“Scientists have long known they could increase the lifespan of mice, and […] worms, flies—with deep, long-term cuts from normal consumption.” (Monkeys live longer on low-cal diet; would humans? by Lauran Neergaard AP Medical Writer | July 9, 2009)
Question: How normal is a laboratory animal’s “normal consumption” when compared to a free animal’s consumption? How does a laboratory chow for rhesus monkeys compare to their natural diet—leaf for leaf, bug for bug, fruit for fruit?
In a study headed by Dr. Richard Weindruch, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, 76 rhesus monkeys were fed “a normal diet of captive monkey, a special vitamin-enriched chow plus some fruit treats.” Half the monkeys had their chow intake cut by 30 percent. So far, 13 percent of the monkeys in the cut-chow intake have died of age-related diseases versus 37 percent of the monkeys on the regular diet.
Also, the monkeys on the lower-calorie diet (less chow) had “less than half the incidence of cancerous tumors or heart disease of the monkeys who ate normally [had their fill of chow—TK].”
Question: Is it really only the calorie restriction that made the monkeys healthier or is the lab chow so vile, the more they eat it, the sooner they die?
Request for help:
One of our authors and my friend, Piotr Drabik, has disappeared in September of 2006 after he landed on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaii, where he was seen on airport security cameras. He arrived there from Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), through Salt Lake City, Utah, and Honolulu, Hawaii. We (his friends at Stadion Publishing) were assisting in the investigation of his disappearance. The investigation was ineffective and eventually the case was dropped by all involved authorities.
If you have seen him on or after September of 2006, or know anything about his whereabouts, please e-mail us at infoATstadionDOTcom.
More about Piotr Drabik and his disappearance is at http://www.stadion.com/author_drabikp.html