Uploaded August 2018 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
What would a science-based nutrient density scale look like?
In this video, I talk about the principle that, keeping muscle mass constant, reducing caloric intake will result in longevity benefits. There are caveats here: we aren't certain that brain health benefits necessarily track non-brain health, and this is something that needs to be understood better. Obviously, as well, is the tradeoff between muscle and calories. What is the optimal amount of muscle mass and calories for longevity?
I discuss how nutrient density scales tend to rate foods and not dietary patterns and how they do not reward nutrients nonlinearly, i.e. the higher the intake of any given nutrient, the higher the score. However, this is problematic, because while low intakes of nutrients may be very beneficial, moderate intakes will show diminishing returns, and in the case of some nutrients, very high intakes may result in harm. How do we create a nutrient density scale that accounts for this? Until we can generate such a scale, all nutrient density scales hitherto are mere approximations and in some cases misleading.
What would a science-based nutrient density scale look like?
In this video, I talk about the principle that, keeping muscle mass constant, reducing caloric intake will result in longevity benefits. There are caveats here: we aren't certain that brain health benefits necessarily track non-brain health, and this is something that needs to be understood better. Obviously, as well, is the tradeoff between muscle and calories. What is the optimal amount of muscle mass and calories for longevity?
I discuss how nutrient density scales tend to rate foods and not dietary patterns and how they do not reward nutrients nonlinearly, i.e. the higher the intake of any given nutrient, the higher the score. However, this is problematic, because while low intakes of nutrients may be very beneficial, moderate intakes will show diminishing returns, and in the case of some nutrients, very high intakes may result in harm. How do we create a nutrient density scale that accounts for this? Until we can generate such a scale, all nutrient density scales hitherto are mere approximations and in some cases misleading.
