Eating sensibly is important because the best way to lead a long and healthy life is to eat as little as is prudently possible. Balanced low-calorie diets tend to boost immune function, preserve memory and reduce blood pressure. Even so, the damage that food does to us still isn't fully understood. What's clear is that burning it to produce energy in the mitochondria , our intracellular powerhouses, produces toxic free radicals . Mitochondria are found in every cell of the body.
Free radicals are electron-grabbing vandals.
The damage they cause to the ubiquitous mitochondria also ages the body as a whole. Exercise, appetite suppressors and vitamin E mop up toxic free radicals before they can do too much damage. Unfortunately, under-eating can leave one feeling chilly, thin, hungry, and grumpy. Nonetheless the authors are both highly-trained doctors. They recognise that in many serious conditions diet can play only an auxiliary role beside hi-tech orthodoxy.