A calorie restriction effect on longevity is a very well documented topic of experimental biology. It is important to know that life span researchers deal mostly with small size animals since their generations change much faster than in larger size animal species. It is also important that only restriction as serious as 30 to 60 percent of "all you can eat" amount can cause significant improvement in health and longevity.
It was first demonstrated in insects, where it yielded up to a 300% increase in life span; then in young small size mammals such as mice and rats, where results were more modest but still impressive. Later the results on adult animals appeared, yet more modest, but still significant.
As to the human outcome, published epidemiological studies have reported evidence of reduced mortality rates in persons who have lost weight, regardless of whether the weight loss was due to decreased calorie intake or increased energy expenditure. These data are consistent with experimental results where exercise increased average longevity of female rats, despite increased food intake.
This consistency is probably the reason for hopes arising from numerous animal data showing benefits of calorie restriction in animals, including improvement in immune status, anti-cancer defense system and decrease in the occurrence of general disease. The hope, if not for increased longevity, is at least for decreased mortality.
Can we use calorie restriction to improve health and to live longer? A daily calorie restriction of 30 to 60 percent seems to be too hard a sacrifice. Perhaps this is why new hope arose when preliminary information about developing an anti-aging drug mimicking effects of semi-starvation leaked into mass media.
People on the very low calorie "Superhuman Diet"
The Guru: Galina Shatalova MD, a surgeon, clinical researcher, health educator, and finally a guru in her own unique Health Schools. The program included diet, exercise, body-mind, and philosophical elements. All these well in excess of everything known before.
Of all her theories, Galina Shatalova is still the most famous in Russia for her very low calorie diet. It is well known there that people who followed her system were able to get rid of many ailments and not only restore good health, but improve it to a much higher level.
It is also known that the system has been under investigation in the Institute of Space and Aviation Biology, Moscow, where Dr. Shatalova was chief of the Astronauts Training Sector. Her health system was eventually adopted by the Institute and was implemented in the astronauts' training practices.
Later Dr. Shatalova founded several so called Health Schools and many of her previously severely ill patients became able to physically perform in extreme environments of high altitudes, deserts, long-distance hiking, marathon, and super marathon.
