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LIFESPANSBy NICOLAS MARTIN

lenderWhat do c m tlOpesPritikin Atkins spirulinaphenylalanine cellulosecider vinegar Vitamin 6starch blocker andBrinda// berries have incommon They are allbona fide soldiers in theAmerican war againstthat greatest of all socialstigmas: FAT.\ STRETCHPOUND, MAS-SAGE, starve,distract, chas-tise, and commit all sorts of other insultsagainst ourselves in the obsessive quest forsex appeal. We gobble up the latest fad dietbook aswe might a gluttonous feast, and wemake celebrities of the Prophets of Slimwho inhabit televisionland.As it happens, we might be doing it allfor very good reasons. One of the oldestand richest subjects for gerontologyresearch is the relationship of body weightto lifespan. Extending as far back as the1920s, impressive research has been compiled showing that thinness contributes tomaximum longevity and health. More recent studies confirm these findings andprovide further clues to how and whyskinny bodies may live longer.Clive M. Mccay performed the classicstudi which established that a reducedcalorie diet extended the life span of labrats. By underfeeding the animals theCornell researcher was able to drasticallyboost their average longevity, even be-

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yond the age thought to be the maximumlifespan of the breed. Mccays long-livedrats were fed a diet containing normallevels of essential nutrients but theircaloric intake was cut y about one-third.The underfed (but nutritionally sup-plemented) rodents were able to remainphysically active and mentally alert farlonger than those fed normally, and theyretained a youthful appearance even aftersome of the rats fed a normal diet hadbecome senile.

One objective of Mccays studies wasto determine the relationship betweengrowth and aging. As was suspected, theextended lifespan of the underfed rats wasattributable in part to slowed maturation .On a calorically restricted regimen it tookmuch longer for the animals to achievefull adult growth, though it did not impairintellectual development. They were sexually active and able to safely reproduce ata much later age. One writer comparedMcCay's rats to a 90-year-old humanwith the physic.al appearance of a teenagerThe anti-aging benefits of caloric re-

strict ion have more recently been confirmed using rats and several other species oanimals. In the 1960s and seventies, Morris Ross of the Institute for Cancer Research extended lifespan from about 100days in fully fed rats to 1600 days iunderfed rats fed extra nutrients, an increase o roughly 6 percent ln the 1940it was shown that caloric reductiothrough intermittent fasting could also increase rat Lifespan by 20-30 percent. In more recent study the life extension effectof intermittent fasting were even greater

UCLA scientists, including Roy Walford, proved for the first time that intermittent fasting could increase animalifespan even when started at a humaequivalent of about 3 years. In previoustudies, caloric restriction had begun athe time of weaning.

Scientists are now in agreement thacaloric restriction can increase the averaglifespan of a species, though they disagrewhether maximum lifespan can also be enhanced .Underfed animals benefit from signiicantly enhanced immune function and reduction in harmful autoimmune activty, including that which retards braifunction. In rats whose lives have been extended by this method, far fewer braireceptors are lost than in rats who agnormally. Underfeeding completelprevents breast cancer in animals prone tdeveloping the disease. It also drasticallreduces the incidence of kidney di easelymph cancer, arteriosclerosis and headisease, and prevents the diminution oliver function.The application of caloric ''undernutrtion to humans is far more controversithan to animals. Even to this day, mainstream nutritionists refer to caloric restriction as starvation or malnutritiondespite the fact that underfed animals livmuch longer and healthier. The officidoctrine has been that normal or eveslightly overweight would not present

substantial health hazard. One welknown health promoter has even arguethat it was healthier to be overweighNaturally, this fellow sports a good-sizebelly.Support for the heavier-is-acceptabview is eroding as the data on disease anlifespan accumulate. Even slighlly oveweight people tend to have a higher incidence of hypertension, diabetes, headisease, breast, uterine, colon, rectumand prostate cancer. Also, the incidencof gallstones, arthritis, gout and osteoporosis is greater among the overweigh(I must admit that I have always had dificulty with the notion that being oveweight constituted, in and of itself, disease, any more than smoking cigaretteis a disease. Fatness can certainly leaddi ease, as can smoking, but it makes n

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more sense to talk about a heavy per onhaving obe sity" than to refer LO amoker as having " cigaretosis. )Re earcher who have examined thehabits of especially long-lived individualsaround the world have consistently foundthem to possess relatively light eatinghabits. This along with the animal tudiesand the evidence that thinner people haveless disea e has led an increasing numberof health specialists lo advocate moremoderate eating habits. There is almostuniversal consen sus that American swould profit from a reduction of dietaryfat and an increase in nutritiou , highfiber foods like fruits and vegetable . It isnot at all clear, a many have claimed, thata switch to vegetable or fish oil would im prove overall health or lifespan . It is th etotal volume of fat intake, not the source,which is the real key.

L is not surprising that Roy Walford isa leading figure in the debate over caloriesand lifespan. Be ide his pioneering workwith animals in caloric restriction, Walford is a leading advocate of direct intervention to increa e human life pan.

Walford' s personal undernulrilionwithout malnutrition" program consistsof regular intermittent fasting (typically,two days a week) combined with supplementation with an array of nutrients. Theobjective, he explains, is to consume adaily average of 1,500 to 2,000 caloriesfrom a diet high in nutritiou s complexcarbohydrates and low in fat and protein.Fasting is not an essential aspect of theprogram but it makes non-fasting daysmore exciting by allowing for a bit largermeals.

To maintain optimal nutrition and antioxidant protection despite reduced cal- . .long livedindividuals...have consistently.. .relativelyli ht eatinghabits.ories Walford includes daily supplementscontaining Vitamins E and C, pantothenicacid, DMAE, selenium, BHT, and theamino acid cysteine. His exercise programconsists of running 12 miles and swimming 1-2 miles per week, which he believesmight reduce the age-related decline ofboth the brain and thebody.While reflec 'ng the great life exten ionpotential of caloric restriction, the animalstudies also signal a note of caution .When undernutrition is affected too

quickly or too everely it has a markedlynegative influence on lifespan . Long-termfasting , for example, reduces animal lifespan rather than increasing it. Obviou ly,a diet which reduces essential nutrients aswell as the recommended caloric restriction falls into the category of starvationand will certainly not induce health orIifespan benefits.The majority of calories subtracted inunderfeeding are from fat. Walford recommend a three-quarters reduction offat in the American diet, down to about 10percent of total calories . He al o advocates that a moderate 20-25 percent ofcalorie come from protein and the restfrom carbohydrates.A program similar to Walford 's mustbe undertaken very slowly and with meticulous attention to the phy iologic consequences, especially for someone over 35 .When animals are subjected to a rapid orradical deprivation of calories or to ex cessively rugged exercise, their health andlifespan suffer.

A very moderate weight reduction ofone pound per month would be sufficiently afe for most people, but even thatshould be undertaken under the watchfuleye of a sympathetic health profess ional .It is essential that a thorough nutrient supplementation program accompany any re-

duction in total food or calorie . Whilethe anti-aging benefits of exercise arepoorly documented , it can certainly assistin the effort to lose weight and develop thesort of will power necessary to maintain ademanding low calorie diet. Walking orswimming are excellent workouts forlongevi ts of any age, but participantsover age 35 should consult an exercisespecialist before initiating a more aggre sive chedule.I have not yet touched upon the mostimportant element in caloric restriction,or any other longevity program, which issimply wisdom. We who adopt strategiesfor extending lifespan are charting newwater . Animal studies are critically important for biological under landing butthey do not fully replace direct humanstudies. The beliefs and experiences of asingle individual- even a respected scientist- are not necessarily appropriate for alarger population . The best life extensionprogram is one which seems safe and comfortable for you, and i based on the bestscientific evidence.For more complete di scus ions of thepotential benefits and hazards of caloricrestriction I would recommend readingRoy Walford 's Maximum Life Span andProlongev y by science writer AlbertRosenfeld. 0

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