http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/14316.html

WILLIAM TINNING April 20 2004

PEOPLE who curb their calorie intake and avoid processed foods could benefit from having health characteristics normally seen in someone decades younger, a study has shown.
Research has consistently demonstrated stringent calorie restriction can increase the lifespan of mice and rats by about 30% and protect them against cancer. However, until now the long-term effects of such dieting on humans has been unclear.
For the first time, researchers in the United States have found a long-term, low-calorie, balanced diet reduces the ageing process.
The research, published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests long-term dieting can provide strong protection from heart disease and diabetes.
Examples of high-profile showbusiness figures who already appear to have benefited from diet and fitness regimes include Goldie Hawn, 58; Sigourney Weaver, 54; Lulu, 56; Kim Cattrall, 48; Michelle Pfeiffer, 46; Madonna, 45; and Denzel Washington, 49.
Professor John Holloszy, from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, who led the study, said: "It's very clear from these findings that calorie restriction has a powerful protective effect against diseases associated with ageing.
"We don't know how long each individual actually will end up living, but they certainly have a much longer life expectancy than average because they're most likely not going to die from a heart attack, stroke or diabetes."
Researchers said a group of 18 people, aged from 35 to 82, who restricted their calorie intake and studiously avoided processed foods for between three and 15 years, were found to have health characteristics normally seen in people decades younger.
In addition, the group – whose average age was 50 – recruited from the Caloric Restriction Optimal Nutrition Society, a US body which promotes healthy eating, showed blood pressure readings akin to that of an average 10-year-old.
The group consumed small amounts of nutrient-dense foods, taking in between 10% and 25% fewer calories than the average American.
Their diet included a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy products, egg whites, wheat and soy proteins, and meat.
The participants obtained 26% of calories from protein, 28% from fat and 46% from complex carbohydrates. They avoided processed foods containing trans-fatty acids, as well as refined carbohydrates, desserts, snacks and soft drinks.
Although mortality has fallen over the past 20 years, heart disease still kills nearly 120,000 people a year in Britain – 12,000 in Scotland which still holds the unenviable title of being the heart attack capital of western Europe.
Professor Holloszy explained that typically the group's energy consumption was between 1100 and 1950 calories a day – about half that of a non-dieting comparison group recruited by the researchers.
The comparison group obtained only 18% of their calories from protein, 32% from fat, and 50% from carbohydrates including refined processed starches.
The scientists focused on risk factors for atherosclerosis, the narrowing of arteries that can trigger heart attacks or strokes and is the leading cause of death in the Western world.
Tests showed that people in the calorie-restricted group had levels of "bad" cholesterol – low density lipoprotein – equal to that of the lowest 10% of the population in their age groups.
Levels of "good" high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were at the top of the range for middle-aged men. This was a surprise to researchers because HDL levels often decrease when people follow low-fat diets to lose weight.
Levels of triglyceride – blood fats which when elevated can trigger atherosclerosis – were even more impressive in the calorie-restricted group.
Among the dieters, they were lower than more than 95% of Americans in their mid-20s.
Dr Luigi Fontana, who also took part in the research, said: "These effects are all pretty dramatic. For the first time, we've shown that calorie restriction is feasible and has a tremendous effect on the risk of atherosclerosis and diabetes."
Iain Lowis, Scottish director of the British Heart Foundation, had not seen the research results but said they seemed "surprising".
He added: "We have always said that people are eating more than they should and are eating more of the wrong stuff.
"This study seems to demonstrate that eating less and eating more unprocessed foods is good for you and will reduce the incidence of heart disease."