The Anti-Aging Diet seems to have a few manifestations, but perhaps the most famous one was devised by Dr. Roy Walford. He asserted that by eating a high-nutrient, low-calorie diet, we can live longer, healthier lives. He did not proclaim to remove wrinkles and age spots.

Working in Biosphere 2 as the resident doctor, Walford noticed that the team's medical tests (cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, etc) improved as food production failed to meet the expected levels, and everyone ate a lot less. Earlier in his life, during the 1960's, his experiments on mice showed that those with calorie restricted, nutritionally dense diets lived longer, had lower insulin levels, and had stronger immune systems.

Walford took high levels of vitamin supplements as well as ensuring each of his own calories also contained as much nutritional value as possible. The science behind this is all about free radicals. These youth and health destroyers have had much press in recent years and thus so have their counter agents - anti-oxidants. Free radicals are a byproduct of normal energy conversion or metabolism in our bodies, but they are also highly destructive forces that damage whatever they touch. Anti-oxidants combat free radicals, neutralising them by giving them an electron to become more stable, less destructive.

Dietary anti-oxidants include vitamins C and E, selenium, beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein. Dr. Walford took massive amounts of vitamins C and E as well as his regular diet. He claimed this would greatly reduce the cellular damage in his body by free radicals. In fact, researchers at the University of Wisconsin experimented on monkeys using Walford's diet. Those following the plan had the cells of four year olds at the age of 17. Apparently, his theory was holding water.

Considering that the biggest killers in the western world are cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other lifestyle ailments, perhaps there is merit to Walford's claims to long life. Reducing free radicals, cholesterol, insulin, and blood pressure, must contribute to increased life expectancy by delivering a blow to our greatest killers.

The biggest proponent of the anti-aging diet, is perhaps it's biggest detractor, although unintentionally. Dr Walford died at the age of 79 in 2004. He succumbed to Lou Gherig's disease, or ALS. Some argue this was due to exposure to nitrous oxide during an experiment in Biosphere. Many feel that by failing to live to 120 as he claimed his diet would bring him to, he proved his food plan a failure. However, it is certain that for a man with ALS he did exceed his life expectancy. Perhaps this is the greatest argument for calorie restricted, nutrient rich diets.

Sources:

http://www.pbs.org/saf/transcr ipts/transcript1003.htm
http://www.walford.com/html/cr tribute.html
http://www.healthscout.com/enc y/68/252/main.html

Learn more about this author, Mary Grundy.
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