Michael Mosley compares his lifestyle with that of Joe Cordell and investigates the possible benefits of a calorie restricted diet.
For a decade, Joe’s been eating 1900 calories a day. I’ve averaged around 2300, quite a few of them doughnuts and burgers.
Joe Cordell “How much do you think you weigh?”
Michael Mosley “Probably about 180. Ooh, maybe more than 180!”
Joe Cordell “I should be around 134, 135, 136.”
134.
Joe Cordell “Oh, right on.”
Joe Cordell is Calorie Restrictive
Michael Mosley “We’re both in our 50s, and I really don’t think we look like different generations, let alone different species. So how different are we?”
Some of the simplest ways of assessing ageing don’t need specialist equipment. Balance is controlled by your inner ear. As you age, ear structures deteriorate and your balance gets worse. You can test it by standing on your weaker leg with your eyes closed. The average 55-year-old should manage eight seconds.
Over 30 seconds is what most 20-year-olds can manage, but is one of those skills that drops of dramatically with age. Joe managed over 30 seconds while Michael only managed 6.5 seconds.
Another good test is reaction time, which drops off with age. This one only needs a ruler. At our age you should be able to catch it around the 5 inch mark. Again, Joe exceeded Martin.
Professor Luigi Fontana
Professor Luigi Fontana’s methods are rather more scientific. We did a range of other medical tests, including blood tests. Now he’s about to give us our results.
Luigi’s face tells me that what I’m about to hear is not good news.
Professor Luigi Fontana “Total body fat in Joseph is 11.5%. This is typical of a super athlete. 11% body fat is very low for a 54, 55-year-old man. Yours is 27.1% fat. A third of your body is fat.”
Thank you… For making that point so emphatically! And he’s still not done talking about my fat.
Professor Luigi Fontana “Abdominal fat is around 30%. Abdominal fat is really the bad guy. The higher the abdominal fat, the higher the risk of developing type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease. No doubt about it. It’s also a risk factor for cancer. So, basically, your cardiometabolic profile, it’s not good. For your age. I think you should do something to improve it. What we can say is that joseph is not going to develop cardiovascular disease. It’s impossible to develop stroke, myocardial infarction or heart failure. These three diseases are responsible for 40% of the deaths now in the US and UK.”
And if I were to go on to Joe’s lifestyle…?
Professor Luigi Fontana “Yes, in a year, you are going to be cured.”
I now understand what Luigi means. It is as if we are two different species. Joe’s diet seems to be keeping his organs in pristine condition. My diet is undermining my health, and fast.
Well, that was very sobering. Luigi does not mince his words. He talked a bit about abdominal fat. In fact, he talked quite a lot about my abdominal fat. I’ve never thought of myself as particularly fat. But it was the sort of two visions he held out to me. One, where, if I continue as I am at the moment, I’m heading almost certainly for heart disease and possibly worse. The other is, if I embrace the calorie restriction way, he said I would be effectively cured in less than a year. My risk factors would move from being almost certainly a cardiac victim at some point to one in a million. When you put it as starkly as that, it’s given me a lot to think about.
External Links
Calorie Restrictive Diet - Science Daily
