So, on the one hand we know that chronic caloric restriction can have profoundly beneficial effects on risk factors for many diseases. On the other hand, we know that chronic and extreme diets—diets that reduce calories by 20 percent or more and are maintained for long periods or permanently—can negatively affect necessary processes, including wound healing, immune response, and cold-temperature tolerance. Put simply, besides making a person extremely thin, the detrimental effects of chronic calorie restriction appear to minimize its benefits by causing a major increase in other types of
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