As far back as the 1930's, both mice and men were scientifically proven to outlive their well-fed peers. Albeit under drastic (and closely monitored) circumstances calorie-restricted diets had participants outliving their peers by as much as 40%. How does a diet verging on the brink of starvation extend a lifespan?

Researchers have found that persistent hunger promotes long life and identified a critical gene that specifically links calorie restriction (CR) to longevity. Genetic evidence has finally emerged in labs to explain the increased longevity in response to calorie restriction. This link was also identified between calorie restriction and aging. Of course this discovery immediately provoked the scientists to ponder the potential of the next generation of drugs to bestow the health benefits of calorie restriction without the discipline.

Fasting dates back as far as ancient Greek philosophers. Heck, even Mark Twain was a firm believer in fasting. In one of his essays he wrote, "A little starvation can really do more for the average sick man than can the best medicines and the best doctors. I do not mean a restricted diet; I mean total abstention from food for one or two days."

The work was funded by grants from the NIH, American Diabetes Association and the Ellison Medical Research Foundation. I graduated from Ward Melville High School with Brooke Ellison in 1996. It's fascinating to see my peers lending a hand in scientific research. Good for you, Brooke!

For those of you who have lived the dietary gospel -- no meats and fatty foods and eating lots of greens and cooked vegetables -- guess what! It appears you've reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to study findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The study examined of 36,787 adults who provided dietary information over 4-years. At the beginning of the trial no adults had type 2 diabetes, but at the commencement of the study 365 new cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed. The researchers defined 4 eating patterns: a Mediterranean diet, a salad and vegetable diet, a diet of mostly meats and fatty fried foods, and a diet of many different fruits.

The Mediterranean pattern was associated with country of birth but not with diabetes. There was an inverse association observed between the Salad and Vegetable pattern and diabetes. The Meat pattern was positively associated with diabetes. No association was observed between the Fruit pattern and diabetes risk. The results of this study show a positive outcome for people who favor a diet high in salad and cooked vegetables. Those who eat a diet comprised mostly of meat and fried foods might find it helpful to avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes if they switched to foods with a lower fat saturation and more fiber assimilation.

Researchers say a new method of replacing unhealthy trans fats by modifying fat in commercial products has been found to raise blood glucose and depress insulin in humans -- both common precursors to diabetes. If that wasn't bad enough -- it still adversely affects the beneficial HDL-cholesterol.

The study demonstrates the process of rearranging molecules in the fat adversely affect human metabolism of fats and glucose. The metabolism of unmodified natural saturated fat is healthier, in comparison. The trans fats are replaced with interesterified fat, which is a modified fat that includes hydrogenation followed by rearrangement of fat molecules by the process called interesterification. The rearranged fats are then enriched with saturated stearic acid. Experts on human lipid metabolism noted this study shows the specific location of individual fatty acids, particularly saturated fatty acids, seems to make a difference on fat and glucose metabolism.

New York City has already outlawed the use of trans fats in restaurants. Several U.S. cities have or are considering banning them as well. However a safe replacement for these fats has not yet been agreed upon. Looks like the Micronutrient Monitors will have to congregate at the kitchen table to chew the fat on this one a little more.

Here are a bunch of facts about America's love of fast-food and the effects it's having on our collective health.

• Each day, 1 in 4 Americans visits a fast food restaurant
• In 1972, we spent 3 billion a year on fast food - today we spend more than 110 billion
• McDonald's feeds more than 46 million people a day - more than the entire population of Spain
• French fries are the most eaten vegetable in America
• You would have to walk for seven hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fry and Big Mac
• In the U.S., we eat more than 1,000,000 animals an hour
• 60 % of all Americans are either overweight or obese
• One in every three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime
• Left unabated, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in America
• Obesity has been linked to: Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease, Adult Onset Diabetes, Stroke, Gall Bladder Disease, Osteoarthritis, Sleep Apnea, Respiratory Problems, Endometrial, Breast, Prostate and Colon Cancers, Dyslipidemia, steatohepatitis, insulin resistance, breathlessness, Asthma, Hyperuricaemia, reproductive hormone abnormalities, polycystic ovarian syndrome, impaired fertility and lower back pain

Want to see more fast-food facts, visit the Super Size Me website.