Five “simple but effective” tips to increase your longevity

Longevity and the fountain of youth have been at the center of human thought and experimentation for centuries. Researchers are fascinated by this topic. A quick search of PubMed shows over 62,000 results for research studies containing the term “longevity” and over 150 studies listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.

The financial firm Edward Jones released a study in 2022 that asked five generations of Americans whether they wanted to live to 100 years old. Almost 70% of them answered the question in the affirmative, but said they would not want the extra life expectancy if their health was poor, they would be a burden to their family, or their cognitive abilities were severely impaired. The researchers wrote: “The real answer to our question seems to be: ‘Yes, but it depends on staying healthy, engaged and determined’.”

The Edward Jones report finds that the number of people aged 65 and over has almost tripled in the last 50 years and is expected to reach 86 million by 2050. The report finds that with longer life expectancy and increasing numbers of people retiring, this stage of life is far more important than in previous decades and has far greater social and market impacts.

A reporter from the online magazine Express spoke to David Wiener, training specialist at the AI-based fitness and lifestyle coaching app Freeletics. He shared simple but effective steps you can incorporate into your lifestyle to achieve this goal – living a longer, healthier and more engaged life.

One aspect he didn’t address, however, was diet. Linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fat, acts like a metabolic toxin when consumed in excess. So if you want to live a long, healthy life, this should be your starting point. LA intake greater than 10% will most likely cause problems. Ideally, you should keep the value well below 5%. If you’ve been consuming a lot of LA, you should make sure you’re getting enough vitamin E, as it protects polyunsaturated fats like LA from lipid peroxidation. So let’s look at Wiener’s suggestions.

Keep your brain active and smart

Wiener calls keeping your brain active one of the “best ways” to increase life expectancy and preserve cognitive abilities. “It is believed that through psychic exercises you can preserve individual brain cells and stimulate communication between them so that they can work more effectively,” Wiener told Express. He continued:

“While most people stay psychically active and alert through their work, learning a new hobby or skill, volunteering or mentoring are additional ways to keep the brain sharp, and learning a language in particular has been shown to be very beneficial.”

Your brain is one of the most important organs in your body. Training your brain like you would train your body plays an important role in longevity and independence. Taking care of your brain includes engaging in stimulating activities that not only get your brain working but also bring you joy.

Dr. Laurie Archbald-Pannone, a geriatric medicine physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Virginia, recommends keeping a gratitude journal, going for a daily walk, and catching up with friends and family, among other elements.

Dr. Denise Park, professor and research director at the Center for Vital Longevity in the School of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, spoke to Forbes Magazine about a study in which she and her team taught a group of older people two new activities – photography and quilting.

The researchers found that the adults improved their memory within three months. Park talked about finding the optimal level of challenge to maintain a healthy brain, noting that too much is stressful, but too little doesn’t promote growth. “When you add new behaviors that you’ve never done before, it helps build new neural circuits that are built to handle that challenge,” she said.

Finding games that stimulate different functions can also boost your social life. Engaging in stimulating brain activities with others helps reduce isolation, and brain exercises give you a sense of control and promote the formation of new brain connections.

Dr. Zaldy Tan is a senior care expert and director of the Cedars-Sinai Memory and Aging Program. Tan has identified different types of brain activity that help challenge and exercise your brain. Tan suggests games that are challenging:

• Verbal memory, e.g. a crossword puzzle
• Ability to concentrate, e.g. through online brain games
• Visual-spatial working memory skills such as: a puzzle game
• Tactile skills that use procedural memory, such as knitting or model making
• Tactile, visual, motor and auditory skills such as dancing
• Get out into the fresh air and enjoy the sun

It’s no secret that being outdoors is healthy. Wiener recommends gardening and walking so you can spend more time outdoors and optimize your vitamin D levels. A meta-analysis of 28 studies has shown that heart disease, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes are significantly reduced in middle-aged and older people with high vitamin D levels.

Optimal vitamin D levels also support healthy muscle and immune system function and bone health by promoting the body’s absorption of calcium. However, depending on where you live and the time of year, it is not always possible to get some fresh air and enjoy the sun.

It’s important to know that vitamin D supplements can help increase serum vitamin D levels, but they don’t cover everything you need. As Wiener points out, sunlight also affects your sleep. “This is because sunlight also regulates another hormone in the body, melatonin, which controls the sleep cycle,” says Wiener.

Red light and near infrared light therapy

If sunshine isn’t an option, red and near-infrared lights, which are subsets of natural sunlight, can help you get some of the same benefits. Ari Whitten, author of The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy, explored the functionality and benefits of red and infrared light. Whitten has a degree in kinesiology, sports and exercise science and has been involved in natural health and nutrition for over 20 years.

Over the past few decades, more than 5,000 studies have been published on red and near-infrared light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation. Researchers have found an effect on a variety of conditions, including fighting wrinkles and cellulite, improving hair growth and athletic performance, increasing strength, and benefits for people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Red and near-infrared light works in the body through multiple mechanisms to produce beneficial effects. It supports mitochondrial health and stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis, modulates gene expression, and helps structure the water that surrounds cells. Each of these mechanisms offers significant benefits to your overall health.

Sleep: Quality and quantity take priority

Wiener points out that research has consistently shown that sleeping less than six hours per night poses a significant risk of heart attack and stroke. Making sure you get at least seven to eight hours of quality sleep every night can promote longevity.

Almost every facet of your biology is affected when you don’t get enough sleep, as the long list of health effects of lack of sleep shows. Effects include reduced athletic performance, increased risk of neurological problems, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, weakened immune function and increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.

Unfortunately, many people still view lack of sleep as a badge of honor. For them it is a sign of energy, ambition and achievement. Worse, good sleep can be seen as a sign of laziness. In 2018, Joe Rogan interviewed Professor Matthew Walker, Ph.D., founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California Berkeley.

As Walker explains, the brain doesn’t turn off when you sleep. Instead, some parts become much more active than when awake. During REM sleep, the activity of the visual, motor-kinesthetic, emotional and memory centers increases, while the area responsible for rationality and logical thinking decreases. There are several common factors that Walker calls the “enemy of sleep.” This includes:

Alcohol and caffeine – These and other substances such as sleeping pills, affect the quality and duration of sleep

Artificial lighting – We have essentially electrified the night, and nighttime light is harmful to health because it affects sleep

Loneliness, anxiety and depression – The longing for connection and the effects of psychic illness can affect sleep or cause you to go without it

Long working hours – The international business environment, increasing global competition and longer commute times are just some of the factors contributing to the increase in working hours and stress-related burnout

Overload – Schedules are full from morning to night, and many people are unwilling to trade entertainment or social gatherings with family and friends for sleep.

Use stress reduction strategies to reduce cortisol secretion

As Wiener noted, stress can trigger the release of high levels of cortisol. A fight or flight response can raise blood pressure and give you the resources you need in the moment. However, chronic activation of the system leads to a constant release of hormones that cause harmful physiological changes. This leads to storage of belly fat, insomnia, lack of energy and changes in appetite.

It can also lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Any of these chronic diseases can lead to premature death. The fight or flight response is modulated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which are part of the autonomic nervous system. This system automatically controls body functions such as heart rate and blood pressure.

The sympathetic nervous system signals the start of the fight or flight response, and when the danger has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system helps slow the release of hormones. When there is chronic stress, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, which has a negative impact on health. However, using controlled breathing techniques, you can create physiological changes that lower your heart rate and blood pressure and improve immune function.

Breathing techniques can help modulate the autonomic nervous system. Box breathing is a basic tactical breathing technique used by Navy SEALS to remain calm under duress. (It refers to the fact that a box has four sides, a concept represented here by breathing while you slowly count to four for a total of four times — four counts of breathing in, four counts of holding your breath, four counts of exhaling and four more counts of holding after your exhale.)

Other ways to normalize cortisol levels

Two other factors that have a significant impact on your cortisol levels are low-carb diets. They are sure to increase cortisol levels and should be avoided if you are trying to optimize your mitochondrial function.

If you don’t get enough glucose in your diet, your body needs to produce glucose by activating stress hormones such as glucagon, adrenaline and cortisol, which make glucose by sacrificing protein stored in muscles, bones and brain. To avoid this, you should make sure you consume at least 150 grams of glucose per day, preferably from ripe fruit.

If you have a healthy gut, you can easily absorb more fruit fiber. However, if your gut is damaged, the extra fiber can feed the endotoxin-producing bacteria in your gut, which suppresses your mitochondrial function even further. In this case, start introducing products such as fresh orange juice without pulp.

If you exercise in the morning, you’ll get more out of it

It is well known that physical activity leads to a healthier life. But did you know that there are certain times of the day when you get more benefit from it? Wiener recommends exercising in the morning to take advantage of the fat burning that occurs in the morning hours before your first meal.

A 2022 study found a connection between the time of day you exercise and the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. The 86,657 men and women who took part in the study were free of cardiovascular disease at the start of the study.

Researchers compared peak activity times over a 24-hour period and found that those who were most active in the late morning had a significantly lower risk of stroke and coronary heart disease than people who were more active midday.

Using any of these five simple strategies can significantly improve your overall health and life expectancy. They may seem simple and easy – almost too easy – but they are extremely effective and will help you take control of your health.

 

yogaesoteric
April 22, 2024