Big Benefits from Small Calorie Reductions
Plus: You can still build muscle, and here's the problem with our easy lives
Welcome back to Age Wise, exploring the science of improving physical health and mental wellness at every stage of life. And welcome to the dozens of new subscribers who’ve recently joined. Before we dive in, two announcements:
This newsletter will now publish monthly instead of weekly. Less stuff in your inbox, greater pithiness.
I’ve got two new podcasts out on Knowable, in which I explain several simple, effective ways to be happier and healthier and up the odds of living longer, all via a little more physical activity, slightly better ways of eating, and getting out of your comfort zone. Doing these things is not hard. Hearing about them is easy. Check 'em out here: https://knowable.fyi/creators/robertroybritt
Now let’s get to it…
Eat Less, Live Longer
I’m thin and in good shape, so I was pretty surprised how much weight I lost during a recent weeks-long camping trip, in which food storage and prep was more challenging than at home. So I dug into the science of calorie restriction, and while of course one can lose weight by eating less, the big revelation is this:
Nixing just 300 calories per day—roughly six Oreos, or one large slice of pizza, or half a pint of ice cream—significantly improves blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other health markers known to be risk factors for heart disease, cancer and dementia.
I didn’t need to lose weight, but I’d like to hang around a few more years and be healthy while I’m here, so I’m now much more thoughtful about those late-night snacks. My story, on Medium, explains what we know about calorie restriction and why it’s good for you.
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Life’s Too Easy, and That’s a Big Problem
The “primitive” living we enjoyed on the camping trip generated another story: Gathering firewood, doing laundry, and all the other daily “chores” of getting by out there reminded me of the hard work that was normal in my grandparents’ day, and how nowadays we try hard (but fail) to make up for it.
In a century-long blink of human history, modern inventions have made the act of getting by immeasurably easier for the vast majority of humans, particularly Westerners. By one estimate, the average American gets 27 minutes less moderate to vigorous physical activity these days compared to two centuries ago, even counting all the people who jog, hit the gym or otherwise engage in the arguably screwy notion of exercise to counteract the lack of physical effort required by modern life.
The story gets into the obvious health problems caused by our relative inactivity, and you’ll learn how long my grandparents lived, without ever setting foot in a gym, and, well, I hope it inspires you to get off the couch and do something.
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Never Stop Building Muscle
I know, it’s hard. But no matter how old you are, you need to stay strong. Strength is generally good for your physical and mental health, the science shows, but it’s vital to avoiding frailty and falls. So know this:
If you are over age 30 and not working to counter the natural effects of aging, your muscles are wasting away as you read this. By age 70, you’ll have lost about 40% of your once enviable muscle mass. It doesn’t have to be like this, and if it is, you still have time to fix it.
Building muscle lowers the risk of everything from heart disease to cancer, and promotes longer life. While it is indeed more challenging as we age, the chemical and biological processes that build muscle are the same later in life as when you’re young, scientists say.
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Think Twice Before Wasting Money on Vitamins or Supplements
If you have a condition that a doctor or nutritionist says will benefit from a supplement, then by all means. But otherwise, the latest research and a new set of federal guidelines indicate this about the $50 billion spent annually in America on vitamins and dietary supplements:
“They’re wasting money and focus thinking there has to be a magic set of pills that will keep them healthy when we should all be following the evidence-based practices of eating healthy and exercising,” says Jeffrey Linder, MD, chief of general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Instead? Eat real food, of course.
And on that note, here’s a trio of recent articles to help you sort through the confusion over what to eat:
From the Archives
Promoting a long, healthy life never gets old, so here are a few more things to know:
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Parting Shot
“The way people age and the signs that we show of aging is nature’s way of tattooing. It’s natural scarification, and the life you lead gives you the symbols and the emblems of your life, the road map you followed.”
—Frances McDormand
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I hope you found something useful in this newsletter, and I look forward to sharing new insights with you early next month.—Rob