Doctors are one in saying that your diet has a great impact on your life expectancy. What you eat can significantly determine how healthy you are. There is just one problem, though, there are different kinds of diets available out there. Each of these diets is being advocated by a different set of health specialists.

So the question remains, is there one particular diet that you should follow? Will it then help you live longer.

Factors Involved

According to the health authority site NHS, one secret to living longer is by following a healthy lifestyle. This would include developing a good exercise routine, staying away from cigarettes, reducing alcohol intake, or, if possible, shunning alcohol. A combination of these factors could ensure that you would be able to live a longer and healthier life.

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low-calorie-diet pasja1000 - Pixabay

But what is the amount of food that you can eat? Recent studies showed that reducing the number of calories that you eat every day can create a positive impact on your life expectancy.

Reducing Calorie-Intake

A study that was published in the Cell Metabolism Journal revealed that if you reduce the number of calories that you eat by 15% in a span of two years, you will start seeing astounding effects on your body. According to the study, this will help in protecting you from certain diseases like diabetes and cancer. It can even create a positive impact on dementia, which means that your risk of developing this neurological illness will be reduced.

The study, which looked at 53 non-obese individuals, in the age group of 21 to 50, discovered that even if the individuals who participated were already healthy, they still derive benefits from a diet where calorie intake is restricted.

In another study, which was published in Science Translational Medicine, showed that extreme restriction of calories for 5 days in a month for 3 months greatly helped the body fight against aging. Researchers gave participants plant-based vegetable soups and energy bars.

Another study published in Science Translational Medicine also showed an extremely calorie-restricted diet, practiced for five days a month for three months, help the body with aging.

Number of Calories

With these studies telling everyone to cut down calories, the only thing left to be answered is how many calories will you need in a day? As per NHS, men would require 2,500kcal, while women would need 2,000kcal. In some diets, a low-calorie diet would be between 800kcal to 1,500kcal.

Always remember, before you venture into this diet, better seek the advice of your general practitioner. Aside from being healthy, other factors that will affect the number of calories you take in per day would include your age, physical activity, and for women, whether pregnant or breastfeeding.