Posted by Steve

Those little animals, those little imps called calories. They need to burn in hell don’t they? But the more you burn them the more they seem to multiply in a seemingly uncontrollable fashion. So what can we do? I guess diet. But what kind of diet should we use? A diet that brings them down and makes them stay down - a calorie reduction diet

Calorie reduction diets also lower cholesterol. What is cholesterol? Well it’s a mucky fatty substance made by the body when it cannot fully digest - or does not need to - all the food that you ingest. Calorie reduction also reduces your chances of getting diabetes and high blood pressure. It is also said to reduce the effects of aging which is related but not entirely to years but also to lifestyle.

Cholesterol builds a wall of fat around your veins making the surface area for blood passage smaller. This makes the blood flow faster leading to clots forming along your veins as they harden. This then leads to coronary thrombosis, cardiac arrest and other not so pleasant things.

Calorie reduction diet has been seen to make life longer in rodents, primates and other animals. It has also been known to limit the happening of kidney failure, high blood pressure and diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and other age related pathologies.

How does calorie reduction diet work? The evidence of calorie reduction increasing longevity is clear. However the workings of exactly how, less intake of certain nutrients leading to reduction in body mass extends life have not been fully discovered.

Some are of the opinion that the genetic implications of natural selection favor those who are leaner and more able to survive adverse conditions and thus live longer while more ‘domesticated’ organisms tend to live shorter lives. Others posit that calorie reduction has to do with the processing of protein with respect to the amount of protein in the body.

Even after all that jargon how does it work? When the body experiences a glucose shortage, the pancreas secretes a chemical which breaks down glycogen to form glucose for energy needs. When this runs out it then breaks down body fats which reduce the mass of the organism. Thus reducing the calorie intake in the body ultimately leads to breakdown of fats which then leads to a body mass reduction.

The various diets, be they fixed, exchanged, pre-packaged or formula all try to reduce calorie intake by various paths. This is in an effort to reduce unhealthy elements or excesses and thus create an environment for healthy living.

By Joel Riley - weightlossinsider.org