Diet and life span

[Physdoc Retired Moderator Member of the Month July 2019 Find all posts View Profile Close Physdoc]

here was a U-shaped relationship between carbohydrate intake and mortality in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort, a finding that was consistent in the meta-analysis combining these data with those from the other cohorts. When assessing total carbohydrate without regard to specific food source, diets with high (>70%) or low (<40%) percentage of energy from carbohydrates were associated with increased mortality, with minimal risk observed between 50–55%. Low carbohydrate dietary patterns that replaced carbohydrate with animal-derived protein or fat were associated with greater mortality risk, whereas this association was inverse when energy from carbohydrate was replaced with plant-derived protein or fat. These findings were also corroborated in the meta-analysis.
Implications of all the available evidence
Our findings suggest a U-shaped relationship between life expectancy and overall carbohydrate intake, in which lifespan is greatest among people with 50–55% carbohydrate intake, a level that might be considered moderate in North America and Europe but low in other regions, such as Asia. These data provide further evidence that animal-based low carbohydrate diets, which are more prevalent in North American and European populations, should be discouraged. Alternatively, if restricting carbohydrate intake is a chosen approach for weight loss or cardiometabolic risk reduction, replacement of carbohydrates with predominantly plant-based fats and proteins could be considered as a long-term approach to promote healthy ageing.

Once again...............moderation. Seems to be the secret to many things.

[Johnny D ModeratorPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Johnny D]

Mark Sisson (not that he's the foremost authority, but he is quite knowledgeable and thorough) took issue with this study for a number of reasons. Like many similar studies, they didn't control for variables that are significant factors in mortality: https://www.marksdailyapple.com/does...rten-lifespan/

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Mark Sisson (not that he's the foremost authority, but he is quite knowledgeable and thorough) took issue with this study for a number of reasons. Like many similar studies, they didn't control for variables that are significant factors in mortality: https://www.marksdailyapple.com/does...rten-lifespan/

The positive of this study was it was a large scale overview of a factor . Obviously it isn't big into the detail which can be an endless rabbit hole anyway .
It does say keto can be usefull in the short term but sounds a note of caution re long term use . It seems to suggest most people find it hard to get much veg into their diet on low carb though it is possible . Note the statement re replacing carbs with plant derived protein and fat .

[Johnny D ModeratorPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Johnny D]

I'm more in favor of sporadic, short-term restrictions. While I'm very low carb, I'm probably not in keto (I don't check) but some evidence suggests that going keto for a short period of time maybe once a year has some benefits. Same with fasting - a brief fast of a day or so every now and then (true intermittent fasting) seems to be pretty good for the health. Building metabolic flexibility is possibly where the health and life span benefits are, more than being perpetually low calorie or keto or plant-based or whatever the routine.

[Physdoc Retired Moderator Member of the Month July 2019 Find all posts View Profile Close Physdoc]

I'm more in favor of sporadic, short-term restrictions. While I'm very low carb, I'm probably not in keto (I don't check) but some evidence suggests that going keto for a short period of time maybe once a year has some benefits. Same with fasting - a brief fast of a day or so every now and then (true intermittent fasting) seems to be pretty good for the health. Building metabolic flexibility is possibly where the health and life span benefits are, more than being perpetually low calorie or keto or plant-based or whatever the routine.

Yes! Metabolic flexibility is important. I don't do this on any kind of schedule, but I'll vary my diet from time to time to keep my body from getting in a rut. There is some good science behind this.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Notice the groups are large groups of normal society the under 40% group would include keto but is mainly made up of people on a fairly "normal" diet.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Modulation of the arginine-NO pathway through dietary supplementation with L-arginine or L-citrulline may aid in the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome in obese humans and companion animals, and in reducing unfavorable fat mass in animals of agricultural importance.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Also known as “the island where people forget to die”, Ikaria in Greece enjoys an isolated culture rich in tradition, family values and longevity. It is reported that Ikaria is almost entirely free of dementia, and that one in three folks make it to their 90s.
While this can be put down to a number of factors, it is their diet that seems to add years to their lives. Ikarians enjoy strong red wine in moderation, which is high in the antioxidant resveratrol and also eat a variation of the Mediterranean diet, with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, beans, potatoes and olive oil. “The Mediterranean diet has been proven time and again to be the best for our health,” says Fiona.
They also enjoy the lovely European tradition of an afternoon nap, which according to Harvard Medical School improves learning, memory and creative thinking.
Finally, fasting comes into play. While we are all currently crazy about intermittent fasting in western society, Ikarians belong to the traditional Greek Orthodox church, which recommends regular fasting periods.
“Calorie restriction and fasting can help keep weight in balance, but it also may have other longevity benefits,” says Fiona. “It is thought to assist with blood sugar regulation, cholesterol, insulin sensitivity and gut health.”

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Ok so had a bit of a look at inflamation and how it can be produced by diet .
So what would be really nice is a list of how much inflamation any given food produces . Well I found out there is such a list several in fact problem is they differ in what they say . I tried to look for the most proved up but umm have reservations about all of them .

Any input from members onsite re this subject?

[Johnny D ModeratorPEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Johnny D]

Good observation. I'd love to see a credible list, too. Something like the glycemic index list, right? But as a measure of elevated hs-crp levels or some other marker for inflammation.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

There are several lists which have cred at surface level you know credible studies but digging down some other studies give pause then again differences between the lists give pause and you have to worry about idelogical biais with this kind of thing . So a vegan puts out a list or a keto ugh .
The best ones use a number of markers then use crp to "prove" the list but unfortunately are not completly convincing .

It might be some time before they reach the level of cred of G index .

[tara123 Member Find all posts View Profile Close tara123]

I read there saying gut bacteria is one of the things that is making people live longer.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

I read there saying gut bacteria is one of the things that is making people live longer.

Good point a lot of work being done on this at the moment . There is of course a lot of products like kefir ,yougurt etc but a lot of the current work is being done on producing the right envroment for them to florish in .

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

On the inflamation index there seems a sharp divide between those from vegan style backgrounds and those from unaligned science re meat in particular .

This from the unaligned .

While meat generally has an unhealthy rep in the food world these days, the type of meat matters for inflammation. Processed meat has a high inflammatory score of 0.68, but poultry like chicken had a score of -0.45, meaning that it can actually lower inflammation. Red meat has an inflammatory effect, but only slightly at 0.02. "Processed meats are really hard on the body because of the amount of nitrates," Dr. Judd explains.

[Pegasus AdministratorPE Gym EditorPEGym Hero ☺ Admin of the Month Mar 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Pegasus]

Here is an overview of the lists with the most cred notice there are issues with all of them.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/dm/2019/3102870/