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Consuming fewer calories may help in combating Alzheimer's
By TOM VALEO
Published July 25, 2006
Eating less while maintaining adequate nutrition has been shown to extend longevity and preserve health in an array of organisms, from yeast to earthworms to humans.
Now a study suggests it may slow or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease, as well.Not only that, you don’t have to limit yourself to carrot sticks and lettuce to gain these benefits, according to the lead author of the study. Just eat 200 or 300 calories less every day, the equivalent of a container of yogurt or a couple of beers.
More good news: You can gain these benefits by starting calorie restriction at any point in your life up to extreme old age. Dr. Giulio Maria Pasinetti, director of the Neuroinflammation Research Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and the lead author of the study, was so impressed by the results that he has modified his own calorie intake.
“Calorie restriction can be translated into one simple term — moderation,” he said. “A moderate intake of calories is not stressful. I practice moderation: If I can avoid an extra dish of spaghetti or ice cream, I do. That is a form of calorie restriction.
“Plus I get some exercise. That doesn’t mean going to the gym — just an extra walk during the day. Exercise, in combination with moderation in calories, may help some people prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”
Alzheimer’s is caused by the accumulation of tiny toxic proteins that disrupt signals in the brain. Eventually, the neurons that transmit those signals start to die, disrupting memory and judgment.
In their study, Pasinetti and his colleagues used mice that were genetically altered to produce those toxic particles. The mice that received a restricted diet developed fewer particles, while those fed a fatty, high-calorie diet showed an increase.
How calorie restriction produces benefits is not fully known, but consuming fewer calories makes the body more sensitive to insulin, which helps glucose get into cells where it can be used for fuel.
As a result, the body produces less insulin, which seems to have a corrosive effect on the body, and the body also removes glucose from the bloodstream more efficiently.
A recent study of calorie restriction published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that cutting back on consumption lowered body temperature as well as insulin levels. (Both are considered markers of longevity because they’re found in long-lived people.) The diet also led to a drop in thyroid hormones and DNA damage. The secret to calorie restriction is not just weight loss, although that helps. Eating less all by itself seems to bring benefits: People with diabetes who have tried calorie restriction for one week showed immediate improvement in insulin sensitivity, even though they lost little weight in that time.
The effect is so dramatic that clinical trials are under way to see if a drug that improves the body’s insulin sensitivity can slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Some people have taken calorie restriction to an extreme, eating 1,000 calories or less — about half of what an active adult needs to maintain weight. Such people eventually lose almost all their body fat.
But Brian M. Delaney, president of the Calorie Restriction Society, says that is not necessary to obtain benefits. Instead of attempting an extreme version of calorie restriction that may leave you chronically hungry and irritable, “just switch out calorie-dense foods for slightly less calorie-dense foods,” he said.
“Broccoli, for example, is so voluminous per calorie that your stomach will be full. A vegetarian diet is a mild form of calorie restriction.
“I eat whole grains, nonfat yogurt, fruit, almonds, soy milk. I eat a relatively normal breakfast and dinner, but I skip lunch. I’m getting ready to go out for dinner now, and I’ll tell you, I’m hungry.”
Delaney also tries to live by a saying popular in Okinawa, home of the world’s largest population of centenarians: Stop eating when you’re 80 percent full.
Freelancer Tom Valeo writes about medical and health issues. Write to him c/o Pulse, the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, Fl 33731 or e-mail features@sptimes.com.
[Last modified July 25, 2006, 16:56:08]
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