Dr.Oz shares how to live an extremely long life

“Oprah” focused on the science behind life extension, the idea that cutting calories and making other lifestyle changes can help humans live longer. Extreme calorie cutting has already been shown to help mice live longer, so the theory goes that the same steps can help humans have longer lifespans as well.

Living with calorie restriction

Joe tells Oprah and Dr. Oz that he’s had a calorie restricted diet for about seven years. At 5 foot 9, he weighs 130 pounds (that’s a body mass index of 19.2, just barely in the normal weight range). He consumes about 1,950 calories a day and eats 80 percent raw.He packs as many nutrients as he can in to those few calories by, for example, just eating the apple peels, where most of the nutrients and fiber can be found, rather than consuming whole apples. For breakfast he eats three apple peels, two cups of wild blueberries and two cups of blueberries, along with two ounces of walnuts.He eats a huge raw salad — about three pounds — for lunch packed with kale, carrots and other goodies, and eats more vegetables at dinner, usually with a piece of fish.Since he’s been on calorie restriction he says he’s lost 40 pounds, has more energy and hasn’t had a cold in seven years.Paul and Meredith, who’ve been calorie restrictors for 15 years, agree, with Paul saying at 60 he has more energy than he did at 20, and his eyesight has returned to 20/20.Dr. Oz says calorie restriction is probably the number one way to extend life and could potentially make a lifespan 50 percent longer. It makes the cells more efficient and they have fewer toxic secretions, he said.The potential risk in calorie restriction is not ensuring you’re getting all the right nutrients; people can become anemic or harm their bones if they’re not getting enough iron or calcium.