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Measuring human age by estimating lifetime caloric consumption
1Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., USA. rgruber@pacbell.net
Background:
This study was prompted by a desire to measure human age by a means other than chronological or biological age. The purpose of the study was to use the total lifetime caloric intake in men as an index of aging.
Method:
The study was carried out by developing an algorithm to approximate the lifetime caloric intake. The total caloric intake is expressed such that one calorie-age year is defined as the total calories expended by an individual during his/her 20th year.
Results:
The results indicated that (1) the caloric intake of men progressively decreases with advancing age, that (2) the caloric-age is usually less than chronological age, and that (3) the caloric-age algorithm is a simple although crude method to assess lifetime caloric intake.
Conclusion:
The most important conclusion is that a person can get a better appreciation of the importance of avoiding excess caloric intake if human age is measured in terms of lifetime caloric intake.
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