When eating less means longer life

Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio
During fiestas, birthdays, weddings, and other celebrations like Christmas and New Year’s Eve, most Filipinos eat more than they can consume.  They eat as if there is no tomorrow.
 It is no wonder why buffet restaurants all over the country are always full.  “Eat all you can” doesn’t seem to be the rule instead of the exception.  Gluttony, which is one of the seven deadly sins, is written all over the place.
Like Americans, Filipinos love to eat.   Unfortunately, this love for eating makes a person more susceptible to diseases and may actually reduce one’s lifespan.  “Eating less may be the new secret to prolonging life,” says Dr. Willie T. Ong, an internist-cardiologist and book author.
One piece of evidence comes from the people living in Okinawa Island in Japan, which boasts of having one of the longest life spans worldwide.   Many Okinawans live up to over 100 years old.
One news report states: “The people of Okinawa live longer and are healthier than anyone else in the world. There are more than 800 centenarians living on the tiny island and diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension are rare. Healthy seniors work actively in fishing and farming, seemingly immune to the effects of old age.”
What is their secret?  “They eat less,” wrote Amy Toffelmire in an article which appeared in “The Times Herald.” “On average, Okinawans eat 11% fewer calories than those eating a standard Japanese diet. And they practice something called ‘hara hachi-bu,’ which translates roughly to ‘eat until you’re 80% full.’”
Although the “eating less to live more” concept, at first, seems hard to believe, studies done on animals and humans seem to prove this theory.  Studies done in rats, monkeys, fish, and even microscopic yeast, show that semi-starved animals live as much as 50% longer than their overweight and fully-fed counterparts.  It was found that thinner animals have less diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease.
A study conducted on human beings had the same conclusion.  A 2006 pilot study enrolled 48 subjects to either a normal diet or a 25% reduced calorie diet, for over six months.   The researchers were trying to see if food restriction (less caloric intake) can down the aging process.  Results show that the low calorie group had lower bad cholesterol levels, lower blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance.
The above study has been featured in numerous articles, including one that appeared in “Time” magazine.  “I feel better, lighter and healthier,” one participant was quoted as saying.  “But if it could help you live longer, that would be pretty amazing.”
Currently, a trial on CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy) is underway in the United States.  Its purpose is “to study the effects of prolonged calorie restriction on healthy human subjects.”
The CALERIE study is being carried out at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (Boston, Massachusetts) and the Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, Missouri).
What could be the reason why eating less seems to be beneficial to the body?  “Some experts have theorized that being slightly hungry may act as a mild stressor that makes us stronger and more resistant to disease,” writes Dr. Ong in his book, “Stay Younger, Live Healthier.” “Less food may also mean less waste products and toxic materials stored in the body.  Eating less may also possibly slow down one’s metabolism, which could delay the aging process.”
Just eating less meat, for instance, has a protective effect. A National Cancer Institute study of 500,000 people found that those who ate 113 grams of red meat or more daily were 30 percent more likely to have died of any cause during a 10-year period than were those who consumed less. Sausage, luncheon meats and other processed meats also increased the risk. Those who ate mostly poultry or fish had a lower risk of death.
Although most experts still are not sure why eating less may be beneficial, they know that eating in excess is bad for your health.  For one, the body needs to work doubly harder to digest the food.  “Blood sugar levels will also rise steeply with a large food intake,” Dr. Ong adds.   
Eating too much also can lead to obesity, the condition of a person having excessive weight for his/her height, build, and age.   A few years back, the Philippines was ranked third as having the “fattest people” in Asia – after Malaysia and Singapore.  At that time, about 500,000 Filipinos were classified as obese.
Today, that figure has considerably increased.  According to a survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), obesity is increasing among Filipino adults ages 20 and up.  Based on the study, there were about 20 out of 100 adults of both sexes who were overweight 1998. The figure then increased to 24 and 27 out of 100 in 2003 and 2008, respectively.
Obesity is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain forms of cancer.  In addition, obesity is now recognized as an important risk factor in the development of several respiratory diseases, including obstructive sleep apnea and obesity-hypoventilation syndrome. More recent data suggest that the prevalence of wheezing and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, two symptoms often associated with asthma, are increased in overweight and obese individual.
That’s what overeating will do.  But if you eat just enough or around 10-20% less than your usual food intake, your body can obtain several health benefits.   “Your blood pressure, blood sugar level and cholesterol level will most likely decrease,” Dr. Ong says.  “Losing weight can also make you less prone to arthritis and other diseases.”
What kind of foods should you eat? Eat only those which are healthy and good for your body.  “The traditional Okinawan diet emphasizes nutrient-dense but low-calorie foods,” writes Toffelmire. 
The Holy Bible states: “You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten” (Leviticus 11:47).
Dr. Ong suggests eating more the following: vegetables, fruits, fish, beans and soy products.  Eggs, wheat bread and high-fiber cereals are also acceptable.  As much as possible, the following are to be taken less: beef, pork, sugary beverages and desserts.  Foods with a high fat and high sugar content, such as candies, gravies, creams and icings, must be limited.
Eating too much white rice is not also healthy.  “White rice can be reduced and replaced with healthy vegetables like cabbage, kangkong, bean sprouts, and broccoli,” Dr. Ong suggests.  “If you usually take two cups of rice, reduce this to one cup.  If you’re eating a cup of rice, reduce this to two-thirds cup.”
Here’s one nutritionist said of rice: “Rice is digested to become sugar. Rice cannot be digested before it is thoroughly cooked.  However, when thoroughly cooked, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar within half an hour-almost as quickly as it would if you took a sugar candy.”
A concurrent advice to eating less is to eat more often, preferably five to six times a day.  “This strategy won’t make you fat if you will stick to smaller meals,” Dr. Ong says.  “A banana, an apple or a piece of bread can already constitute a meal.   By eating less and more often, your blood sugar will not rise as high.  Eating less is also gentler to your body and may help you live longer.”
As Dr. Marc Hellerstein, a nutritionist at the University of California, Berkeley, puts it: “Calorie restriction is pretty much the only thing out there that we know will not just prevent disease but also extend maximal life span.”