The rationed food on the menu made a whole people healthy. The paradox that helped scientists find a secret to longevity

Frugal meals are one of the secrets to longevity, experts say. If you eat little, but qualitatively, you have a chance to add more years to your earthly existence. In addition, the same studies show that eating less food reduces inflammation and prevents several conditions.

The lighter and more frugal we eat, the longer we live PHOTO istock

Studies over the last few decades show that those who eat sparingly and get up before they feel full are more likely to live longer and healthier lives. The condition is to consume preparations from the basic food groups.

Food on the card, clean health

The studies also started from a series of effects of some historical events. Some downright paradoxical. For example, the English during World War II had to do without many foodstuffs due to German blockades on trade routes, food shortages and the war effort. People actually ate a la carte, much reduced rations.

To top it off, instead of falling, the average Englishman's life expectancy increased, and a whole people became much healthier after a period when many would have expected their health to be weaker, because of the rarer and smaller meals. The story (as real as possible) went something like this. Starting in 1940, for five years, the British government introduced food rationing to ensure that everyone got a fair share of the increasingly limited food. At first, only a few foods were rationed, but as the years went by, more and more were included on the shortage blacklists. While German submarines patrolled the Atlantic wreaking havoc and attacking merchant convoys, the British were forced to tighten their belts, more and more. In short, for five years, the English have food on the menu. It was called a rationing card. A 'points' scheme was introduced for non-rationed food.

Each person was allocated a number of points and a selected range of foods was assigned a point value. The consumer could choose how to spend these points. Obviously, no one ate their fill. And people had to adopt new food patterns. That is to give up bacon, for example, for vegetables that were found in greater quantity. Most English people ate less meat, fat and sugar. But there was a balance. Those who overeat, of choice, of necessity, went on a diet, while people with limited possibilities, and had too poor a diet, now had the opportunity to increase their intake of proteins and vitamins. And that's because they all got the same rations. Effectively, the diet of the entire people was standardized on the card. In addition, the British government has ensured that while people eat rationed, less, they still get nutritious and healthy food. This is how the “National Bread” appeared. In the conditions where white flour was a rarity, it was switched to black bread, with a greater amount of seeds. At the same time, “Dr. Carrot” and “Potato Pete” were characters created to encourage people to eat home-grown vegetables, which were plentiful.

Many people grew their own vegetables and raised chickens to supplement their rations. In other words, they ate naturally, from home. Part of the work of the Ministry of Food was to give advice to the British public on how to make the most of the food available. This included radio shows, cooking demonstrations and recipe leaflets. Special arrangements were made for young children, pregnant women and nursing mothers to receive cod liver oil, orange juice and milk from welfare clinics. When oranges were available, children under six were entitled to 0.45 kg each week. At its peak, although it was a period of rationing, the general health of children improved and on average they were taller and heavier than pre-war children. So do adults. Many people were better fed during wartime food rationing than before the war years. Infant mortality rates fell and the average age at which people died of natural causes rose.

Caloric restriction, the secret of prolonged youth

These phenomena observed over time have been studied by specialists from all over the world. The conclusions of some teams of researchers were amazing. A reduced calorie intake has been shown to offer several health benefits. A group of Italian researchers have discovered that one of the most effective anti-aging methods is limiting caloric intake, also known as caloric restriction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men in urbanized, civilized areas consume an average of about 2,745 calories per day, and women consume an average of 1,833 calories per day. A hypocaloric diet restricts consumption by up to a third of the average intake.

For example, the Calorie Restriction Society in the United States chose a group of subjects and fed them for 15 years a diet of about 1,800 kcal/day. That is about 30% fewer calories than is usually consumed in the Western, or urbanized, world. People included in the trial were urged to eat more fiber, more fruits, vegetables and other low glycemic index foods such as whole grains. After the lapse of 15 years, the conclusions were drawn. Participants had lower cholesterol and triglycerides, lower blood pressure, lower fasting blood glucose and insulin levels, and overall lower inflammation in the body. Another institution, the National Institute on Aging in the United States, has also conducted similar studies.

He used a group of healthy men and women of normal weight for the tests. The specialists divided the volunteers into two groups. The first group had to restrict their diet by 25%, and the people in the other group ate whatever they wanted. The calorie-restricted group was found to have a significant reduction from baseline in all cardiometabolic risk factors measured, including LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and blood pressure. They also saw significant improvements in C-reactive protein, insulin sensitivity. In addition, the calorie-restricted group experienced a weight loss of 7.4 kg. Eighty percent of participants in the calorie-restricted group, who were in the overweight range of body mass index, were of normal weight at the end of the study. Study subjects also saw positive benefits in terms of quality of life, including significant improvements in mood, general health, libido and sleep.

Obviously, many other studies with similar effects have been carried out. For example, specialist Jayanta Kumar from the National Institute of Aging, USA, claims in his work “Aging Cell” that caloric restriction, that is, in short, eating less, frugally, can have positive effects on the whole organism. “Our research indicates that moderate caloric restriction in humans has the potential to influence various biological pathways that, when activated, can positively contribute to healthy aging and muscle tissue endurance,” Jayanta Kumar told The Catalyst, the journal of the US National Institutes of Health.