Because a reduced Carbohydrate/ Higher protein diet is more satisfying to your body, you generally end up eating less than you would if you ate like so many others.

This has the marvellous effect of reducing your calorie intake. (That’s how low carb diets work by the way)

Research from the University of California has shown that a reduction in calorie intake by as little as 5% give your body’s cells more time to repair any damage to its DNA. If this was not repaired then a mutated cell could reproduce and thus starts the first step towards cancer developing.

Professor M Hellerstein the University of California Berkley explains that – Normally, a cell will try to fix any damage to its DNA. But if it divides before it has a chance to fix the damage then it becomes memorialised as a mutation in the resulting offspring cells. Slowing down the rate of cell proliferation essentially buys time for the cells to repair generic damage.

Obviously, we only want healthy cells to reproduce. There are two trains of thought here. If the body is not overloaded in having to process unused food, then more resources are available for it to look after itself more efficiently. Also, eating too much means that the body almost immediately converts the unwanted food to fat – that’s building cells in rapid succession, thus reducing the time available for proper DNA formation.

Trials on mice have shown that reducing calorie intake by only 5% was almost as effective as a 30+% reduction. In reducing the amount of (malformed) cell proliferation in skin, breast and T cells, another effect was an increase in life span.