It has long been known that we Americans are obsessed with health and
beauty. Almost every magazine you pick up has someone giving advice
on how to look better — usually meaning how to lose those extra
pounds. I don’t know how many people have the problem of being
underweight, but whatever small number it is, they get even less
attention than their small number dictates they should. You just never
see an article about “how to gain those needed pounds in only two
weeks.” So, to keep this column fairly short, I too am going to deny those
lightweights equal time. I am going to aim my column at the big market —
those of us who, in order to be more beautiful and healthy, should be
losing a few or more pounds.
What would you do if I told you that the excess weight you are carrying
will cut down on the number of years you will live. Would you start a diet
tomorrow? Would you discard pizza for broccoli? Well, far be it from me to
try to coax you into passing up all that good food that is served in all our
casinos by promising you something as unimportant as a few more years
on planet Earth.
But, here’s the good part: If I told you that you could get much better
results at the poker table if you went on a calorie-restricted diet, would
that stimulate a little more interest? What if I could promise you that not
only would you think more clearly when you’re playing, but that your
thought processes would be quicker and you would be capable of using
more reasoning power? What if I added that it wouldn’t even take weeks
to see results, but just a few short days?
If all this sounds too good to be true, like more rubbish to sell a book or
program, think again. Scientists have done several studies with mice in
which they restricted their caloric intake by as much as 50 percent. They
then put the mice through tests and monitored their every action.
For starters, the mice had an increased life span of 40 percent. But we
went over that earlier, and that’s not the part we’re interested in. What’s
interesting to us poker players is that the mice were able to navigate the
mazes much better and faster. The conclusion was obvious: The mice
thought more clearly and reasoned better, and enjoyed that small added
bonus — they lived 40 percent longer.
Another similar study with adult monkeys restricted their diets by 30
percent. Scientists concluded that monkeys also seem to have better
cognitive powers while becoming healthier and experiencing an increased
life span.
Finally, in around 1990, scientists put eight men and women into a closed
ecological space. It was called the “Biosphere 11 Project.” The eight men
and women were in the project for a period of two years. They too were
given a more calorie-restricted, nutrient-dense diet. As was the case in all
the other studies on mice and monkeys, the conclusion was consistent. I
guess that, plainly put in layman’s terms, we probably would function
better, think more clearly, and live longer if we restricted our caloric
intake.
I have always been interested in this subject and have saved much of
the literature on these studies. Over the years I have tried to conduct my
own little personal studies, and although they might have lacked scientific
validity, they were convincing enough for me. I experimented with when
and how much I ate before playing, and tried to do the experimenting for
a length of time that would take most of the short-term variable factors
out of the equation. I was meticulous with the bookkeeping of my poker
results. Before long, there was absolutely no doubt that my results were
much better during periods of caloric restriction. Usually, at least in my
case, the length of time for the “clearer head” to kick in was three or four
days.
Most of you who know me are probably chuckling as you read this. Vince
Burgio, of all people, telling people to eat less. I guess it’s obvious that I
have a little trouble taking my own advice. The truth is, I am absolutely
sure that what I have talked about above is true. It would definitely
benefit almost all of us to cut way down on our food intake.
But — it is also true that for me, like a lot of others who enjoy good food,
it is a constant battle to keep from being overweight, let alone being the
lean, mean, thinking machine that I would like to be.
Oh, I almost forgot — have a nice holiday.
For what it’s worth …
beauty. Almost every magazine you pick up has someone giving advice
on how to look better — usually meaning how to lose those extra
pounds. I don’t know how many people have the problem of being
underweight, but whatever small number it is, they get even less
attention than their small number dictates they should. You just never
see an article about “how to gain those needed pounds in only two
weeks.” So, to keep this column fairly short, I too am going to deny those
lightweights equal time. I am going to aim my column at the big market —
those of us who, in order to be more beautiful and healthy, should be
losing a few or more pounds.
What would you do if I told you that the excess weight you are carrying
will cut down on the number of years you will live. Would you start a diet
tomorrow? Would you discard pizza for broccoli? Well, far be it from me to
try to coax you into passing up all that good food that is served in all our
casinos by promising you something as unimportant as a few more years
on planet Earth.
But, here’s the good part: If I told you that you could get much better
results at the poker table if you went on a calorie-restricted diet, would
that stimulate a little more interest? What if I could promise you that not
only would you think more clearly when you’re playing, but that your
thought processes would be quicker and you would be capable of using
more reasoning power? What if I added that it wouldn’t even take weeks
to see results, but just a few short days?
If all this sounds too good to be true, like more rubbish to sell a book or
program, think again. Scientists have done several studies with mice in
which they restricted their caloric intake by as much as 50 percent. They
then put the mice through tests and monitored their every action.
For starters, the mice had an increased life span of 40 percent. But we
went over that earlier, and that’s not the part we’re interested in. What’s
interesting to us poker players is that the mice were able to navigate the
mazes much better and faster. The conclusion was obvious: The mice
thought more clearly and reasoned better, and enjoyed that small added
bonus — they lived 40 percent longer.
Another similar study with adult monkeys restricted their diets by 30
percent. Scientists concluded that monkeys also seem to have better
cognitive powers while becoming healthier and experiencing an increased
life span.
Finally, in around 1990, scientists put eight men and women into a closed
ecological space. It was called the “Biosphere 11 Project.” The eight men
and women were in the project for a period of two years. They too were
given a more calorie-restricted, nutrient-dense diet. As was the case in all
the other studies on mice and monkeys, the conclusion was consistent. I
guess that, plainly put in layman’s terms, we probably would function
better, think more clearly, and live longer if we restricted our caloric
intake.
I have always been interested in this subject and have saved much of
the literature on these studies. Over the years I have tried to conduct my
own little personal studies, and although they might have lacked scientific
validity, they were convincing enough for me. I experimented with when
and how much I ate before playing, and tried to do the experimenting for
a length of time that would take most of the short-term variable factors
out of the equation. I was meticulous with the bookkeeping of my poker
results. Before long, there was absolutely no doubt that my results were
much better during periods of caloric restriction. Usually, at least in my
case, the length of time for the “clearer head” to kick in was three or four
days.
Most of you who know me are probably chuckling as you read this. Vince
Burgio, of all people, telling people to eat less. I guess it’s obvious that I
have a little trouble taking my own advice. The truth is, I am absolutely
sure that what I have talked about above is true. It would definitely
benefit almost all of us to cut way down on our food intake.
But — it is also true that for me, like a lot of others who enjoy good food,
it is a constant battle to keep from being overweight, let alone being the
lean, mean, thinking machine that I would like to be.
Oh, I almost forgot — have a nice holiday.
For what it’s worth …
Of Mice and Monkeys
By Vince Burgio
By Vince Burgio
