So where does that leave diet? "studies of caloric restriction (eating fewer calories than is usually recommended for your age, weight, gender and physical activity levels), is the only consistent means of increasing maximum lifespan in multiple species, consistently show that eating about 30% fewer calories than would be recommended leads to about 30% longer lifespan."

The Willcox studies of Okinawans show that Okinawan centenarians did restrict calories, eating about 15% below the recommended level for their weight. Follow this link to learn more. The basis of Brad's argument is that certain foods mimic the effects of calorie restriction - flavonoids - such as resveratrol found in red wine, catechins (found in green tea) and isoflavones found in fermented soy. These open the sirtuin pathway which seems to be what calorie restriction also does.

A side effect of eating certain foods is also that we eat less calories - for example drinking freshly juiced fruits before a meal means we eat less at that meal.