Eat fewer calories to live a longer life?

Some people want to live forever, don't they? Would you be willing to eat less so that you can live longer? I suppose it depends on how much less, right? I could never give up chocolate or ice cream. Speaking of those things, hang on - I'll be right back.

OK, I'm back now and I'm stuffed! So CNN has an interesting story about titled, "Fewer calories equals a longer life -- At least in monkeys"

Here are the story highlights:

• Monkey study: Cutting daily calories by 30 percent slows aging process
  
• Study shows effects of calorie restriction in primates closely related to humans
  
• Similar results in mice, worms, and flies: longer, healthier lives
  
• Calorie Restriction Society had 2,000 (human) members in 2007

Well, I'm not a monkey, so I'm not sure how this study applies to me. I don't think I'll be joining the Calorie Restriction Society just yet, but I'll keep my eyes open for additional studies on this interesting topic. I just hope this type of story doesn't give fuel for people with anorexia to continue their behavior. Want to read the CNN story? Click here.

Link between autism and anorexia?

Is there a link between autism and anorexia? Autism has been a really hot topic over the past several years as celebrities and other high-profile individuals have argued about a link between pediatric vaccination and autism. An article on Time suggests that there may be a genetic link. If anorexia is largely caused by a genetic component, then it could also be linked to autism.

Consider these points from the Time article:

• Both anorexic and autistic patients have a tendency to behave obsessively and suffer from rigid ways of thinking...
• In both conditions, patients have difficulty with "set-shifting," or changing course mentally
• "Both autism-spectrum conditions and anorexia share a narrow focus of attention, a resistance to change and excellent attention to detail," says Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University...
• Past research suggests that about 15% to 20% of patients with anorexia may also have Asperger's syndrome, an autism-spectrum disorder...
• There is evidence that the "repetitive thoughts and behaviors, rigid routines and rituals and perfectionism" that characterize both autism and anorexia may be traced to the same regions in the brain...
  

So what does all this mean? What if autism and anorexia are somehow genetically similar? From a diagnostic perspective, perhaps this will help guide clinicians to identify patients who may be at risk for developing related symptoms. Eventually, this type of research could impact the way clinicians treat patients who have either condition. To read the article on Time, click here.