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The following excerpt is taken from The Science and Technology of Growing Young, Sergey Young.
I believe that you will see some amazing health care advancements if you're under 60 and are in good health. These amazing new technologies will allow you to live longer, and I am certain that you will.
The majority of people today can live to 100. The U.S. currently has 50% of its population living beyond 83, and 25% above 90. These numbers are expected to rise if you live a long-term lifestyle.
My advice is to do all you can to increase your chances of being able to benefit from the subsequent waves of scientific advancement. Here's how. Here are 10 longevity options that will help you prolong your life expectancy.
1. Have your health checked. Early diagnosis is crucial for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Get checked as often and thoroughly as you can.
A complete annual physical examination should be done. This includes a blood count, metabolic blood chemistry panels and a thyroid panel. Also, testing for deficiencies in vitamins D, B, and magnesium.
One in nine men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetime. Nearly all of these cases occur after age 50. The survival rate for prostate cancer is nearly 100% if caught early. However, this number drops to 31% for prostate cancers that are detected in the first stage. Coloscopies are similar. For women over 40, it is recommended that they have an annual mammogram, breast exam, and ultrasound. This will check for cervical, ovarian, and breast cancer.
Ask your doctor about the tests that are most relevant to you. Your family history may also be a factor in your decision.
Direct-to-consumer diagnostics, such as those from 23andMe, +1.01%, Nebula Genomics, and Thryve offer low-cost, convenient ways to examine your genes, epigenome, and gut flora. These are microorganisms that live in the digestive system. You can take preventative action and avoid genetic diseases by identifying hereditary mutations.
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Do not ignore DIY diagnostic tools. Smartwatches can give you valuable information about your cardiovascular health. Mole-checking apps can protect you against skin cancer. Sleep-tracking wearables help you monitor your sleep. Don't forget the bathroom scale obesity, which is one of the most important independent predictors for disease.
2. Quit your bad habits. I'm referring to cigarettes, alcohol, and sugar.
Smoking is a big no-no in the long-term. Cigarette smoking is responsible for 90% of lung cancer deaths, and 80% of all pulmonary diseases. It increases your risk of stroke and coronary heart disease two to four times, and can increase your chance of developing cancer at least 25x. Statistics show that smoking cigarettes can cut 10 years off your lifespan. After four years of inhalation, I gave up smoking on August 15, 1994.
Red wine, when consumed in moderation, can have positive effects on your cardiovascular health, brain health, and metabolism. However, any alcohol, including red wine, can reduce your life expectancy.
Regular alcohol consumption can cause liver damage and inflammation, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke risk, immune system disorders, and early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The most alarming side effect of alcohol is its potential to cause cancer.
Drinking excessively can lead to health problems that could reduce your life expectancy by a few years. Drinking excessively can also lead to a reduction in blood sugar. Your pancreas works to restore balance, which can cause you to eat more.
A glass of wine or two is enough for a weekend. It is not worth drinking excessively because of the potential health risks.
Sugar is the worst of all our bad habits. Sugar is a major component of the American diet. It can be found in all kinds of processed foods, including yogurt, breads, cakes, soft drinks and fast food.
The pancreas becomes more sensitive to excess sugar over time. It stops producing insulin or cells stop accepting glucose. Sugar that is consumed more than the body needs becomes fat. These conditions can lead to a series of health problems known as insulin resistance syndrome (or metabolic syndrome), which increases your chances of developing diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Obesity can reduce your life expectancy by 5-20 years.
Sugars from fruits, vegetables, and grains can play a vital role in healthy eating habits when taken in the right amounts. I eat fruits and have ice cream at least once per month. Sugar is poison, but it's not a secret. Avoid sugary drinks and processed foods to reduce your sugar intake.
3. Do not do stupid things. Unintentional poisoning is the leading cause for accidental death worldwide. There are hundreds of thousands of accidental poisonings caused by pain medication, sedatives and antidepressants as well as cardiovascular drugs, household cleaning products, and other medications.
Be sure to read and follow all medication warning labels.
Road accidents are closely followed by poisoning, which claims approximately 40,000 lives each year in the U.S. Many of these accidents are caused by speeding, reckless driving and drunken driving. You must stop texting, talking on your phone, eating, reading, or fiddling with your dashboard dials when operating a motor vehicle.
4. Eat less frequently and early. You can live up to seven years longer if you eat less. Caloric restriction reduces the risk of common health problems such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. It also decreases the chance of obesity and insulin resistance.
Enjoy the rainbow! Include vegetables from every color in your daily diet. AFP/Getty Images
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It is counterintuitive, but a little bit of starvation can actually be beneficial for your health. If you are just starting out in the worlds of calorie restriction, I recommend a 16-hour intermittent fasting regime. This is when you eat all of your meals in a single eight-hour time period.
You can become more comfortable eating in a time-limited environment by considering an 18:6 model. This allows you to eat all of your calories between noon-6 p.m.
Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve weight loss, insulin stability and cholesterol levels, as well energy and mental alertness. It can even add years to your lifespan.
Also, I recommend eating more calories in the morning to aid weight loss. This will reduce blood sugar, insulin, and triglycerides, and help you burn twice as many calories than those who eat large meals.
Read more: You might live longer if you eat fewer calories. You should, however.
5. Food is your medicine. Poor diet is the leading cause of non-communicable diseases worldwide, affecting at least 11,000,000 people each year. High salt intake can lead to stroke and heart disease. Red meat and processed foods are linked to cancer. Diabetes and obesity are caused by excessive calorie intake. Sugar is a dangerous substance, as I have already mentioned.
What should you eat?
Every meal should contain at least one plant-based ingredient to reduce your chance of developing diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. For lunch and dinner, I always include broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus as an accompaniment. Sweet potatoes, carrots, beets and beets support a healthy microbiome. They also help to avoid obesity. I choose fresh vegetables, nuts, and berries when I snack.
The golden rule is to eat all the colors. Each color provides unique phytonutrients that are essential for your health.
Other tips include: Avoid processed foods, go organic, consume healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, avocados, and fish; limit your intake of milk and red meat; and drink more water.
6. Supplement your nutrition. Supplements claim to have longevity benefits. Problem is, the industry is severely underregulated. Some supplements can interfere with prescription drugs, while others have poor quality, unlisted ingredients that could prove fatal. I believe in supplements and use dozens every day.
I advise you to research carefully, find the best quality supplements for your needs and talk with your doctor. Metformin, resveratrol and NMN (a derivative from niacin) are all options. I recommend that you eat a balanced diet and wait a few years before taking these supplements.
Sergeyyoung.com offers an infographic that provides guidance about the benefits and importance of various supplements. It can be used as a guideline for a conversation with your doctor.
7. Get moving! You can avoid most of these killer diseases by exercising and your chance of dying young is reduced by between 30% and 35%. If you're overweight, you can add three years to your life with just 15-25 minutes of moderate exercise each day. For those who are healthy, you can get seven years.
Regular exercise can improve cardiovascular and lung health and reduce the risk of stomach, breast, colon, and stomach cancers by 12% to 23%. Physical and sports training can strengthen muscles, bones, heart health, lower inflammation, boost cognitive abilities, provide many other benefits, and moderate hormones. You've probably heard about the many benefits of high intensity interval training (HIIT), which increases your metabolism faster than regular cardio exercise.
It doesn't matter what type of exercise you do. Any exercise that helps you get up from the chair and move more frequently is going to be a big help.
This is why I recommend walking as the best form of exercise. Walking slow improves cardiovascular health, lowers diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure, and reduces anxiety and depression symptoms.
My Fitbit is my daily companion and I walk vigorously enough to increase my heart rate to around 100110 beats per hour.
There are a few ways you can get more steps in your life. If you live on or work on a low-rise building, consider using the stairs. If you are going to the store, make sure that your vehicle is as far from the entrance as possible. Take a dog. After dinner, take a walk. Stand up to shift weight and move your feet during the day. All of it adds up.
Find out how to get outside and move. Getty Images/iStockphoto
8. Sleep is your superpower. Even one hour less sleep per night can double your risk of having a heart attack. There are more than 15,000 studies that show that sleeping less than 7 hours per night is linked to heart disease, strokes, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, arthritis, depression and high blood sugar. This includes after accounting for other factors such as smoking and obesity.
Studies of millions of sleepers in 20 countries have shown that sleep is a key factor in a shorter lifespan. You should get at least seven hours of sleep each night.
Use a sleep-tracking device or app to ensure that you are getting enough sleep. You can also sleep in total darkness and in a cool place.
9. Mindfulness is more important than matter. It is possible to reduce stress and anxiety through mindfulness meditation. This can increase self-awareness, empathy, sharpen thinking, and promote happiness.
Stress can increase your body's level of fight or flight hormones, such as adrenaline, cortisol and cortisol. These hormones increase heart rate and dilate pupils. They also suppress your pain response, immune system and immune system.
These stress hormones can cause damage to your blood vessels, increase your risk of having heart attacks or strokes, disrupt your libido, and suppress your immune system. They can increase blood glucose, blood pressure, obesity, hypertension, and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
Chronic stress, however, reduces the production klotho, an important protein that controls insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation.
Chronic stress is the main reason you age faster.
Meditation can counteract the age-accelerating effects stress by stimulating the parasympathetic nerve system. This reduces blood pressure and heart rate, and counteracts fight-or flight response.
Research has revealed new insights regarding the effects of meditation on your telomeres, the protective caps at each end of your DNA. Multiple studies have shown that meditation for just three months can significantly increase telomere length, and reduce cellular aging.
Meditation is a great way to live longer, be healthier, and live happier. Meditation is something I do for 12-15 minutes each day. You can start meditation by downloading one of the many apps available, such as Calm, Headspace, or Waking Up, which is a guided meditation app created by Sam Harris, a neuroscientist.
10. Keep your mind open to new opportunities. Although I'm approaching 50, my perception of myself is that I'm still a 30-something. It is clear that how old you feel and how biologically old you are have some sort of relationship. It is possible to think young and grow old.
Keep your eyes open. This is a placeholder page for Sandra S.
To survive in any situation, finding purpose in your life is key. This ikigai is the reason you live, and it can make your life more fulfilling. It is believed that Okinawans have a long life expectancy of around 90 years for women and about 84 years for men. This is because they are proficient in ikigai. One study of 73,000 Japanese citizens found that those who said they had discovered their ikigai increased the likelihood of them outliving the study by 7% and 15%, respectively.
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Research has shown that being grateful can have a significant impact on longevity. The Boston University School of Medicine conducted a 2019 study that followed over 70,000 people for 10-30 years. It tracked their health and attitudes. Researchers concluded that optimism was directly related to a 11-15% longer life expectancy and greater chances of exceptional longevity. "
One study found that older adults who volunteer with more than one organization have a 44% lower chance of dying young, even after taking into account lifestyle factors. My friend Dana Griffins Eldera.ai platform connects older adults and children to share stories, help with homework, or engage in activities.
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You can do more to keep your body in top shape for new technology. I do occasionally take part in ice bath treatments. My goal is to live a longer and healthier life.
Excerpted From The Science and Technology of Growing Young by Sergey Young published by BenBella Books August 2021.
Sergey Young is the author of The Science and Technology of Growing Young. He founded the Longevity Vision Fund with the mission of extending healthy lives for at least one million people.
This article was reprinted with permission from NextAvenue.org, Inc. 2021 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.
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