa Program (Clarkson-Potter/Publishers, 2001).

Dr. Willcox recently published a prescriptive book on their latest

research on low calorie diets and healthy weight called The Okinawa Diet

Plan (Clarkson-Potter/Publishers, 2004). For more information, please

visit: http://www.okicent.org

 

Pacific Health Research Institute is a public, non-profit organization

created in 1960 to conduct collaborative, multi-institutional health

research designed to enhance the well being of individuals and

communities in Hawaii, the Pacific, and throughout the world.

_______________Time magazine features Okinawa diet

August 30, 2004

How to live to be 100 (and not regret it)

 

That's the title of the Time magazine cover story for the week of August

30th.

The Time article begins, " New research suggests that a long life is no

accident. So what are the secrets of the world's centenarians? " Well,

the " secrets " are out and can be found in the Okinawa Diet™: " Only about

20% to 30% of how long we live is genetically determined. The dominant

factor is lifestyle. "

 

Here's an excerpt from the Time article:

Each day, Seiryu Toguchi, 103, of Motobu, Okinawa, wakes at 6 a.m., in

the house in which he was born, and opens the shutters. " It's a sign to

my neighbors, " he says, " that I am still alive. " He does stretching

exercises along with a radio broadcast, then eats breakfast: whole-grain

rice and miso soup with vegetables. He puts in two hours of picking

weeds in his 90-sq-m field, whose crops are goya--a variety of bitter

gourd--a reddish-purple sweet potato called imo, and okra.

 

At 12:30 Toguchi eats lunch: goya stir-fry with egg and tofu. He naps

for an hour or so, then spends two more hours in his field. For a

night-cap he may have a sip of the wine he makes from aloe, garlic and

turmeric. And as he drifts off, he says, " my head is filled with all the

things I want to do tomorrow. "

 

Scientists working for the U.S. National Institutes of Health and

Japan's Ministry of Health have been following oldsters like Toguchi

since 1976 in the Okinawa Centenarian Study (OCS) and they've learned

that he's typical. Elderly Okinawans tend to get plenty of physical and

mental exercise. Their diets, moreover, are exemplary: low in fat and

salt, and high in fruits and vegetables packed with fiber and

antioxidant substances that protect against cancer, heart disease and

stroke. They consume more soy than any other population on earth: 60-120

g a day, compared to 30-50 g for the average Japanese, 10 for Chinese

and virtually 0 g for the average Westerner. Soy is rich in

flavanoids--antioxidants strongly linked to low rates of cancer. This

may be one of many reasons why the annual death rate from cancer in

Okinawa is far below the rate of Western countries.

 

But it's not just what Okinawans eat; it's how much. They practice a

dietary philosophy known as hara hachi bu--literally, eight parts out of

10 full. Translation: they eat only to the point at which they are about

80% sated. That makes for a daily intake of no more than 1,800 calories,

compared to the more than 2,500 that the average Western man scarfs

down. And as scientists have learned form lab animals, the simple act of

calories restriction can have significant effect on longevity.

 

Aging Okinawans also have a much lower incidence of dementia -

Alzheimer's or other forms of senility - than their U.S. and European

counterparts do. Part of that may also owe to diet; it's high in vitamin

E, which seems to protect the brain. But perhaps just as important is a

sense of belonging and purpose that provides a strong foundation for

staying mentally alert well into old age. maintain a sense of community,

ensuring that every member, from youngest to oldest, is paid proper

respect and feels equally valued. Elderly women, for example, are

considered the sacred keepers of a family's bond with the ancestors,

maintaining the family altars and responsible for organizing festivals

to honor them. OCS data show that elderly Okinawans's express a high

level of satisfaction with life, something that is not as true in

Western societies, where rates of suicide and depression are high among

the elderly.

 

Need Convincing evidence that our modern lifestyle can shorten lives?

Look what happens when Okinawans move permanently off the island. They

pick up the diet and cultural behaviors of their adopted country - and

within a generation, their life-spans decrease and their rates of cancer

and heart attack zoom. Even on the island, young males are following the

seductive, virulent Western style and renouncing imo for hamburgers.

" Okinawan male life expectancy used to be No. 1 in Japan, " says Dr.

Makoto Suzuki, leader of the study of Okinawan elders. " It started to

decline 10 years ago and hit 26th out of 47 prefectures in the 2000

census. I expect it to decline even further in the next census. "

 

Some additional highlights from the Time article:

Apparently, some people on the planet are still not aware of this:

" ...the Japanese islands of Okinawa are home to the world's largest

population of centenarians, with almost 600 of its 1.3 million

inhabitants living into their second century--many of them active and

looking decades younger than their actual years. "

 

Co-creator of the Okinawa Diet™ program, Doctor Bradley Willcox, shares

his thoughts:

" You could have Mercedes-Benz genes, " says Dr. Bradley Willcox, of the

Pacific Health Research Institute in Honolulu, " but if you never change

the oil, you are not going to last as long as a Ford Escort that you

take good care of. Those who have healthier genes and live healthier

lives--those guys really survive a long time. "

 

Living a long, healthy life requires commitment:

" At least that's true for many Westerners, whose fat- and calorie-packed

diets and largely exercise-free lives are a prescription for heart

disease and plenty of other ills. For Okinawans, by contrast, the

traditional way of life seems tailor-made for living forever--one day at

a time. "

 

http://okinawa-diet.com/news/20040830_time.html

For the complete article, visit Time magazine online

 

---

Slate ranks Okinawa diet high in review of popular diets on MSN

August-18-2004

 

From slate.msn.com:

 

In a recent review of " trendy " diets in Slate on MSN, the Okinawa diet

came out on top: " The Okinawa Program had the best recipes of the diet

books sampled " . The reviewer, Dan Crane, was particularly fond of our

Okinawan Blueberry Pancakes.

 

While it is good to be appreciated, we had to chuckle over the inclusion

of The Okinawa Program in a review of " trendy " diets. We'll have to ask

some of our centenarians how they feel about being trendsetters for the

American public!

 

We were also a little perplexed over the choice of The Okinawa Program

in a comparison of popular diet books rather than The Okinawa Diet Plan

-- wouldn't the latter have been the more logical choice? Oh well, we

appreciate the kind words, nonetheless.

 

Below are some highlights from the article:

 

Best Recipe

The Okinawa Program had the best recipes of the diet books sampled.

Highlights are Okinawan Blueberry Pancakes, Zesty Potatoes Wasabi Style,

and Beef Teriyaki with Cabernet Sauce.

 

The Skinny

Okinawa, a group of islands off of mainland Japan, has the highest life

expectancy in the world and among the lowest rates of cancer and heart

disease. Based on a 25-year study of the centenarians of Okinawa, The

Okinawa Program offers a diet, exercise, and lifestyle program designed

to help the reader achieve health and longevity.

 

Stressing a diet high in " good carbohydrates " (fruit, vegetables, and

whole grains) Omega-3-containing foods (oily fishes like salmon or tuna,

Omega-3 eggs, flaxseed), flavonoids (tofu and soy products), and good

fats (olive and canola oils), the Okinawa Program differs from the other

diets in that it does not include an initial strict two-week induction

phase and also includes more carbs and soy products. There is a

four-week program for " everlasting health, " with " Western " and

" East-West " menu variations, fitness suggestions (walking, tai chi),

psychospiritual prescriptions (e.g., " Reach out to someone with whom you

have lost contact " ), and integrative health recommendations (herbal

tonics and vitamins). While the four-week program is not designed

specifically for weight loss, it's likely that if followed, one would

drop a few pounds and perhaps become addicted to the healthy lifestyle

approach that combines eating well, regular exercise, healing herbs, and

spirituality.

 

Chewing the Fat

The authors of the Okinawa Program knock the anticarb trend and suggest

that Americans are being misled by the no-carb diets. Rather than

focusing on how many carbs a food has, the authors suggest looking at

food's Glycemic Index, a measure of how much one's blood sugar rises

after eating a particular food. Eating high GI foods means large amounts

of glucose are released into the body. A large amount of glucose leads

to the release of excess insulin to get rid of the extra glucose, which

can lead to adult onset diabetes and obesity. Though the Glycemic Index

is similarly discussed in both Atkins and South Beach, those diets have

been boiled down to a simple low/no-carb diet regimen. Like many of the

other diet books, the Okinawa Program includes the Glycemic Index of

common foods but suggests that the Glycemic Index has been

misinterpreted, resulting in an " irrational fear of carbohydrates. "

 

Can't Touch This ...

Saturated fats (animal and dairy fat chicken without the skin is OK red

meat) and trans-fats (cakes, cookies, chips) are strongly discouraged.

 

Authors' Life-Changing Miracle

Going to meet their first Okinawa centenarian, the authors encountered a

sprightly man gardening in his yard that they assumed was the son of the

man they were seeking to study. The miracle: He was 100 years old!

 

For Lovers Of ...

Carbs! " A healthy diet is high in unrefined, complex carbohydrate, high

in fiber, and relatively low in fat, protein, and calories. So break out

the bagels (whole-grain, please) because carbohydrates are back in! "

 

Do-ability

The book has both " Western " and " East meets West " diet options and is a

guide to healthy eating that should be achievable by almost anyone.

Living to age 100, on the other hand, might not be so simple or

desirable!

-------------------------------

Original article:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2105224/

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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