Longevity Unveiled: Decoding the Science of Aging Backwards
Longevity. It’s not something we think too much about when we’re young.
In fact, when we’re young, we just want to get older. And when we’re “old,” we just want to be young again.
Those middle years creep up fast … and come with the realization that we’ve perhaps lived more than half our life.
So logically, at this point in time, the idea of longevity might be something that enters our brain a bit more frequently.
And really what we all want is to live as long as possible, in a way that feels good and healthy.
Unfortunately, reality is harsh. Aging is the biggest risk factor for every chronic disease.
The statistics are staggering - 80% of adults over sixty-five have one chronic disease, and 77% have two chronic diseases.
I share what I know about health and nutrition with my kids - because entering the high risk stage of chronic disease later in life just doesn’t happen overnight.
When we’re young we think we're invincible … but the reality is that bad eating and lifestyle habits produce a cumulative effect and how we lived our lives in our twenties, for example, can impact us when we’re older.
The good news is that our bodies are responsive, and a thoughtful approach to lifestyle and nutrition can work wonders, at whatever point it's activated, often reversing damage that has been done.
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, a practitioner in my neck of the woods of Connecticut, has conducted a groundbreaking study that demonstrates that you can actually take years off your life - in essence - reversing your biological age. As chronological age naturally advances, our bio age can move in reverse.
Dr. Fitzgerald states:
“Bio age is based on the premise that our bodies are constantly subject to damage and degradation from internal and external sources. By assessing how much damage has accumulated in your particular body, your bio age shows how old your tissues, systems, and even your genetic material are. In other words, you could be fifty chronologically, but have the same amount of damage to your body as a typical fifty-eight year old.”
Conversely, with the right focus on lifestyle, you can repair your overall level of damage to that of someone in their forties.
Without getting too much into the science behind it (although at some point I may indeed - because it is fascinating), let me impart a base level of explanation.
It starts with the understanding of the epigenome. “Epi” means simply “above”. And the genome is simply our actual DNA.
So epigenome refers to, in Dr. Fitzgerald’s words, as the “material that sits on top of our genetic code and dictates which genes are turned on and which are switched off.”
She also uses another example to illustrate this. Our DNA is like a hard drive, and it pretty much sits waiting to be told what to do.
Our body's “software” is the material that sits on top of our DNA - and is what we control.
We control it through what we eat, and how we live. Simple lifestyle factors of movement, managing stress, getting enough sleep and maximizing our nutrition.
Research is bearing out that these simple lifestyle approaches may be more effective and powerful than anything else we can do, including medicine.
Our lifestyle, whether positive or negative, are the software components that factors into which genes get activated and which ones don’t.
It also supports the notion that we are not predetermined to get a specific disease because it runs in the family. We may have inherited certain genes that predispose us, but they still need to be activated to create havoc in our systems.
What activates them? Poor lifestyle choices. Potential toxic exposures. Too much stress.
Generally, things we can control.
So I want to leave you with some simple action steps. Totally doable and easy.
When Dr. Fitzgerald was asked about the “top things” we can do to begin the process of aging in reverse, she had a succinct answer.
Obviously there is a long list of foods we can eat and things we can do to positively influence our health. But it’s also fun to think about what are some really big game changers to make a regular part of our diet.
Her answers were the following:
ROSEMARY
Rosemary is both a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It protects against cancer, and can even boost memory and cognitive performance.
It’s an herb that I like, and I use it when a recipe calls for it, but hadn’t really thought of other ways to use it.
I now have a rosemary grinder (just bought a salt grinder and replaced salt with rosemary) - making it easy to add the flavor to many things - salads, veggies, meats, eggs, etc.
I even added it to a smoothie the other day - and it added a nice dimension of flavor.
GREEN TEA
Brew it strongly, and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Like Rosemary, it carries all the same profound benefits - antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective.
It does have caffeine (although less than black tea), so just be sensitive to not drinking it later in the day. Drink a few cups!
TURMERIC
Turmeric packs a powerful dose in all the same ways as rosemary and green tea. You can buy it fresh and grate it on your food or you can buy it in the spice section of the store.
Dr. Fitzgerald recommends when buying the powdered version, buy organic. Apparently some of the conventional turmeric spices contain lead to maintain its bright yellow color.
(Crazy to believe this is allowed in our food system, but this is an example of how many toxins exist in the food products we buy, without our knowledge).
Finding recipes for Curry (if that appeals), is a great way to get turmeric into your diet. You can also sprinkle it on eggs, soups, and stews.
Often when I make rice, I sprinkle it in. It's nutritious and also looks bright and colorful on the plate.
BREATHING
When Dr. Fitzgerald cited her recommendations, I expected them all to be food sources.
So I was interested to hear her call out “breathing” as one of her top lifestyle recommendations, rather than another powerful superfood.
Deep breaths bring stress levels down a notch which is important. Why? Stress is a tremendous accelerant of aging. Long term meditators are biologically younger - even one meditation can favorably change epigenetic expression.
As part of Dr. Fitzgerald’s program, she recommends finding time to sit mindfully and breath for 10 minutes, twice a day. But remember anything you can do is supportive; every minute counts.
When I can pull it off, I love to start my day with a slow walk around the block (which is about a mile), with a cup of coffee in my hand - because I know that will make me walk slower. I will typically try to do just one set of deep breathing exercises four times - which includes breathing in for four seconds, holding for six seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds. Especially when the weather is nice - it feels good to have the sun on my face, and just listen to the birds chirping. It’s a pleasant way to start off the day.
The best news in all of this is that by being mindful of healthy habits we can adopt, and having an exploratory mindset - there are really so many ways to set ourselves up for healthful longevity.
That’s not to say it’s easy either. And it’s not to say that we have to be a go on all cylinders all the time - 100%.
But it's important to remember that our health, and owning our health, is an ongoing process. And it takes some hard work and commitment.
But it's worth it.
And all you need to do to dial it in, is
Educate yourself so you are aware of what you can do
Be an “experimenter” and embrace new ways of healthy, powerful living
Actively work to make new health opportunities rituals
Figure out how to stay motivated
Just remember, the more we are in control of that software that activates and deactivates our genes, the more we are in charge of our health.