Should You Restrict Your Caloric Intake to Increase Your Life Span? The Japanese island of Okinawa has the largest percentage of people aged 100 and older in the world, and the Okinawans have a strong cultural tradition of eating until they are only 80 percent full.1Some animals—monkeys, rats, and spiders, for example—also live longer when their caloric intake is reduced, laboratory studies have shown.2Believing that it will prolong their life, some people have begun to follow a calorie-restricted (CR) diet, reducing their caloric intake by as much as 30 percent of the daily recommended intake. This way of eating is difficult to maintain, and evidence about the impact of caloric restriction from researchers is not conclusive. Should you restrict your caloric intake, with an eye to extending your life span? After you’ve read the arguments for and against, answer the critical-thinking questions, and decide for yourself. Which side do you think has the more compelling argument? Why? Do you think the benefits of a calorie-restricted diet outweigh the risks? Are you likely to alter your habits based on the evidence provided?
