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title: Healthy Starving
categories:
- uncategorized
content-tags:
- tagless
---

A researcher from the National Institute on Aging has demonstrated that a low-calorie diet is good for brain health, specifically keeping neurons healthy against disease.  An [article in Science News][1] focuses on the reduction of glucose-triggered oxidation, but also mentions that simply reducing cellular energy has benefits:

   [1]: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060304/bob8.asp

> This mild stress makes brain cells more active and triggers production of protective proteins, such as BDNF and heat-shock protein. Mattson suggests that the lightly stressed neurons tend to cope better with more-severe stresssuch as that imposed by neurological diseasethan cells of animals on a steady diet do.

This initially seems contrary to my habit of [eating whatever my body asks for][2], but applies nicely to the masochism of cycling.  I clearly need to learn to reduce my caloric intake in the off-season, though.

   [2]: /library/principles/fitness/
