Numerous studies have been done on rats, mice, and monkeys that demonstrated when restricted to a diet that reduced their normal caloric intake but still provided a healthy and balance diet, that these animals lived considerably longer and were in much better physical health than animals that did not have these same dietary restrictions. In fact, the evidence indicates that a diet low in sucrose in conjunction with a diet that doesn't permit overindulgence promotes healthier animals that suffer far less from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.
In regards to humans, more people than ever are living to 100 and beyond in the world today, in which, for industrialized nations, Japan has the highest percentage of centenarians. Not too surprisingly, Japan has a far lower incidence of obese people as compared to countries such as the United States, in which, only 3.4% of Japanese are obese, whereas America's obese level is over 30%. Additionally, by taking a careful look at healthy senior citizens, that are still vibrant and getting about on their own power, they are, on the whole, those that maintain a desirable body weight.
In America, there are many people who strongly desire to live both long and healthy lives, but there is often astrong disconnect in believing that doing so, is in their control, but often times it really is. The fact of the matter is that what we eat, how we eat, and how much we eat, has a strong correlation to our overall physical health and weight. This correlation has been proven in animals that have 96% of their DNA in common with humans, which strongly signifies that this is something that should be paid attention to.
Humans are creatures of habit which often comes from their environment, their family, peers, and their natural inclinations. Just because we, as humans, have been doing something for a number of years, which has become a habit for us, does not mean that that particular habit is beneficial for us or right. A man's mind, his beliefs, and his actions are powerful things, so that patterns are not easy to break, but break they can be, if we so desire it.
In a world in which we too often just look at things from a very short term perspective, it is easy to put off doing certain things and creating certain habits that will be beneficial for us in the long term, by simply not being concerned about the long term overall or by simply following in line by rote habit. When it comes to food, there is a belief for some people that food is pleasure, or should be a culinary pleasure, or a social exercise, or satisfaction, or a combination of all or some of these things, but food is too important to our overall health to leave to blithe ignorance.
Living a longer and healthier life is not about starving one self, but is definitely about being more diligent in consuming a diet of healthy foods, which typically means a significant reduction in refined carbohydrates, as well as avoiding added sugars, and all foods that have had their good nutrients bleached out from their product. The foods that we eat and how much that we eat, most definitely matter, and those that adhere to this law, will more often than not, live longer and healthier.