Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Adios, Atkins?
Lots of previous research has shown that calorie restriction increases the lifespan of fruitflies, nematodes, and mice. A new study examined this effect further in Drosophila, and found that calorie restriction per se only accounted for a fraction of the effect - the real changes were due to decreased fat and protein consumption.
What does this mean for the health-conscious cook? For starters, it may be time to rethink that "Low-Carb Lifestyle" you've been crowing about. Of course, this study needs to be replicated both in more flies and in mammals too, but the result is not an especially surprising one: digesting proteins and fats is much harder on your body, in terms of free radicals and such, than is digesting sugars, so it follows that eating less of them would reduce wear and tear on the body.
What does this mean for the health-conscious cook? For starters, it may be time to rethink that "Low-Carb Lifestyle" you've been crowing about. Of course, this study needs to be replicated both in more flies and in mammals too, but the result is not an especially surprising one: digesting proteins and fats is much harder on your body, in terms of free radicals and such, than is digesting sugars, so it follows that eating less of them would reduce wear and tear on the body.
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