>I wish I could be on the CR diet because I believe intellectually that
>it is the only proven way to really have a statistically high chance of
>living a lot longer with fewer diseases.

The problem with statistics is that they only generalize results across a
population; there's no guarantee that what works for the majority will work
for you.  Also, there's always the issue of confounding variables.

Here's a summary of a semi-starvation study, excerpted from a draft of
Robert McFerran's upcoming book:

<<During World War II Quaker pacifist volunteers working with the U.S. Army
Air Corps and the University of Minnesota tried to determine the effect of
semi-starvation on human behavior. Specifically they were trying to recreate
a dietary scenario similar to what allied pilots would face if they were
downed behind enemy lines. These pilots would be forced to forage for food
and would rapidly become calorically deprived.

Prior to the study there was the assumption that their cognitive abilities
as well as their overall physical demeanor would rapidly deteriorate. Much
to the surprise of the researchers the behavior split into two very
different groups. The majority of the men fared unusually well. In fact they
reported experiencing feelings of calmness, serenity, peacefulness,
sometimes euphoria as well as heightened mental clarity.

By contrast the remainder of the subjects rapidly became mentally
disoriented and showed symptoms that perfectly mimicked what psychiatrists
would diagnose as neurosis or psychosis. Other symptoms included body aches
and pains, gastric upset, chronic fatigue, insomnia, depression, panic
attacks and paranoia.>>

I doubt that the minority of subjects who were stressed by food deprivation
would achieve prolonged longevity from a calorie-restricted diet.  The
chapter next relates the results of the study to measurable metabolic
differences.

Cheers,
-- Aaron Wieland (who thinks that "Psychotic-While-Fasting" would be a great
Indian name)