who wants to live forever?

Some new research out todays fuels my obsession with restricted calorie diets. I haven't had any luck commiting to them. In a vaccum or controled environment I don't think it'd be that hard.You really don't get that hungry if you do it right. Even 1600 calories per day is a significant reduction, and you can eat a lot in 1600. But my willpower is weak, and there are just to many opportunities, esp. social ones to eat. Hell, I'll do a lot dumber stuff that overeat for mild social pressures - a lot dumber. Still ,the idea that the food that sustains us and provides us with what we need also slowly chips away at our bodies and brain functions fascinates me. It's totally counterintuitive, but it makes sense when you think about it. One of these days, I'll try it out for a while in ernest, but definitely not today...we're having panera bread cater lunch at work.

From eureka alert:

"Our findings help us understand the processes underlying both normal aging and calorie restriction benefits. If some aspects of aging are influenced by free radical damage, we may be able to prevent or reverse these impairments."

Though numerous studies have shown severe calorie restriction helps animals live longer and resist some effects of aging, scientists still do not know why. One theory suggests a restrictive diet decreases the effect of free radical damage.