Caloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy Aging

Abstract

Long-term caloric restriction (CR) is a robust means of reducing age-related diseases and extending life span in multiple species, but the effects in humans are unknown. The low caloric intake, long life expectancy, and the high prevalence of centenarians in Okinawa have been used as an argument to support the CR hypothesis in humans. However, no long-term, epidemiologic analysis has been conducted on traditional dietary patterns, energy balance, and potential CR phenotypes for the specific cohort of Okinawans who are purported to have had a calorically restricted diet. Nor has this cohort's subsequent mortality experience been rigorously studied. Therefore, we investigated six decades of archived population data on the elderly cohort of Okinawans (aged 65-plus) for evidence of CR. Analyses included traditional diet composition, energy intake, energy expenditure, anthropometry, plasma DHEA, mortality from age-related diseases, and current survival patterns. Findings include low caloric intake and negative energy balance at younger ages, little weight gain with age, life-long low BMI, relatively high plasma DHEA levels at older ages, low risk for mortality from age-related diseases, and survival patterns consistent with extended mean and maximum life span. This study lends epidemiologic support for phenotypic benefits of CR in humans and is consistent with the well-known literature on animals with regard to CR phenotypes and healthy aging.

Should animal fats be back on the table? A critical review of the human health effects of animal fat

“…There is little evidence of deficiency in essential nutrients (Polidori et al 2007;Willcox et al 2007;Buffa et al 2010). It is by no means certain that the individuals are calorie restricted, and claims to that extent are a source of controversy, because the calorie and protein intake in some of these groups is consistent with their smaller size (Keys and Kimura 1970;Willcox et al 2007;Pes et al 2013). Nevertheless, these individuals consume on average substantially fewer calories than in the West, and less than individuals in surrounding regions (e.g.…”

“…Studies of the 'Blue Zones', areas of the world with proven enhanced aging, increased proportions of centenarians, and reduced morbidity from aging (Fraser and Shavlik 2001;Poulain et al 2004), show first a huge range in average fat consumption, from <10 to >40% of calories (Willcox et al 2007(Willcox et al , 2009Appel 2008;Pes et al 2013), relatively low levels of protein, a diet that is plant-based but not vegan, with differences in staple foods and wide variations in the amount of saturated fat consumed. The individuals generally consume substantially fewer calories than in the West, and have traditions of eating until one was not quite full.…”

A/ASP/VAL allele combination of IGF1R, IRS2, and UCP2 genes is associated with better metabolic profile, preserved energy expenditure parameters, and low mortality rate in longevity

“…Calorie restriction (CR) is the only experimental manipulation that is known to extend the lifespan of a number of organisms including yeast, worms, flies, rodents (Ingram et al 2006). In addition, CR has been shown to reduce the incidence of age-related disorders (for example, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders) in mammals (Willcox et al 2007).Whether this occurs in longer-lived species is unknown, although the effect of prolonged calorie restriction in nonhuman primates is under investigation (Fontana et al 2004;Sinclair 2005).…”

Moderately high altitude habitation modulates lipid profile and alkaline phosphatase activity in aged Khasis of Meghalaya

“…Human aging and the biochemical, molecular and physiological variations associated with it has received increased focus particularly in the western countries, including Japan. In Japan, for instance, detailed clinical studies have been undertaken amongst the aged inhabitants of the island of Okinawa, which has the world's highest longevity (5)(6)(7). However, fewer scientific investigations have been directed especially towards the indigenous tribes of the world, who are considered to harbor a rich gene pool.…”