Ponce de Leon spent decades in a futile search for the Fountain of Youth. Pity, because most of the elements you need to increase your lifespan and healthspan are within most everyone’s reach. In Concierge Medicine, we deal with this on a daily basis to help our patients with specific treatment plans. We know good sleep, a balanced diet and exercise are key components. But what about your weight? How does weight loss play a role? How can you live better, feel better, look better–and live longer? Our concierge doctors can help you with a proactive approach to take control of your weight and health.
The Topic: The Dreaded Diet
Dieting doesn’t mean starving or depriving yourself in all cases in order to obtain a healthy weight. There are different types of dieting. There is Dietary restriction where you restrict one of more dietary elements from your diet in an effort to improve your health. Examples include the Atkins diet, the ketogenic diet, and gluten-free diets. Another diet is a time-based diet such as intermittent fasting. The final type is the calorie-restricted diet where you reduce the total amount of calories you take in every day. This last one will be our focus in this discussion.
What are Calories?
Everyone uses the word, but what does it mean? Calories are a measurement, pure and simple. One calories is the amount of energy one gram of food produces when used by your body. Scientifically, it is how much energy needs to raise one gram of water by one degree centigrade. That’s what the bold numbers on the food packages mean. Now you know.
How many calories should you consume?
Caloric intake varies with several factors but generally is in the 1,500-3,000 calorie range. However what is healthy for one person may not be for another. A highly active athlete may need 3,000 calories a day but for a sedentary office worker that would lead to noticeable weight gain. The older you are, the less calories you need because your metabolism slows down. Men often need more calories than women as well.
Less Food, More Life? The Data
In 2009 a study from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was published in Science, a globally respected journal, which showed that rhesus macaques put on calorie restriction (about 25% fewer calories than the control group in the study) had a roughly 30% increased lifespan compared to those control who were allowed to eat freely. 37% of the control animals died of age-related causes compared to only 13% of the calorie-restricted monkeys. That’s an amazing difference. In addition, the study found that calorie restriction reduced the incidence of diabetes, cancer and brain atrophy.
Following this study came another one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published in the even more prestigious journal, Nature, in 2012. In this study, there was little difference between calorie-restricted monkeys and those allowed to eat ad lib.
Wait a moment! How can this be?
It was in the diet. The Wisconsin monkeys were fed a processed food diet similar to what Americans eat as part of the standard American diet. The NIH monkeys were fed a diet closer to what they would eat in the wild. The conclusion: eating less of a garbage diet will optimize your life. The quality of what you eat is as important as the quantity.
The Jury is Still Out
But the fuel was thrown on the flames. Numerous research papers have come out since indicating that caloric restriction is important in prolonging life. The way the caloric restriction is done may be an additional factor such as innovative fasting or alternate-day fasting but it is person-dependent as the variability in genetics, metabolism and environment has a strong impact on how any one individual responds. There is some evidence that protein restriction may also prolong life but this is controversial. Another study in Nature Aging showed that caloric restriction leads to more modest extension of lifespan. Other studies have reinforced that caloric restriction reduces the risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease cancer and dementia. Long-term health is clearly impacted by what and how you eat. Diets can fight chronic illness and a tool as you work toward optimal health.
Medical Weight Loss Treatments
GLP-1 inhibitors are all the rage to lose weight and fight the march toward diabetes. These weight-loss medications show tremendous potential and are another tool in personalized wellness but they must be prescribed and there are potential side effects which should be discussed with your concierge physician. This is a topic for another article.
How Does This Impact You?
It is easy to be confused by caloric restriction advice. Lowering your total number of calories by ten percent is a very reasonable choice, but all things need to be done in moderation. There has to be a balance between caloric restriction and health. Extremes can endanger health, weaken the immune system and make you vulnerable to disease, the very opposite of what you want.
In general, if you can reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories per day you should lose about a pound a week.
Come in to the Village Doctor to discuss how and if caloric restriction is the right thing for you. Our medical professionals can help with tailored medical weight loss treatments and wellness services that are individualized. We have a dedicated nutritionist on staff, Annie Rubin MS, RDN who can tailor your diet to your needs and goals as well as recommend nutritional supplements on a case-by-case basis. This is one of our specialty areas and I invite you to take advantage of her knowledge and expertise. Come to us to get the knowledge you need to make informed decisions to improve the quality of your life.
Live Long and Prosper!
Alan Spira, MD, & DTM&H, May, 2025
Read Also: Get Your Teenager (and Yourself) to Bed!
Take the first step towards improving your child’s health with pediatric integrative medicine. Call The Village Doctor at (650) 851-4747 or Contact us to learn more about the practice.
