Category Archives: Human Longevity

Las Vegas, NV, June 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Employee networks, sponsors, and strong managers are crucial components of successfully engaging and retaining employees, according to an analysis of 3,362 employee records, released today by workplace research leaderSeramount, a part of EAB, at the annual conference of the Society for Human Resource Management,SHRM23. The data collected, using SeramountsEmployee Voice Sessiontechnology, shows that these relationships are even more closely connected to employee longevity than the promise of promotions.

Todays employees are deeply disengaged from their work, resulting in trends such as quiet quitting and working your wage, and employers need to take action, said Seramount Managing Director Dr. Laura Sherbin. This research tells us that employee surveys have only scratched the surface of solving engagement problems for employers and the economy.

Seramounts data showed that employees who do not feel included are nearly twice as likely to report desiring to leave within the next three years (19 percent versus 36 percent). Similarly, when employees do not believe someone at their organization is working to expand their visibility or directly supporting their career advancement (i.e., functioning as their sponsor), they report desiring to leave at twice the rate (34 percent versus 17 percent).

When you cut the data by demographic groups, respondents from historically marginalized groups who want to advance to a more senior position were 10 percent less likely than White employees to have a sponsor. In addition, women who report wanting to advance to a more senior position were seven percentage points less likely to have a sponsor than men who want to advance.

The demographic data also revealed that 43 percent of White employees who want to advance reported a strong network, compared to 24 percent of employees from historically marginalized groups. Forty-four percent of men who want to advance reported a strong network, compared to 24 percent of females.

On the other hand, the belief in advancement does not reduce flight risk. Among those who believe they will advance to a more senior role at their organization, 26 percent planned to stay three years or less. Similarly, 30 percent of those who did not believe they would advance planned to stay three years or less.

There is a lot of emphasis on career pathing, and that is still very important, Sherbin continued. But companies also need to focus on facilitating strong peer-to-peer and peer-to-manager relationships, especially for underrepresented employees. The research is clear: interpersonal connections are key to retaining employees.

To learn more about pathways for creating a more inclusive workforce, Seramounts full report is availablehere.

About the Methodology In March of 2023, Seramount conducted an analysis of 3,362 employee records that evaluated how employee networks, sponsors, and managers can affect a companys efforts to engage and retain employees. Companies spanned technology, pharmaceutical, legal, and finance services industries. Data was collected using Seramounts Employee Voice Session (EVS), a virtual online tool with which Seramount moderates and guides employees anonymously through a series of quantitative and qualitative questions. The live nature allows Seramount to dive deeply into responses and allows employees to share with one another openly.

About Seramount Seramount, part of EAB, is a strategic professional services and research firm dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Over four decades, partnering with more than 450 of the most iconic companies in the world, weve built a deep, data-driven understanding of the employee experience, which lays the groundwork for everything we do. We meet each partners needs no matter where they are on their journey and guide them along an ever-changing talent landscape. Learn more atwww.seramount.com.

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Workplace Networks Are More Important than Promotions to Engage ... - GlobeNewswire

Weve spent two years organising and are trying to get a fair shake, said Laura Greene, a multimedia team leader with Accenture.

Basically, we decided that the only way to get real, lasting change is to formally unionise and, ideally, negotiate at the bargaining table.

Accenture acknowledged that it received a letter from workers requesting that the company recognise its union. We always value the ability to listen directly to our people and respond to their concerns, Rachel Frey, an Accenture spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Google said it expected all of its vendor workers to be treated fairly, in compliance with its supplier code of conduct.

We, of course, respect these workers right to join a union or not, but this is a matter between them and their employer, Accenture, said Courtenay Mencini, a Google spokeswoman. Google does not control their employment terms or working conditions.

In a letter sent to management Wednesday afternoon, workers said that over the four-year life of their contract, they had consistently requested that Google and Accenture consider their expertise and experience in executing their work, but were routinely disregarded.

Instead of recognising us as highly specialised workers worthy of respect, we are treated as resources for Google to exhaust, despite our expertise and how much genuine care we put into this complex work, they wrote.

In January, the workers said, they were recruited for a top secret project working on the companys then-unannounced chatbot, Bard.

They were told to answer theoretical prompts and fact-check Bards responses, a job that required research and creativity.

For a brief period on the Bard project, Accenture workers were also asked to handle obscene, graphic and offensive prompts, they said. Though the workers were told they could skip certain tasks, they also risked getting penalised in other ways for passing on the work.

At least one person filed a complaint with human resources at Accenture. In February, the work they had been doing was transferred over to their Accenture counterparts based in Manila, the workers said.

The change raised concerns among the US staffers that the work they are assigned could be taken away at any point and offloaded to cheaper labor elsewhere.

The outcome of the Google workers organising effort may not be immediately clear.

When most employees at a work site agree to unionise in the US, a company can voluntarily recognise and negotiate with the labour group or refuse to do so unless the union first prevails in a government-run election.

The process of determining who should be eligible to vote in an election can take weeks or months, and companies often use that time to fight organising efforts by using tactics such as mandatory anti-union meetings.

And even after securing union recognition, progress can be slow. YouTube Music workers hired via the staffing agency Cognizant Technology Solutions voted to unionise in April, but Alphabet is appealing a US National Labour Relations Board officials decision deeming it a joint employer of the workers.

The legal battle could drag on for years, as could also end up happening with the Accenture staff.

The Accenture workers said theyre undeterred by the prospect of a long campaign. What we really want is longevity in the job, and more respect and autonomy from Google, said Tahlia Kirk, a writer and team trainer with Accenture.

Bloomberg

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Accenture staff working at Google training AI move to unionise - The Australian Financial Review

Hair Wigs and Extension Market Size to Grow by USD 5.26 billion from 2021 to 2026, Growth Driven by Technologi  Black Enterprise

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Hair Wigs and Extension Market Size to Grow by USD 5.26 billion from 2021 to 2026, Growth Driven by Technologi - Black Enterprise

Want to age like a fine wine? Here are some tips for longevity and feeling younger  The Indian Express

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Want to age like a fine wine? Here are some tips for longevity and feeling younger - The Indian Express

Top Questions

What is the chemical composition of the human body?

Chemically, the human body consists mainly of water and organic compoundsi.e., lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. The human body is about 60 percent water by weight.

What are the four main types of tissue in the human body?

What are the nine major organ systems in the human body?

The nine major organ systems in the human body are the integumentary system, the musculoskeletal system, the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the digestive system, the excretory system, the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the reproductive system.

human body, the physical substance of the human organism, composed of living cells and extracellular materials and organized into tissues, organs, and systems.

Human anatomy and physiology are treated in many different articles. For detailed discussions of specific tissues, organs, and systems, see human blood; cardiovascular system; digestive system, human; endocrine system, human; renal system; skin; human muscle system; nervous system; reproductive system, human; respiration, human; sensory reception, human; skeletal system, human. For a description of how the body develops, from conception through old age, see aging; growth; prenatal development; human development.

For detailed coverage of the bodys biochemical constituents, see protein; carbohydrate; lipid; nucleic acid; vitamin; and hormone. For information on the structure and function of the cells that constitute the body, see cell.

Many entries describe the bodys major structures. For example, see abdominal cavity; adrenal gland; aorta; bone; brain; ear; eye; heart; kidney; large intestine; lung; nose; ovary; pancreas; pituitary gland; small intestine; spinal cord; spleen; stomach; testis; thymus; thyroid gland; tooth; uterus; vertebral column.

Humans are, of course, animalsmore particularly, members of the order Primates in the subphylum Vertebrata of the phylum Chordata. Like all chordates, the human animal has a bilaterally symmetrical body that is characterized at some point during its development by a dorsal supporting rod (the notochord), gill slits in the region of the pharynx, and a hollow dorsal nerve cord. Of these features, the first two are present only during the embryonic stage in the human; the notochord is replaced by the vertebral column, and the pharyngeal gill slits are lost completely. The dorsal nerve cord is the spinal cord in humans; it remains throughout life.

Characteristic of the vertebrate form, the human body has an internal skeleton that includes a backbone of vertebrae. Typical of mammalian structure, the human body shows such characteristics as hair, mammary glands, and highly developed sense organs.

Beyond these similarities, however, lie some profound differences. Among the mammals, only humans have a predominantly two-legged (bipedal) posture, a fact that has greatly modified the general mammalian body plan. (Even the kangaroo, which hops on two legs when moving rapidly, walks on four legs and uses its tail as a third leg when standing.) Moreover, the human brain, particularly the neocortex, is far and away the most highly developed in the animal kingdom. As intelligent as are many other mammalssuch as chimpanzees and dolphinsnone have achieved the intellectual status of the human species.

Chemically, the human body consists mainly of water and of organic compoundsi.e., lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. Water is found in the extracellular fluids of the body (the blood plasma, the lymph, and the interstitial fluid) and within the cells themselves. It serves as a solvent without which the chemistry of life could not take place. The human body is about 60 percent water by weight.

Lipidschiefly fats, phospholipids, and steroidsare major structural components of the human body. Fats provide an energy reserve for the body, and fat pads also serve as insulation and shock absorbers. Phospholipids and the steroid compound cholesterol are major components of the membrane that surrounds each cell.

Proteins also serve as a major structural component of the body. Like lipids, proteins are an important constituent of the cell membrane. In addition, such extracellular materials as hair and nails are composed of protein. So also is collagen, the fibrous, elastic material that makes up much of the bodys skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments. Proteins also perform numerous functional roles in the body. Particularly important are cellular proteins called enzymes, which catalyze the chemical reactions necessary for life.

Carbohydrates are present in the human body largely as fuels, either as simple sugars circulating through the bloodstream or as glycogen, a storage compound found in the liver and the muscles. Small amounts of carbohydrates also occur in cell membranes, but, in contrast to plants and many invertebrate animals, humans have little structural carbohydrate in their bodies.

Nucleic acids make up the genetic materials of the body. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) carries the bodys hereditary master code, the instructions according to which each cell operates. It is DNA, passed from parents to offspring, that dictates the inherited characteristics of each individual human. Ribonucleic acid (RNA), of which there are several types, helps carry out the instructions encoded in the DNA.

Along with water and organic compounds, the bodys constituents include various inorganic minerals. Chief among these are calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, and iron. Calcium and phosphorus, combined as calcium-phosphate crystals, form a large part of the bodys bones. Calcium is also present as ions in the blood and interstitial fluid, as is sodium. Ions of phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, on the other hand, are abundant within the intercellular fluid. All of these ions play vital roles in the bodys metabolic processes. Iron is present mainly as part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment of the red blood cells. Other mineral constituents of the body, found in minute but necessary concentrations, include cobalt, copper, iodine, manganese, and zinc.

The cell is the basic living unit of the human bodyindeed, of all organisms. The human body consists of trillions of cells, each capable of growth, metabolism, response to stimuli, and, with some exceptions, reproduction. Although there are some 200 different types of cells in the body, these can be grouped into four basic classes. These four basic cell types, together with their extracellular materials, form the fundamental tissues of the human body: (1) epithelial tissues, which cover the bodys surface and line the internal organs, body cavities, and passageways; (2) muscle tissues, which are capable of contraction and form the bodys musculature; (3) nerve tissues, which conduct electrical impulses and make up the nervous system; and (4) connective tissues, which are composed of widely spaced cells and large amounts of intercellular matrix and which bind together various body structures. (Bone and blood are considered specialized connective tissues, in which the intercellular matrix is, respectively, hard and liquid.)

The next level of organization in the body is that of the organ. An organ is a group of tissues that constitutes a distinct structural and functional unit. Thus, the heart is an organ composed of all four tissues, whose function is to pump blood throughout the body. Of course, the heart does not function in isolation; it is part of a system composed of blood and blood vessels as well. The highest level of body organization, then, is that of the organ system.

The body includes nine major organ systems, each composed of various organs and tissues that work together as a functional unit. The chief constituents and prime functions of each system are summarized below. (1) The integumentary system, composed of the skin and associated structures, protects the body from invasion by harmful microorganisms and chemicals; it also prevents water loss from the body. (2) The musculoskeletal system (also referred to separately as the muscle system and the skeletal system), composed of the skeletal muscles and bones (with about 206 of the latter in adults), moves the body and protectively houses its internal organs. (3) The respiratory system, composed of the breathing passages, lungs, and muscles of respiration, obtains from the air the oxygen necessary for cellular metabolism; it also returns to the air the carbon dioxide that forms as a waste product of such metabolism. (4) The circulatory system, composed of the heart, blood, and blood vessels, circulates a transport fluid throughout the body, providing the cells with a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients and carrying away waste products such as carbon dioxide and toxic nitrogen compounds. (5) The digestive system, composed of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines, breaks down food into usable substances (nutrients), which are then absorbed from the blood or lymph; this system also eliminates the unusable or excess portion of the food as fecal matter. (6) The excretory system, composed of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra, removes toxic nitrogen compounds and other wastes from the blood. (7) The nervous system, composed of the sensory organs, brain, spinal cord, and nerves, transmits, integrates, and analyzes sensory information and carries impulses to effect the appropriate muscular or glandular responses. (8) The endocrine system, composed of the hormone-secreting glands and tissues, provides a chemical communications network for coordinating various body processes. (9) The reproductive system, composed of the male or female sex organs, enables reproduction and thereby ensures the continuation of the species.

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Human body | Organs, Systems, Structure, Diagram, & Facts

HumanSkin

Range from pinkish-white to almost black

1.26m-2.4m (average 1.68m)

Brown, blue, grey, green, gold, hazel, and turquoise

Brown, black, blond, red, grayish-white to fully white

Humans (Na'vi name: tawtutemeaning "sky people") are a sapient, sentient, bipedal mammalian dominant species native to planet Earth, who by the 22nd century has become a technologically advanced species capable of interstellar travel and colonization.

Humanity is the first and only alien species known to the Na'vi, another sapient species native to Pandora, where the humans arrived in search for and to extract the rare mineral unobtanium. The Na'vi refer to humans as tawtute (pl. sawtute), meaning "sky person/people" in the Na'vi language, and derogatorily as "pinkskins".[1]

Humans are mid-sized hominid primates and the only extant species of the genus Homo, with an upright bipedal posture and prehensile forelimbs, each with a highly dexterous five-digit hand adapted for fine motor functions. Humans also display noticeable sexual dimorphism, with the male humans generally being taller and more muscular than the females.

The human skeletal structures are quite small and weak by Pandoran standards, and are prone to losing muscle strength in the lighter gravity of Pandora without constant exercise. In combat, humans tend to avoid melee combat and favor chemically powered range based projectile weapons such as firearms, and employ heavy use of aircraft and weaponized exoskeletons such as the AMP suit.

Like Pandoran animals, humans are oxygen-breathers, but can't survive in the high-carbon dioxide atmosphere of Pandora, and thus are heavily dependent on air filtration systems such as exopacks.

Humans have highly developed brains capable of abstract reasoning, advanced language, introspection, problem-solving, and organization, and over the millennia have accumulated vast quantities of knowledge and expertise. As well as countless wars on Earth since their founding of the first civilization. Although anatomically human brains are far less complex than the Na'vi brains, which are specially evolved for interspecies neural bonding, humans are far more capable of designing and building complex machinery and therefore are superior in terms of resources and technological sophistication.

Humanity began forays into the universe during the mid-20th century after their 2nd World War, first by launching 'primitive' satellites into low orbit, then sending human occupants to orbits. About 25 years after the first unmanned craft was launched from Earth, humans first made the journey to the nearest celestial body to Earth, the Moon. Trips to and from the Moon occurred for a decade. Humanity then set up an international coalition dedicated to funding and building an international space station in low earth orbit. After this, private corporations grouped together and built interstellar vessels like the ISV Venture Star, which allowed the human race to expand to other nearby star systems, particularly the Alpha Centauri System, and explore their planets and moons.

Following the ravaging of their home planet by pollution and war which left Earth largely unsuitable for life and in the midst of an energy crisis, the goal of humans shifted to venturing to Pandora to mine the mineral unobtanium, which is valued at 20 million United States dollars a kilogram. The Security Operations (SecOps) group, which is owned by the RDA, was installed at Hell's Gate to protect the interests of the RDA as they mine the valuable mineral from Pandora. SecOps also served to prevent any and all intrusions by Pandoran natives. The RDA also established the Science Operations (SciOps), a branch dedicated to researching Pandora, interacting with natives, and possibly synthesizing various flora and fauna for practical use on Earth; compared to SecOps and the Mining Operations, SciOps is largely underfunded.[2]

Though relations between the human and the Na'vi initially started peaceful, things eventually deteriorated. Tensions and conflicts escalated to the point where both sides were on the brink of war. Upon Jake Sully's arrival on Pandora, the RDA made one last attempt to find a diplomatic and peaceful agreement with the Na'vi, so they could mine the unobtanium from the moon without interference. However, this unfortunately failed and the RDA resorted to using full force against the Na'vi in order to get the resources they desired.

The RDA's plans were foiled by the Na'vi who defeated them during the Assault on the Tree of Souls with the help of like-minded humans. Most humans were exiled from Pandora, though a few were permitted to stay. The humans who stayed behind did not agree with the RDA's goals and worked with the Na'vi to rebuild, as well as sustain themselves. Despite this, relations between the humans who stayed and the Na'vi remained resentful. The remaining humans on Pandora were eventually able to build a suitable home for themselves where they could survive and even started to raise families of their own.

However, although the RDA was banished from Pandora, they eventually returned and established the Bridgehead complex to begin plundering the Pandoran oceans for their resources and create a colony as Earth's situation deteriorated to almost unhabitable level.

Generations after the RDA's chokehold presence on Pandora, they were finally expelled for good, and Alpha Centauri Expeditions set to work repairing the relationship between Na'vi and humans. After reaching peace with the nearby Omaticaya Clan, ACE set up a thriving ecotourism system in the Valley of Mo'ara so that humans could return to Pandora and learn about the Na'vi, as well as about the RDA's harmful practices. The Pandora Conservation Initiative helps to undo environmental destruction caused by the RDA and relaunched the Avatar Program to continue their research and allow guests to experience Pandora through avatar bodies. With these measures in place, Na'vi and humans largely live harmoniously.

Humans have created advanced technology over the centuries, including subliminal travel, which is required to travel between Earth and the Alpha Centauri system in a realistic time span. Since humans are unable to breathe Pandora's atmosphere, they must use exopacks (supplied to them by the RDA) when on the moon's surface. The Avatar Program technology enables the transfer of human consciousness into cloned human/Na'vi hybrids, known as avatars. Once transferred to an avatar body, a human can live comfortably on Pandora.

Even though humans have advanced technology, they have ravaged their planet, Earth, to the point of resource depletion. As such, the economies of Earth nations have become poor. The majority of power on Earth has been split up among powerful companies, corporations and organizations that enlist ex-military soldiers and civilians.

A list of notable human organizations, including those with substantial presence on Pandora, are as follows.

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Human | Avatar Wiki | Fandom

You may have heard about calorie restriction and fasting diets and wondered why they're getting so much attention in the news. Aren't they just other terms for dieting to lose weight?

No, they're not. Calorie restriction means reducing average daily caloric intake below what is typical or habitual, without malnutrition or deprivation of essential nutrients. In a fasting diet, a person does not eat at all or severely limits intake during certain times of the day, week, or month. A practical effect of a fasting diet may be fewer calories because there is less time for regular eating.

These eating patterns are being studied as possible ways to maintain good health and live longer. They are not temporary weight-loss plans. Interest in their potential health and aging benefits stems from decades of research with a variety of animals, including worms, crabs, snails, fruit flies, and rodents. In many experiments, calorie-restricted feeding delayed the onset of age-related disorders and, in some studies, extended lifespan.

Given these results in animals, researchers are studying if and how calorie restriction or a fasting diet affects health and lifespan in people. Many studies have shown that obese and overweight people who lose weight by dieting can improve their health. But scientists still have much to learn about how calorie restriction and fasting affect people who are not overweight, including older adults. They also don't know whether these eating patterns are safe or even doable in the long run. In short, there's not enough evidence to recommend any such eating regimen to the public.

Calorie restriction is a consistent pattern of reducing average daily caloric intake, while fasting regimens primarily focus on the frequency of eating. The fasting diet may or may not involve a restriction in the intake of calories during non-fasting times.

There are a variety of fasting diets, sometimes called "intermittent fasting." You may have read about:

More animal research has been done on calorie restriction than on fasting. In some experiments, calorie restriction is also a form of fasting because the lab animals consume all their daily allotted food within hours and go many more hours without any food.

In these studies, when rodents and other animals were given 10 percent to 40 percent fewer calories than usual but provided with all necessary nutrients, many showed extension of lifespan and reduced rates of several diseases, especially cancers. But, some studies did not show this benefit, and in some mouse strains, calorie restriction shortened lifespan rather than extending it.

In the worm C. elegans, a fasting diet increased lifespan by 40 percent. A study with fruit flies found that calorie restrictionbut not intermittent fastingwas associated with living longer. One study of male mice found that lifelong alternate-day fasting increased longevity, mainly by delaying cancer occurrence rather than slowing other aging processes.

Two National Institute on Aging (NIA)-supported studies in rhesus monkeys sought to find out whether the benefits of calorie restriction are seen in longer-lived species. In both studies, the monkeys were kept on a calorie-restriction diet (30 percent fewer calories than for monkeys in the control groups) for more than 20 years. Although there were differences between the two studiesincluding monkey breed and type of foodboth provided evidence that calorie restriction reduced the incidence of age-related conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. One study found an extension of lifespan, while the other did not. Many of the monkeys are still alive, so the full impact of calorie restriction on their maximum lifespan has yet to be determined.

Some study results suggest that calorie restriction may have health benefits for humans, but more research is needed before we understand its long-term effects. There are no data in humans on the relationship between calorie restriction and longevity.

Some people have voluntarily practiced extreme degrees of calorie restriction over many years in the belief that it will extend lifespan or preserve health. Studies on these individuals have found markedly low levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The studies have also found many other physiologic effects whose long-term benefits and risks are uncertain, as well as reductions in sexual interest and the ability to maintain body temperature in cold environments. These people generally consume a variety of nutritional supplements, which limits knowing which effects are due to calorie restriction versus other factors.

To conduct a more rigorous study of calorie restriction in humans, NIA supported a pioneering clinical trial called Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE).

In CALERIE, 218 young and middle-aged, normal-weight or moderately overweight adults were randomly divided into two groups. People in the experimental group were told to follow a calorie-restriction diet for 2 years, while those in the control group followed their usual diet.

The study was designed to have participants in the experimental group eat 25 percent fewer calories per day than they had regularly consumed before the study. Although they did not meet this target, they reduced their daily caloric intake by 12 percent and maintained, on average, a 10 percent loss in body weight over 2 years. A follow-up study 2 years after the intervention ended found that participants had sustained much of this weight loss.

It's important to note that calorie-restriction regimens are not starvation diets. The weight loss achieved with calorie restriction in the CALERIE trial resulted in body weights within the normal or overweight range.

Compared to participants in the control group, those in the calorie-restriction group had reduced risk factors (lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol) for age-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. They also showed decreases in some inflammatory factors and thyroid hormones. There is some evidence that lower levels of these measures are associated with longer lifespan and diminished risk for age-related diseases. Moreover, in the calorie-restricted individuals, no adverse effects (and some favorable ones) were found on quality of life, mood, sexual function, and sleep.

The calorie-restriction intervention did cause slight declines in bone density, lean body mass, and aerobic capacity (the ability of the body to use oxygen during exercise). However, these declines were generally no more than expected based on participants' weight loss. Other short-term studies have found that combining physical activity with calorie restriction protects against losses of bone, muscle mass, and aerobic capacity.

Some CALERIE participants also experienced brief episodes of anemia (diminished number of circulating red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body). Overall, these findings indicate that while the degree of calorie restriction in CALERIE is safe for normal-weight or moderately obese people, clinical monitoring is recommended.

Most research to date has focused on the weight-loss aspect of fasting, primarily in obese people, and only a few small clinical trials have been conducted. More work is needed to determine which, if any, types of fasting diets have long-term benefits.

Observational studies have been conducted in people who practice fasting in one form or another. In an observational study, the investigator does not determine the treatment to offer and does not randomize subjects into a control group or experimental group. Instead, the investigator records data from real-life situations.

For example, one observational study compared people who routinely fasted (as part of a religious practice or for another reason) to those who did not fast. It found that those who routinely fasted were less likely to have clogged arteries or coronary artery disease. However, the study did not control for other factors that could have affected the results, such as the kind of diet, quality of food consumed, or use of nutritional supplements.

After decades of research, scientists still don't know why calorie restriction extends lifespan and delays age-related diseases in laboratory animals. Do these results come from consuming fewer calories or eating within a certain timeframe? Are the results affected by the diet's mix of nutrients?

Several studies have focused on what occurs inside the body when caloric intake is restricted. In laboratory animals, calorie restriction affects many processes that have been proposed to regulate the rate of aging. These include inflammation, sugar metabolism, maintenance of protein structures, the capacity to provide energy for cellular processes, and modifications to DNA. Another process that is affected by calorie restriction is oxidative stress, which is the production of toxic byproducts of oxygen metabolism that can damage cells and tissues.

Several of these processes were similarly affected by calorie restriction in the human CALERIE trial. However, we do not yet know which factors are responsible for calorie restriction's effects on aging or whether other factors contribute.

Research supported by NIA has also focused on the effects of intermittent fasting. During fasting, the body uses up glucose and glycogen, then turns to energy reserves stored in fat. This stored energy is released in the form of chemicals called ketones. These chemicals help cellsespecially brain cellskeep working at full capacity. Some researchers think that because ketones are a more efficient energy source than glucose, they may protect against aging-related decline in the central nervous system that might cause dementia and other disorders.

Ketones also may inhibit the development of cancer because malignant cells cannot effectively obtain energy from ketones. In addition, studies show that ketones may help protect against inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Ketones also reduce the level of insulin in the blood, which could protect against type 2 diabetes.

But too many ketones in the blood can have harmful health effects. This is one of the reasons researchers want to understand more about how calorie restriction diets work before recommending them.

Despite a lot of research on calorie restriction and fasting, there are no firm conclusions about the benefits for human health. Here's a summary of the reasons why:

Most calorie-restriction and fasting-diet studies have been in younger people, but researchers are beginning to study older adults. A clinical trial conducted by NIA is testing the 5:2 diet in obese people, age 55 to 70, with insulin resistance. (This is a condition in which cells do not respond normally to the hormone insulin. This can lead to serious diseases such as diabetes.) People in the experimental group can eat at will for 5 days, and then for 2 consecutive days are restricted to 500 to 600 calories per day. The experiment is designed to find out how 8 weeks of the 5:2 diet, compared to a regular diet, affects insulin resistance and the brain chemicals that play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

In the coming years, researchers will continue to explore many unresolved questions. What are the long-term benefits and risks of the various eating patterns? Which diets are feasible as a long-term practice? What specific biological effects on aging and disease are triggered by a particular eating pattern? If a specific way of eating is recommended, at what age is it best to start, and is it safe to continue as you get older?

Scientists are exploring many aspects of calorie restriction and fasting and their effects on people of all ages. Some are conducting clinical studies and trials to learn more. If you are interested in volunteering for this type of research, search ClinicalTrials.gov using keywords such as "intermittent fasting," "time-restricted feeding," or "calorie restriction."

There's insufficient evidence to recommend any type of calorie-restriction or fasting diet. A lot more needs to be learned about their effectiveness and safety, especially in older adults.

You may be tempted to try one of these eating patterns. It's important to make sure that whatever you try provides you with a safe level of nutrition. Talk with your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks before making any significant changes to your eating pattern.

Meanwhile, there's plenty of evidence for other actions you can take to stay healthy as you age:

Read more about healthy eating for older adults.

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Calorie Restriction and Fasting Diets: What Do We Know?

Emma Thompson On Longevity Of Holiday Fave Love Actually But It Is SEX Actually That Is Earning Her Awards Buzz In Leo Grande  Deadline

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Emma Thompson On Longevity Of Holiday Fave Love Actually But It Is SEX Actually That Is Earning Her Awards Buzz In Leo Grande - Deadline

Heads or tails: What statistical models tell us about the probability of living beyond 110  The Conversation

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Heads or tails: What statistical models tell us about the probability of living beyond 110 - The Conversation

LinkedIn founder and VC Reid Hoffman says human amplification via A.I. will revolutionize large enterprises in the next five years  Fortune

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LinkedIn founder and VC Reid Hoffman says human amplification via A.I. will revolutionize large enterprises in the next five years - Fortune