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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
Paul McGlothin,
Vice President of Research, CR Society Intl.
President, The CR Way Longevity Center,
Co-author, The CR Way
At the American Cancer Society’s “Run for a Cure”
With Meredith Averill
Board Chair, CR Society Intl.
Program Director, The CR Way Longevity Center
Co-author, The CR Way
Today is your lucky day! You will find out how one of the healthiest and happiest
lifestyles on our planet can change your life. Some call it “calorie restriction (CR)”
from the work of Dr. Clive McCay (1), the scientist who discovered that the lives of
mice could be greatly extended by limiting their calories. But thoughts of restriction
lead some people astray from what CR is really about: an enormously satisfying way
to live healthier, better, and – most likely – longer.
While that is reason enough to start CR, discerning people pursue a CR lifestyle for
many other reasons:
Achieving their full potential
Many of life’s challenges – from pursuing a career to enjoying leisure activities – get
easier with calorie restriction. As your cells learn to function with fewer calories,
you’ll notice that your energy surges. You’ll feel like doing more. Meanwhile, CR –
properly practiced – can increase your cognitive capabilities and protect against
age-related decline of many systems.
Healthful Weight Loss
The world is full of fly-by-night diets that promise rapid, easy weight-loss. Indeed,
some plans may help you lose a few pounds in a hurry, but you might also lose your
life. Too many diets recommend foods that increase risk of disease and activate life-
shortening physiological pathways. In most people, CR produces healthful weight
loss that leads to a state of health that you will want to maintain for the rest of your
life.
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
Protection from disease
CR provides highly effective, natural protection against many diseases – including
cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, and cancer.(2) Both research and clinical
observations show calorie restriction and moderate exercise, combined with a low
GI diet, can be effective against osteoporosis, migraine headaches, hearing loss,
macular degeneration, and sarcopenia (muscle weakness) (3), but choose your CR
foods carefully. High GI foods can ruin calorie restriction benefits:
High Glucose Levels Negate Low-Calorie Benefits
High-GI a diet
Low calorie,
Post-meal Glucose >
Disease State Low-GI a Diet:
144 mg/dL:
Benefits -
Risks -
Heart attack b Decrease Increase
Atherosclerosis b Decrease Increase
High blood pressure b Decrease Increase
Retina damage b Decrease Increase
Hearing Loss c Decrease Increase
Memory loss c Decrease Increase
Alzheimer’s disease c Decrease Increase
Kidney disease c Decrease Increase
Diabetes b Decrease Increase
Longevity c Increase Decrease
a
GI = Glycemic Index, detailed at GlycemicIndex.com, accessed Nov. 11, 2011
b
Guideline for Management of Postmeal Glucose. International Diabetes Federation. 2007,
available at www.idf.org
c
Protection from Disease. McGlothin P, Averill M. Multiple references, as cited on
LivingTheCRWay.com, accessed, Nov. 1, 2011
_________
from: THE CR WAY TO GREAT GLUCOSE CONTROL (4). McGlothin P and Averill M
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
Reaching Escape Velocity
Many here at LongeCity hope to achieve biological immortality, a worthy goal
pursued by sensitive folks who love life. A likely first step is to reach escape velocity
– that is, to live long enough so that science can extend your life faster than the rate
at which you are aging. That’s a lot to hope for. But don’t kid yourself: It’s the best
chance any of us has to make it to that golden point when death is no longer a
certainty.
So, clearly, you don’t want to speculate: You must consider calorie restriction, the
only scientifically proven way to extend life. This is your best chance to avoid being
among the last in history to succumb to the inevitable end of life that we all now
face. And if escape velocity does become a reality, you want to reach that point with
the youngest body possible, for another issue is that it may be some time before
biological damage caused by bad diets and lifestyles can be reversed.
What is Calorie Restriction?
Now that you have good reasons for starting CR, the first question to ask is “Exactly
what does calorie restriction really mean?” The right answer used to be “Eating
fewer calories than would be normal for your sex, height, age, and activity level.”
However, research by leading CR scientists has made that definition somewhat
obsolete. (5,6) Limiting calories is still very important, but it is not enough to go on
just any low calorie diet. You need a CR diet that accomplishes two things: 1)
shifting your body’s metabolism from energy usage (supplied by calories) for
growth to energy production for maintenance and 2) turning down the growth
activity in your cells.
Sound complicated? It’s not.
Think about this: Cells need the energy supplied by calories to perform vital
functions that keep you alive, such as breathing and the beating of your heart. They
also need the energy supplied by calories for many other things like tissue repair
and countering immune system challenges. Many cells, like fast growing skin cells,
include cell division in their basic functions, so a constant process of cell death and
rebirth is part of your biology that needs energy.
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
Yet, if you supply your cells with excessive energy, they become lazy: The process of
cell division may become sloppy, and mutations may be more likely. Disease often
results.
What then happens when cells are denied the energy they need? Well, if you carry it
too far, your cells will break down every tissue in your body in a desperate attempt
to get energy to fuel their functions. Eventually, your muscles – including your heart
muscle – will grow weak. This is one way people can die from anorexia, a very
serious psychological problem that requires professional counseling.
If, instead, you are smart about limiting calories, you won’t take it to extremes.
Rather, by following a sensible, low-calorie, nutrient-dense diet – magic can happen.
You will awaken an ancient defense system within you that evolved out of necessity
from the very first time organisms had to go without food. In fact, your fat stores will
become fair game for your cells to burn for energy. So if you need to lose weight, it
will be easier.
Energy-sensitive organs like your heart (7) and brain (8) will undergo hugely
beneficial changes. Your heart will function better than ever and your brain will
adapt: Observational data indicate that preserving your memory and learning new
information will be easier.
Bottom line – The current definition of CR: a low-calorie lifestyle that produces a
metabolic shift away from anabolic activities, downregulating energy usage and
growth.
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH CR
Use the available Resources
• Take advantage of the active Calorie Restriction forum right here on
LongeCity.org Make sure to read the many questions and comments. Do the
same on CRSociety com, which maintains a free email exchange. And become
a member of LivingTheCRWay.com, where you will find multiple forums, a
blog, and valuable content in the Science Behind the Benefits pages.
• Look at the YouTube videos on calorie restriction,
for example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPr58UWmOc
• Buy the current books on CR and read them. Currently, the most popular are
the Longevity Diet by my friends Brian Delaney, the President of the CR
Society, and Lisa Walford and The CR Way, by Meredith Averill, Chairman of
the Board of the CR Society, and myself.
Books by the “father of calorie restriction for humans,” Dr. Roy Walford, are
still available. The latest publication (1994) is The Anti-Aging Plan: The
Nutrient-Rich, Low-Calorie Way of Eating for a Longer Life – The Only Diet
Scientifically Proven to Extend Your Healthy Years, co-authored by Lisa
Walford, his daughter.
For more advanced readers, Caloric Restriction: A Key to
Understanding and Modulating Aging (Research Profiles in Aging, 2002) by Ed
Masoro is worth having in every CR library.
Form a close relationship with a doctor
Have a complete physical before you start CR to give you your baseline and
repeat it after six months into your program to see the effects. The CR Way has a
list of the biomarkers to be tested, along with suggested goal results.
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
Avoid CR Myths
The CR world is full of bad, sometimes dangerous, advice.
Here are some CR myths to avoid:
Myth: A CR practitioner must limit calories by 30%.
As cited in the video introduction above – Dr. Craig Wilcox and his colleagues, who
have made a life-long career of studying longevity in the long-lived elders of
Okinawa, found that, yes, they limited calories but by only 11 percent and achieved
record-making results.
You can start by limiting calories by 5, 10 percent and gain excellent benefits. (9)
Myth: The more weight that’s lost the better.
When some CR practitioners notice how good they feel at lower weights, they let
their weight drop lower and lower. Don’t fall into that trap. An excessively low BMI
risks serious bone loss. In fact, many people who begin CR should not lose even 1
pound. Some of the world’s most successful CR practitioners have had higher BMIs
than one might expect:
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
Myth: A CR follower must eat more protein.
Not true. In fact, too much protein intake raises IGF-I (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1),
a growth-driving hormone – just the opposite of what a CR diet should accomplish.
Myth: CR dieters can’t eat much food.
They certainly can. They can fill a whole table full of luscious, low calorie foods that
are so much more filing than high calorie meals that may feature burgers, fries, or
pizza.
Recipes from: THE CR WAY TO GREAT GLUCOSE CONTROL McGlothin P and Averill M (10)
Myth: CR practitioners can never eat fast food.
No one-size-fits-all CR diet is available. Some successful CR practitioners eat fast
food occasionally, but most read labels and ingredient lists carefully and then pick
the healthful offerings.
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
Myth: If I practice CR, I won’t be able to eat with my friends.
On the contrary, go ahead enjoy meals with your friends of course. If they are true
friends, what you eat won’t matter. And besides, if you practice CR most of the time
and go off it occasionally, this won’t matter either: It’s what you do most of the time
that makes the difference.
Myth: People who follow CR sleep less.
Sheer fantasy! CR prevents age-related decline of melatonin and many CR
practitioners sleep longer than ad lib folks of the same age. On the other hand,
people can keep themselves awake at night by eating a lot of protein close to
bedtime – whether they practice CR or not.
Now that you know more about CR, go ahead: get started and enjoy it! Find out
more about how to follow a CR life that fits your temperament and needs. Your CR
life should be fun, energetic – even joyous. A full, productive, happy life awaits you!
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
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Paul McGlothin
Calorie Restriction – What it is and how to do it
References
1. The effect of retarded growth upon the length of life span and upon the
ultimate body size. 1935. McCay CM, Crowell MF, Maynard LA. Nutrition. 1989
May-Jun;5(3):155-71; discussion 172. PMID: 2520283
2. Modulating Human Aging and Age-Associated Diseases. Fontana L. Biochim
Biophys Acta. 2009 Oct; 1790(10):1133-1138. PMID: 19364477.
3. Protection from Disease: The CR Way. McGlothin P, Averill M. Life Extension.
2011 Jul:70(17):76-80.
4. THE CR WAY TO GREAT GLUCOSE CONTROL. McGlothin P, Averill M. The CR Way
Longevity Center, Westchester County, NY, 2011. eBook available through
LivingTheCRWay.com
5. The first long-lived mutants: discovery of the insulin/IGF-1 pathway for ageing.
Kenyon C. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2011 Jan 12;366(1561):9-16.
PMID: 21115525
6. Calorie restriction: decelerating mTOR-driven aging from cells to organisms
(including humans). Blagosklonny MV. Cell Cycle. 2010 Feb 15;9(4):683-688. PMID:
20139716
7. Long-term caloric restriction ameliorates the decline in diastolic function in
humans. Meyer TE, Kovács SJ, Ehsani AA, Klein S, Holloszy JO, Fontana L. J Am Coll
Cardiol. 2006 Jan 17;47(2):398-402. PMID: 16412867
8. Caloric restriction improves memory in elderly humans. Witte AV, Fobker M,
Gellner R, Knecht S, Floel A. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jan 27;106(4):1255-1260.
PMID: 19171901
9. Modulation of age-induced apoptotic signaling and cellular remodeling by
exercise and calorie restriction in skeletal muscle.
Marzetti E, Lawler JM, Hiona A, Manini T, Seo AY, Leeuwenburgh C. Free Radic Biol
Med. 2008 Jan 15;44(2):160-8. Epub 2007 May 31. PMID: 18191752
10. THE CR WAY TO GREAT GLUCOSE CONTROL. Op.cit.
© 2011 Paul McGlothin
