I stumbled across an interesting article a couple of years ago in NY Magazine about a group who had chosen to willfully live on the brink of starvation because they believe it will help them live longer than virtually anyone in history. (Jeanne Calmart currently holds the record, having died at 122)

NOVA ran a segment on one of their shows about caloric restriction and the science of longevity as well.

The basic idea is that if you cut the amount of calories you eat each day to the absolute bare minimum, your lifespan will go up. Researchers have discovered that it works in mice and worms, so why not humans?

A group calling themself the CRONies (Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition) decided to try it out on themselves. The closest thing to human research had been an ad hoc experiment done when scientists in the Biosphere discovered that they didn’t have nearly as much food as they expected. Deciding to just gut it out, they were discovered healthier after they came out than before they’d gone in.

Figuring out if human lifespans can be extended 50% or more through eating (a lot) less has become a significant area of scientific study. Figuring out if it works, how it works, and whether there is a way to boil it down into a pill could make some company very, very wealthy.

For the first time, a study found a difference between the effects of calorie restrictions in rats and humans. In rats and other animals, low calorie diets cause a reduction in a growth factor called IGF-1. In humans that following similar very-low calorie diets, IGF-1 levels were similar to sedentary individuals.

IGF-1 levels are proportionate to the amount of protein eaten and low levels are thought to be one of the main reasons for the longer lives of calorie deprived animals.

When scientists asked CRONies to lower their protein intake, they discovered that IGF-1 levels dropped. They also found that strict vegans had similarly low IGF-1 levels. Does that mean that vegans have already found the secret to longer lives? Not really - vegans may or may not live longer than your average meat-eating human (or, maybe not) but there’s no evidence that vegan living extends the maximum lifespan.

There’s plenty of evidence that eating less (while maintaining good nutrition) will improve your health, which undoubtedly which increases your chances at a long, healthy life. But, the jury is still out on whether that alone will help people set new longevity records.

According to an article in Newsweek about “Fall’s Fattening Foods” you are at risk of expanding your waistline exponentially this season.

 Autumn is fraught with dangers including excess calories consumed from Halloween candy, extra helpings of mashed potatoes and apple pie.

 For instance just 25 jellybeans adds 140 calories, a helping of mashed potatoes is 200 calories and a slice of apple pie WITHOUT the usual ice-cream is close to 400 calories. With the ice cream you have a desert that is 530 calories. 

The worst however has to be the Starbucks Venti Pumpkin Spice Lattes , which has enough calories in it to be a meal in itself. It weighs in at 530 calories.

An article in Medical News Today confirms what most of us already women. Women smoke to stay slim.

In fact a study conducted at the University of Michigan says that fear of weight gain is the number one reason why most women do not quit smoking. The study also investigated why women might be smoking in the first place.

Not surprisingly the number one reason was that they heard that it could cause them to lose weight. The study also suggested that a way out of this type of thinking is to remind women about the other adverse effects of smoking on their appearance such as wrinkled skin, yellow teeth and bad breath.

The problem with previous weight loss drugs is that they have all had serious side effects.  This is has made obese individuals even sicker and putting them at even greater risk of developing diseases like cancer and heart disease. 

According to Medical News Today, Dr. Nir Barak of the Tel Aviv University School of Medicine is developing a drug called Histalean, which is based on a previous drug called Betahistamine.

 Betahistamine is traditionally used to treat vertigo but it is found that it chemically contains compounds that can help block cravings (the same way the drug blocks the sensation of dizziness.) The result is that there is a great potential for weight loss and millions of lives could be saved everywhere.  This new drug could also allow obese people who could never exercise before to get an initial boosting work out so that they feel encouraged to work out or stick to a diet plan.

The Body for Life challenge is down to 15 contestants all vying for the $1 million prize. Body for Life has become famous for their challenges and the amazing body transformations that participants undergo.

Cheryl Muhr is one of this year’s 15 finalists, currently leading the women’s vote. Cheryl weighed 157 pounds when she started the challenge with 29% bodyfat.

Today she’s 129 pounds and 12% bodyfat. That’s a loss of 30 pounds of fat and a gain of 2 pounds of muscle in twelve weeks. The results speak for themselves.

Fitness Daily recommends the following books from Amazon.com on Body for Life.