With the all holiday goodies and parties this time of year it is good to try to remember to try to keep the eating under control "for your hearts sake!" Dr. K
For decades,
health professionals have believed that those who eat less tend to live longer,
and a study recently released from the University of Wisconsin
offers even more support for this belief. Researchers measured how caloric
intake affects heart function and came to the conclusion that less food could
possibly result in a healthier heart. "Based on our finding, it appears
that if people reduce their current calorie intake between 20 and 40%, even
starting in middle age, they may delay the development of heart disease or
possibly even prevent it," according to professor of genetics Tomas
Prolla, PhD. When hearts get older, the cells change their source of energy
from fat molecules to carbohydrate molecules. Carbohydrate molecules are burned
at a faster rate, which leaves the heart with less energy to perform its
functions. In effect, the heart becomes stressed out - the first step of heart
failure. But, when Prolla's team reduced the caloric intake of mice, the change
in energy sources was seen less than those who maintained a normal caloric
intake.
Allison, David B., Brand, Jaap, Lee, Cheol-Koo, Prolla, Tomas A., Weindruch,
Richard. (2002) Transcriptional profiles associated with aging and middle
age-onset caloric restriction in mouse hearts. PNAS 99: 14988-14993.
