Longevity and starting CR middle-aged

[FrederickSebastian]

Hi All,

I have been on the forums for a few years now and posted on several things I wanted more information on, but still have a few questions lingering in my mind.

First -- I'm almost middle-aged (I turned 35 in November) and am wondering if CRON dieting will increase my likelihood of living a relatively long life starting it at such a late point in my life?

Also -- Do you guys (and gals) really think that following a CRON diet from any age will extend lifespan to 100, 110 and beyond or is most of it just luck? Is it worth the effort and do you enjoy the sacrifices you are making?

The longest I've ever been on a CRON diet was about 2 weeks back in 2019 when I ate only 1,200 calories per day and I felt great, but I do have to say that going vegetarian I missed my bacon and eating low calories I missed eating Domino's pizza (though I think I could have snuck it in on a "cheat" day -- not sure just how much cheating you can gat away with :-/)

 

Any and all help would be appreciated...

Thanks!

[Fernando Gabriel]

Eat 1200 calories and ask for a fat-soluble vitamin test if you think it is dangerously fat-free, I believe that from your track record you will reach 100-105 but if you did CR at 18-20 years old with 1200 calories you would reach 120 years, but it's never too late in life.

And eat 1500 on trash day

Edited May 2, 2020 by Fernando Gabriel

[drewab]

 

 

 

 

 

3

On 5/1/2020 at 6:00 AM, FrederickSebastian said:

Hi All,

I have been on the forums for a few years now and posted on several things I wanted more information on, but still have a few questions lingering in my mind.

First -- I'm almost middle-aged (I turned 35 in November) and am wondering if CRON dieting will increase my likelihood of living a relatively long life starting it at such a late point in my life?

Also -- Do you guys (and gals) really think that following a CRON diet from any age will extend lifespan to 100, 110 and beyond or is most of it just luck? Is it worth the effort and do you enjoy the sacrifices you are making?

The longest I've ever been on a CRON diet was about 2 weeks back in 2019 when I ate only 1,200 calories per day and I felt great, but I do have to say that going vegetarian I missed my bacon and eating low calories I missed eating Domino's pizza (though I think I could have snuck it in on a "cheat" day -- not sure just how much cheating you can gat away with :-/)

 

Any and all help would be appreciated...

Thanks!

Hi Frederick,

You asked: 

First -- I'm almost middle-aged (I turned 35 in November) and am wondering if CRON dieting will increase my likelihood of living a relatively long life starting it at such a late point in my life?

No one knows the answer to this question for certain in humans. In animal models, it does extend the lifespan of most creatures, but the results are not universal. For example, different strains of mice get max lifespan benefits from CR, while it has no effect on other genetic variants, while on some it actually has a negative effect on longevity. Having said that, there tends to be a positive trend across species that CR does increase lifespan. One disappointing problem is that the larger a creature is, the smaller the effect seems to be. Small creatures like nematode worms and c-elegans can have their lifespan increases by a factor or 5-10x (or something like that)! This thread may be of interest:

However, there is very little question about the effects of CR health span. You will almost certainly enjoy a healthier life and will probably live much longer than those around you without disability, impairment physically/cognitively, and so forth. You're energy levels will be steady throughout the day and you'll be calm and focused...at least this has been my experience. 

The thing about CR, is it has to be something you can actually sustain. I'm 5"11 @ 153 as of this morning which has me at a BMI of 21.3 with a moderate amount of muscle. I've been as low as 143 which alters my BMI to 19.9. While I could do it (and stayed here for a few years), I feel much better at a more generous BMI and a slightly higher caloric intake. My weight fluctuates between 150-153 pounds and rarely goes outside those parameters. YMMV.

The longest I've ever been on a CRON diet was about 2 weeks back in 2019 when I ate only 1,200 calories per day and I felt great, but I do have to say that going vegetarian I missed my bacon and eating low calories I missed eating Domino's pizza (though I think I could have snuck it in on a "cheat" day -- not sure just how much cheating you can gat away with :-/)

Second, I think it's important to realize how powerful interventions are that don't involve CR. Eliminating junk food from your diet, increasing consumption of vegetables/fruits/nuts/seeds/etc., getting moderate exercise, some sunshine, having healthy relationships, finding purpose in life, and having meaningful cognitive engagement through work or other means, will all offer tremendous benefits to longevity, none of which require CR (which isn't for most people).