Way Too Fat     

In 1558, Luigi Cornaro theorized that if you lived life in moderation your could outlive those who like there's no tomorrow. Ironically for them, there may be no tomorrow. Cornaro kept himself on a low calorie diet, under 1000 calories per day into perpetuity. He lived to be 102 years old.

There are many schools of thought on hypocaloric diets and longevity. Scientists have found in mice and nemitode worms that if their diets are seriously limited, they can live up 25% longer than their full calorie counterparts. What's going on? Is food innately poisonious? Does the digestion process wear us out in time? Are the likes of Cornaro onto something and we're all overeating?

To use a automobile analogy. Maybe we think of our bodies as gas tanks: fill it up and go! Instead, maybe our metabolism is like a transmission: too much or too little transmission fluid and we're in trouble. Get it just right and you can go for miles.

If you want, check out Luigi Cornaro's Discourses on the Sober Life.