Diet and Caloric Restriction for Longevity—The Monkey Trials

How can we make sense of the disparate results from the four primate studies on caloric restriction and lifespan?

Here are some of my previous videos on dietary restriction if you’re interested in taking a deeper dive:
• The Benefits of Caloric Restriction Without the Actual Restricting ( )
• Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction ( )
• Caloric Restriction vs. Plant-Based Diets ( )
• The Benefits of Calorie Restriction for Longevity ( )
• Potential Pitfalls of Calorie Restriction ( )

My new book, How Not to Age ( ), is all about living a longer life, and you can get your copy now at your local public library or wherever books are sold. If you haven’t seen them yet, check out the book trailer ( ) and my new presentation ( ). (As always, all proceeds I receive from all ( ) of my books are donated to charity.)

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-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

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Dave McKinnon
 

  • @romanb1827 says:

    “Purina Monkeychow” 🤣😂🤣

  • @VeganLinked says:

    It’s so mind-boggling how pathetic so many studies are with their controls and diet comparisons. I just can’t help but be like what the f*** are these people thinking half the time. But I guess in the grand scheme of things it all contributes to the data…

  • @TheVeganHeathen says:

    Fascinating. I’m glad to see more evidence in the camp of we don’t know as it’s nice to eat a fair amount. What I wonder is if working out gives the same benefits as fasting and/or caloric restriction is said to. If I recall, the way they are alleged to help longevity are through a similar process. Ideally, it would nice if eating a reasonable amount and working out is optimal. But if working out and fasting sometimes were optimal it would be worth considering — at least sometimes.

    • @augustusomega4708 says:

      he just got through saying CR does not have any effect, so there are NO benefits to fasting according to these studies.

    • @TheVeganHeathen says:

      @@augustusomega4708 Right, or at least it not clear there is a benefit specifically from fasting. But these aren’t the only studies on the topic. I’m just saying — it’s actually nice to hear that and it make sense in the context of this research, but I’d still be interested to know the bigger picture based on all the data outside of these trials in conjunction with the mechanistic stuff as well.

    • @jpbowl12x36 says:

      ​@@augustusomega4708He said that its probably better to eat less if you are eating a junk food diet…This study did not use exercise as a marker

    • @augustusomega4708 says:

      @@TheVeganHeathen Well these trials do seem pretty comprehensive and costly by what he said. He spelled it out, reduce junk food and you will live longer but if you eat well, keep eating, fasting does not increase lifespan in primates.

    • @TheVeganHeathen says:

      @@augustusomega4708 I don’t think he said that, or at least that’s not what I got from this. What he seemed to indicate is that based on this data it isn’t something that can be determined because of how they conducted the studies. As in, from this data you can’t sift out whether there were any benefits from fasting or if all of the benefits seen were just from not being obese. However there is other research on the topic that, while not as long-term and/or not the same type of data — still has better data on fasting in that the data isn’t overshadowed by only the benefits of not being obese. For instance there is some research showing that fasting seems be beneficial from increased telomere length and such. If I recall it may prevent oxidative stress in a similar way as working out does.

  • @hctim96 says:

    Excellent! Clears up a question I’ve had. thankyou..

  • @Spock_Rogers says:

    Thank you! 😻

  • @ritajhorn3585 says:

    Good information, thank you

  • @CRM-114 says:

    I could be wrong but I remember Dr. Longo saying something like CR doesn’t have any effects if you’re already a healthy vegan. Makes sense now.

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