Welcome and thanks to the many folks who tuned in to see us on FNC’s America’s News HQ with Jamie Colby. If you didn’t get a chance to see the segment you can view it here:
http://media2.foxnews.com/112308/112308_shc_longevity_700.wmv.

Working with Jamie and her producer was a delight. The excellent report they produced, was exemplary: Jamie, as reporter, actually let us express our thoughts without manipulating the content to mean something totally different. She helped us tell the truth about just how satisfying the CR Way of life can be:

“And because you feel better, being loving with others is easier,” McGlothin says. “Romance as a whole – the joy of being together with someone you care about – gets so much better.”

“That’s one of the big benefits of calorie restriction. We’re doing Viagra without the pharmaceutical!” adds Meredith.

Some members of the CR Society say their libido has been diminished. That effect is temporary.  As your body adjusts over time, libido increases from a variety of beneficial changes. For example, nitric oxide, the signaling molecule that facilitates vasodilation and is essential for both male and female orgasm, is preserved.

The CR Way also recommends not over-stimulating with supplemental hormones or protein. This helps preserve the body’s ability to secrete hormones. If you add glucose control, a critical brain protein – brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), shoots upwards and you have a formula for a happier, healthier, sexier life. We loved the first part of the FOX piece, showing 94-year-old Marian Downs, sky diving. That’s what the CR Way is all about: making the most of your life at any age.

Dr. Rosenfeld gets a little confused when he tells the audience that we are probably wearing makeup. We would never do that. CR preserves youthful appearance by making skin cells rejuvenate more efficiently and preserving the collagen underpinning of your skin. Meredith is one of the few women who does not wear make up when she appears on film or television or at large public gatherings. A close-up of her skin can be seen in the Long, Healthy Life section of www.LivingTheCRWay.com. It’s at the end of the sequence, requiring Next Page to be clicked several times before you get to the picture captioned Collagen remains healthy and firm. Wrinkles are less likely:
http://www.livingthecrway.com/long_healthy/superb-health.php

Sometimes people say they could never limit their calories, because it isn’t fun. Well, it is fun to look good and feel good. And if you combine that with delicious food (try this recipe: http://www.livingthecrway.com/food/recipe2.php), your life will be happier than ever!

Jamie has also written an article that features the CR Way of life that can be viewed on FoxNews.com –

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,455604,00.html.

The Calorie Restriction science presented in the CR Way provides the essential knowledge for you to begin your journey.  But breakthrough research continues daily and we encourage you to continue your exploration by learning to use PubMed.gov, Google Scholar, MedlinePlus.gov, Mendosa.com and other information resources and by joining the Calorie Restriction Society (www.CalorieRestriction.org). All of these resources will give you updates and help provide the depth of understanding necessary to make objective choices.

Here are some of the groundbreaking scientists who have influenced us and thousands of other CR practitioners:

Stephen Austad, Ph.D.: Deepened our understanding of the relationship of growth to aging, helping us remain wary of growth stimulating practices that may accelerate aging.

Andy Brawley, Ph.D., and Richard Lord, Ph.D., of Metametrix Laboratories gave us new insights into how nutrition affects health at the molecular level – ultimately helping us better evaluate how our CR practice works.

Haim Cohen of the Sinclair Lab showed the relationship between the insulin/IGF-I pathway and the energy-sensitive SIRT1 – helping us focus on the aspects of CR that can really make a difference in how fast we age.

Brian Delaney, ABD: Was a principal founder and developer of the Calorie Restriction Society, which provides invaluable input on all aspects of CR and Longevity. We’ve improved many of our lifestyle practices based on input from other Society members.

Joseph Dhahbi, M.D., PhD: deepened our understanding of genic and physiologic responses to calorie restriction, inspiring us to plan our diet to enhance these changes.

Luigi Fontana, M.D., Ph.D.: Created the first human studies on CR – providing a standard to judge our CR practice and valuable guidance on how to safely live a CR life.

L. Gan: Demonstrated the relationship between SIRT1 activity and IGFBP1 – giving us a means to test for SIRT1 activation clinically.

Leonard Guarente, Ph.D.: Heads the lab that discovered the function of SIR2 in aging –ultimately influencing how we plan our CR lifestyle 

Wei Gu, Ph.D.:  Discovered the relationship between the cancer protector p53 and SIRT1 – influencing us to moderate cell proliferating activities when our SIRT1 gene is likely to be expressed.

Shin Imai, MD, Ph.D.:  Helped us understand the relationship between SIRT1 and NAD – reinforcing the importance of keeping glucose low as part of the best way to practice CR.

John Holloszy, Ph. D.: Deepened our understanding of the role exercise plays in health and its limitation in slowing aging, resulting in our moderation of the amount of exercise we do each day. 

Cynthia Kenyon, Ph.D.:  Discovered the important influence of the insulin–IGF-I system on aging. We’ve eliminated foods that provoke insulin, independent of calories.

Ed Masoro, Ph.D.: His prolific writing gave us tools to understand CR physiology, helping us avoid lifestyle practices that counter our CR benefits.

Mark Mattson, Ph.D.: Discovered that time away from food is important for producing CR-related benefits, especially cognitive improvements. Dr. Mattson’s work influenced us to include a significant daily fasting period in our regimen.

Marty Mayo, Ph.D.: Demonstrated that activating SIRT1 also controls a central driver of inflammation, NF-kappaB, resulting in our paying close attention to how prevent activation of inflammation pathways. 

Roger McCarter, Ph.D.: Demonstrated the limitations of physical exercise and its role in calorie restriction, causing us to keep our exercise regimens moderate and focused on cell signaling.

Clive McKay, M.D.: Did the first major calorie restriction research on laboratory animals – 60 years later we began our CR practice.

Pere Puigserver, Ph.D.: Discovered SIRT1’s link to gluconeogenesis – helping us understand the importance of glucose control for longevity.

David Sinclair, Ph.D.: Helped us understand the pathways that must be activated for SIRT1 to be expressed. His work on Resveratrol is a leap forward in how a CR mimetic may be used for better health.

Christine Snow, Ph.D.: Proved that weight bearing exercise can prevent bone loss – influencing us to integrate exercise using weighted vests into our routine

Stephen Spindler, Ph.D.:  Especially renowned for genetic microarray work on calorie restricted animals, helped us understand that CR benefits can be quickly activated at any age.

Ted (Theodore B.) VanItallie, M.D.: Helped us understand the health benefits of ketones – influencing us to make ketones part of our CR practice.

Richard Veech, MD, Ph.D.: Deepened our understanding of ketones and the positive effect they may have on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Helen Vlassara, M.D.: In-depth research into advanced glycation endproducts influenced us to prepare foods in ways that minimize exposure to AGE.

Roy Walford, M.D.: His books and software helped us begin to live a CR lifestyle. His daughter Lisa continues his work.

Rick Weindruch, Ph.D.: Wrote first CR article that we read, showing us how humans could practice CR.

Brad Wilcox, Ph.D.: His detailed research on the Okinawan diet and lifestyle influenced food choices and macronutrients ratios for our diet.

*The CR Way

Phase three of the CR research project on Long-Term Effects of CR on Humans has begun! This post is a “snapshot” of the research that we are involved with at the renowned Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Begun in 2002, it is the first longitudinal study of CR in humans, so we are evaluated every few years and compared to “our former selves.” It is also the first study of long-term CR in humans – very different from eating fewer calories for a few weeks.

Meredith and Paul arrived at Wash U’s IRU (Intensive Research Unit) on September 29 to settle in for some of the most intensive testing we have ever experienced. The moment we arrived, the testing began. We were asked to wear transmitters to provide information on various physiological changes associated with long life in CR animals.

The really big deal came the next day, when muscle biopsies were taken on each of us. The “Day of the Biopsies” was cathartic for us. For the past eight years, we have worked to help CR-in-humans progress from mere speculation to a lifestyle designed living designed to produce cellular expression patterns that emulate those in long-lived animal studies. Finally, the moment of truth was upon us!

Or was it? Could we blow it all by letting our adrenalin run wild, a normal human response to medical testing – ruining the genetic expression patterns

that prove CR works? Or for that matter, could we have taken interfering supplements or made other dietary mistakes that also ruin CR’s genetic effects? Well, the latter is highly improbable because we have clinically tested everything in our diet. But to keep our adrenalin down, we came with a plan. *The CR Way* readers know that we use relaxation meditation to settle our bodies whenever we need to go to sleep or become calm under adversity. We coupled relaxation meditation with soft bamboo flute music from Sudir (one of our meditation teachers). It worked: Monitors of heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels (all of these spike when adrenalin flows) showed that these markers stayed at the same low levels throughout the procedure.

After the procedure, for any discomfort we were offered Tylenol, which we declined. Only three hours after the biopsy, we went for a mile-long walk.

And three days after, we were back following our regular routine such as walking with 30-lb weight vests.

At Wash U, we were the first of a cohort of at least 24 who will have their genes looked at. Without giving away the details, which is reserved for Drs. Fontana and Holloszy and their colleagues, we can say that our clinical results were phenomenal – as they have been in the other two phases.  Even we were surprised at just how good some outcomes were – especially certain things that concern virtually everyone, like bone health.

So, break out the unsweetened cranberry juice! Prepare to celebrate: We believe that the results of this study will positively change the lives of a lot of people. What could be better than that?  

Paul & Meredith