this is interesting...

[pica_nuttalli]

Discuss among yourselves. The topic is:
"The idea of caloric restriction has been gaining credence as scientists test it in more and more animals. It is easy to show that creatures that have short life spans such as mice, fish and spiders live longer if they eat less."

 

[freddyk]

WHile they're referring to mammals in that artical this is something that has been known about fish, and it actually makes more of a difference in fish.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

It makes me feel better knowing I am doing the right thing. I only feed once a day, sometimes once every 2 days. I also feed very sparingly.

Thanks for the good read. It was very interesting.

 

[Bignose]

OK, please forgive the off-fish reply here, but I want to discuss this a little further. If you guys listen to the radio show by Dr. Dean Edell, or read one of his books, you will find a great deal of science that has shown that people who are a little bit larger (that is heavier) than the models etc. are in fact among the healthiest over their lifespans. Certainly not obese people, but larger people. These are exceptionally complex questions.

Over mankind's history, most of our time on earth has been a struggle to survive from meal to meal. So, when we get some excess, our bodies do know how to save it up and make good use of it later. Again, because who knows how long until the next meal.

The interesting question would be what would happen if they overfed the mice by 10 or 20% versus the cutting of calories. Also, they used models, yes, but how well does the model compare with experiments? Have the experiments even been performed?

Lastly, those people trying to squeeze an extra few years by effectively starving themselves need to reflect on their lives. I mean, what the heck would be the point of a few extra years of misery? There are quality of life issues that I think really need to be addressed. Give me one less year of life that is happier and more fulfilling than an extra year of starvation every time. I don't want to harp on the same thing, but Edell's Eat, Drink, and be Merry talks an awful lot about this.

Consider: (this is made up, so don't go looking around for it) the latest study says that if you eat 20 carrots a day you will decrease your chance of colon cancer 25%. Wow, you think, 25% is great! And, how hard can it be to eat 20 carrots a day? Well, if you love carrots, not too hard, but if you think about that, that is an awful lot of carrots. But look at it from a mathematical point of view, it is downright silly. The chance you are going to get colon cancer is probably like 1 in 1000, maybe even less. A 25% reduction means instead of 1 in 1000, your chance is now 0.75 in 1000. Not really too much of a saving, now is it?

The real message here I think is the same thing doctors have been saying for quite some time: eat fruits and vegetables, get some exercise, everything in moderation. And finally, I think I can realte this all the way back ti fish -- feed them in moderation and do all the necessary maintenence as well, and they should live out their natural lives.

 

[Angry_Platy]

When I first started with tropical fish I was feeding my fish bloodworms or brine shrimp everyday. Suffice it to say that I had very fat platies....I remember asking "can a female platy be pregnant with a male gonopodium" Also, suffice it to say, that I had a few losses to dropsy around that time (bye bye to those that I accidentally killed).

The fish now only get fed once a day (except the fry) and bloodworms very rarely. They get a fast day once a week to clean out their digestive systems