The open secrets of longevity

Okinawa island has more people living there who are over 100 years old per 100,000 persons than anywhere else in the world, and suffer the lowest death rates from cancer, heart disease and stroke. Their longevity is attributed to their "harahachi bu" philosphy (eat until you are 80% full) and their active lifestyle. Much of this elderly community still tend to farms, fields and gardens manually.

Italian researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome are closer to understanding how a strict diet can contribute to longevity. The found that when calories are cut, the body produces a molecule called Creb 1 (known to regulate memory learning), which in turn activates another set of molecules linked to longevity called the Sirtuins.

Extraction from the article "Fountain of Youth", written by Jacqueline Toyad