The Most Proven Longevity Intervention
Caloric restriction (CR) has extended lifespan in every organism tested: yeast, worms, flies, fish, mice, rats, and primates. In mice, 30% CR can extend lifespan by 30-50%. No drug, supplement, or gene therapy has matched this consistency.
CR activates AMPK and sirtuins, inhibits mTOR and IGF-1, reduces inflammation, enhances autophagy, improves insulin sensitivity, and reduces oxidative stress.
Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Eating
Intermittent fasting (IF) and time-restricted eating (TRE) have exploded as more practical alternatives:
16:8 (Time-Restricted Eating) — Eating within an 8-hour window. The most popular and sustainable approach.
5:2 Diet — Eating normally five days, restricting to 500-600 calories on two non-consecutive days.
OMAD (One Meal A Day) — Practiced by David Sinclair and others.
Prolonged Fasts (2-5 days) — Trigger deep autophagy and immune system regeneration. Valter Longo's Fasting Mimicking Diet has the most clinical data.
The honest assessment: intermittent fasting probably captures 40-60% of CR's benefits with much better adherence.
