Eat less, live longer
Image by Takeaway (Wikimedia)
“And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die”
Deuteronomy 21:20-21
Though people probably won’t harass you for being a glutton (as they did anciently), overeating may shorten your life.
Many people know overeating can cause obesity, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease, but few realize that overeating is harmful even if you are fit. Here are some studies that show why eating less may help you live longer.
Eat less, live longer
- Study #1- Pennington Biomedical Research Center findings- Non-obese people who ate less had less oxidative cell damage. Cells produce free radicals when they convert food into energy. The researchers suggested that eating fewer calories can slow the aging process in cells and may lead to a longer lifespan.
- Study #2- Author Dan Buettner findings- The oldest Japanese people only eat until they are about 80% full. In Japan there are over 36,000 centenarians. The average Japanese person lives four years longer than the average American.
- Study #3- St. Louis University research findings- Limiting calories lowers your production of T3, a thyroid hormone that speeds up the aging process and slows metabolism.
- Study #4- Journal of Nutrition study findings- Mice with no caloric restriction lived about 30 months on average. The higher the calorie restriction, the longer the mice lived on average. Mice with a 65% caloric restriction lived 53 months on average.
While caloric intake is a factor in longevity, many other factors are important, including: genetics, gender, health care access, hygiene, nutrition and exercise. An identical twin study suggests your lifespan is determined 20-30% by your genetics and 70-80% by your behavior and environment.
“Gluttony is the source of all our infirmities and the fountain of all our diseases. As fire extinguished by an excess of fuel, so is the natural health of the body destroyed by an intemperate diet.”
- Robert Burton
Personal Notes: Overeating caused me digestion problems, acne inflammations, canker sores, chest pain and a lack of energy. I think it makes sense our digestive system wears out faster when we overeat. Like a machine, if we work parts of our bodies excessively, over time they can slow down and stop functioning.
The first study seems to suggest that exercising will produce similar effects as eating less (unless I misunderstood what the article was saying). See, I love to eat and I’m almost always hungry, so I figure I could just exercise and I’ll be okay. Does that work?
Good question- I’m no doctor, but I think that exercising can sure help the body to stay healthy. I still think however, that overeating in and of itself can overwork the body’s digestive system and lead to problems over time.
From what I’ve learned, the key to staying at a healthy weight is to balance eating and exercise. If you burn as many calories as you take in, your body will not store them as fat and you will not gain excess body weight. So, it makes sense that people who exercise more should eat more as well. I know that when I run more I get hungrier and eat more. The caveat is to make sure you are eating the right foods and not just junk.
I think that’s another one of my problems. Candy and treats are sometimes just too delicious. But thanks for the encouragement.
Yea I totally agree with Mickey, sometimes you just got to give into temptation, like biscuits and gravy. :)