Calorie restriction without malnutrition is the only peer-reviewed proven method for extending your lifespan. In essence, you consume a diet that maximises the nutrients necessary for a healthy life from a minimal number of calories. Much research is ongoing to find out how it actually works.

I've been practicing calorie restriction for some years now, not as consistently as I would like, but I feel lighter, healthier, and spritelier (if there's actually such a word). Since I got pregnant I have stopped but will continue with it once Jack is weaned.

In a recent study, the researchers found that "to our knowledge for the first time, that in overweight nonobese humans, short-term calorie restriction lowers whole-body energy expenditure (metabolic adaptation), in parallel with an induction in mitochondrial biogenesis . . . and a decrease in DNA damage. We therefore propose that calorie restriction induces biogenesis of "efficient" mitochondria in human skeletal muscle as an adaptive mechanism, which in turn lowers oxidative stress."

Click here for the full study and citations: Calorie Restriction Increases Muscle Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Healthy Humans

For more information on calorie restriction, visit the The Calorie Restriction Society.

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