Restrict Calories and Add Years to Your Life

Are there any shortcuts to a long life?

"Sweet Potato-Beet Fantasy" is made with hulled barley, walnuts, light olive oil and flavored with mushrooms, onion and cardamom. The hearty dish has 475 calories and one that Meredith Averill and Paul McGlothin healthily cook.

(Rana Faure/Courtesy of Paul McGlothin)

Well, some people like Meredith Averill, 61, and her husband, Paul McGlothin, 60, believe they may have the answers and they're putting themselves to the test in their quest for longevity.

The couple have been practicing calorie restriction for the last 14 years. Calorie restriction is the only proven way to extend life in animals and, now, studies are getting started in humans.

Averill and McGlothin are the subjects of one such study. As calorie restrictors they eat only specific amounts of foods that are high in nutrition but low in calories -- foods like vegetables, fruits and beans.

At almost every meal, they weigh their food and keep detailed records in their laptop of the nutrition and calories they are consuming. Averill eats about 1,500 calories and McGlothin about 1,900 -- that's about 30 percent less than what the average American eats.

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"In almost every animal species, it has increased life significantly," said Robert N.Butler, a gerontologist and president of the International Center for Longevity. "If you reduce by about 30 percent, you get 30 additional percent of life."

Averill and McGlothin claim the benefits of calorie restriction are astounding. They share their healthy diet and lifestyle tips as co-authors of a new book, "The CR Way " (Harper Collins).

"My heart and blood vessels are like a person many decades younger," Averill said.

McGlothin said, "Doing calorie restriction, in the way that we do, is like night and day in terms of being able to function. I'm 60 years old. I have 20/20 vision. On IQ tests I've improved 30 percent over the last 14 years, it's usually just the opposite."

Some people are taking a different approach in their search for longevity.

Dr. Terry Grossman runs the Grossman Wellness Center in Denver. He says you need a long-term systematic plan that includes strength training, a healthy diet and meditation. With an emphasis on prevention, he starts with a comprehensive medical exam lasting two full days.