Miracles Happen Everyday: Keys to a Healthy Life

Posted on February 1, 2017 by eguile

We all would like to see and hold our grandchildren’s children in our lifetime. Longevity is a scientific field that can facilitate this goal. We citizens need to apply this science to our everyday lives. My major premise is: strive to activate your longevity biochemistry. If medical research focuses on longevity we can manage all diseases with one silver bullet. In order to understand the science, we need to look at cell signaling pathways in the body. Cell signaling is a molecular internet in our bodies for activating and de-activating various functions.  A small molecule outside the cell can stimulate cells to perform a function.  The keystone to health is to activate or up-regulate the longevity protective and repair functions and de-activate or down regulate the anti-longevity pathways that lead to sickness and death.  A paper in the Journal of Nutrition by Clive McKay over 8 decades ago in 1935  found in an experiment with rodents that the only proven way to increase longevity was through caloric restriction (CR). When calories were restricted by 20 -30% the rats lived 40% longer. In many species from yeast to mammals reducing calories promotes longevity. CR accomplishes this by modifying energy metabolism, oxidative stress, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, autophagy, and by activating genes associated with longevity.

UN statistics forecast that 1 billion people will be older than 60 before 2025. Neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s are already the fourth highest disease burden in the Western world. In the US there are 80 million prediabetics and 90% don’t know it. The US is ranked 36th in life expectancy among the countries of the world at 79.8 years.  Globally, there were 14 million new cancers cases in 2012 and 8.2 million deaths. Many cancers are preventable.

The attenuation of aging is dependent on mitigating molecular damage to cells by stimulating protective and repair mechanisms. These mechanisms of stimulation can occur in several domains. Out of the thousands of signaling pathways in the body,  longevity research has demonstrated that there are four we should pay particular attention to. These are pathways that emerged during evolution to protect cells during periods of famine. Speakman and Mitchell in a review paper in the Journal, Molecular Aspects of Medicine suggest these four signaling pathways are important to longevity and are mediated by CR.

  1. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)/insulin signaling pathway. IGF-1 signaling is a systemic energy sensing pathway. When this pathway is downregulated we have good glucose control. Poor glucose control leads to insulin resistance and type II diabetes, which is epidemic in the US. The fasting glucose reading in your annual checkup is important in this regard and should be below 100 mg/dl.
  2. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. mTor is a pathway involved in protein synthesis control. We want to down regulate this pathway.Decreased mTor signaling is associated with increased lifespan. mTor activity is good at a young age but becomes a disadvantage among the elderly.

3 The adenosine monophosphate (AMP) activated protein kinase (AMPK)  pathway.  AMP-kinase is a cellular energy sensing pathway. When calories are reduced an enzyme is formed that promotes longevity biochemistry. We want to up-regulate this pathway.

  1. The sirtuin pathway. Longevity is also influenced by activating a group of seven genes called sirtuins. These genes are activated by restricting calories and by phytonutrients found in certain foods. A group of vital nutrients call anthocyanins are particularly beneficial. These are found in a diet emphasizing fruits and vegetables. Three foods with the highest anthocyanins content are grapes, blueberries, and eggplants. Resveratrol, Pterostilbene, and Quercetin are three other beneficial phytonutrients. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is found in every cell. It helps to activate the sirtuin pathway, boosts energy levels, and slows down aging. Mitochondria within cells are the energy engines for muscles and the rest of the body.  NAD+ is a co-enzyme that accepts and donates electrons to facilitate energy metabolism.   It declines with aging but can be increased through a supplement precursor( nicotinamide riboside). NAD+ also turns off genes that accelerate aging.

When these four pathways are regulated, either up or down, we get a reduced risk of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes mellitus.

There are at least seven domains we can control which are important to activating longevity biochemistry. Consult your physician if you are starting an exercise program.

  1. Pursue a diet low in calories and high in fruits and vegetables and low in refined sugar. Plant-based foods stimulate longevity biochemistry more than animal-based foods. Diversity in your food choices is an important way to ensure that you have a balanced diet leading to homeostasis. Eat plenty of raw fruits and vegetables. Eat healthy fats like avocados and nuts. Intermittent fasting has been shown to activate the longevity pathways above. This is a dietary pattern that cycles between fasting and not fasting to reduce calories and derive caloric restriction benefits. Diabetics should not pursue this strategy of caloric restriction.
  2. Be positive and stay positive. Stay socially involved and build relationships. John Donne said “No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main……. therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Multiple studies have demonstrated that having an extensive social network extends lifespan. Okun and co-workers in a meta-analysis of 14 studies pointed out that people who volunteer reduce their mortality risk by 25%. Being mentally active keeps your mind sharp.  Challenge yourself mentally by doing crossword puzzles, playing games like chess and bridge, reading extensively, and giving speeches.
  3. Maintain daily fitness. The three areas to focus on in maintaining fitness are A. Aerobic conditioning B. resistance training with weights. C. flexibility and balance training. As mathematics is the queen of the sciences, walking is the queen of exercise. Exercise stimulates a phenomenon called autophagy which is an evolutionary ability of cells to recycle broken down components into fresh new ones. Mitochondria, a cell component that is vital to our energy systems, are maintained and degrade less through exercise.
  4. Build relationships. Strike up conversations with people.  Of course, family relationships rank very high. I use the acronym LASH to reference the need for more love, alpha waves, sleep, and humor.
  5. Be aware of your environment. Air pollution is anti-longevity. Rain brings multiple blessings and cleans the air. Sunscreen, for example, can protect you from harmful ultraviolet rays. Limit exposure to toxins.
  6. Reduce your stresses. Life in the 21st century is getting ever more stressful. On our chromosomes are structures called telomeres. They shorten under unmanaged stress. The shortening is a biomarker for aging. We can slow down the shortening through meditation, practicing yoga, are practicing tai chi. These and other practices that can generate relaxing alpha waves can help us manage stress. Following daily routines such as walking for half an hour helps us manage stress. Get plenty of sleep.
  7. Be your own physician regarding preventing illness. In this society, we know a lot about sports for example. How much do we know about our own health? We are obligated to increase our knowledge about health so that we can apply rapidly advancing medical science to our daily lives. We can then discuss health intelligently with our doctors and ask pertinent questions. We have to internalize the concept of “a bridge to a bridge to a bridge.” We need to keep ourselves reasonably healthy until the next medical breakthrough in a few years. Our health will improve and that bridge will then lead you to the next bridge-medical breakthrough, and so on. Accelerating change will ensure that these breakthroughs will occur like clockwork.

In closing, I would like to emphasize that according to Nicholette Zeliadt in a Scientific American report only 20-30% of our longevity is governed by our genetic inheritance. The other 70-80% % is a domain that we can influence with healthy lifestyle decisions. Let’s wake up every day and make great decisions so that we can live to see, hold and love our grandchildren’s children.

References

  1. McCay CM, Crowell MF, Maynard LA. The effect of retarded growth upon the length of life span and upon the ultimate body size. J Nutr. 1935;10:63–79
  2. Speakman JR, Mitchell SE Mol Aspects Med. 2011 Jun;32(3):159-221. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2011.07.001. Epub 2011 Aug 10.
  3. Okun, M. A., Yeung, E. W., & Brown, S. (2013). “Volunteering by older adults and risk of mortality: A meta-analysis.”Psychology and Aging, 28(2), 564-577. doi:10.1037/a0031519
  4. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/genetic-factors-associated-with-increased-longevity-identified/
  5. New England Centenarian Study http://www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian/
  6. http://www.nutripeople.com/nutrient/superfoods
  7. https://fnic.nal.usda.gov/food-composition/phytonutrients
  8. 2016 Jun 17;352(6292):1436-43. doi: 10.1126/science.aaf2693. Epub 2016 Apr 28.

About eguile

Earl Ernest Guile is the author of Antarctic Collapse (a novel about climate change), Secrets to a Richer Life (illuminating interviews with citizens from five continents) and Secrets from the Cradle to College Admission at MIT and the Ivy League (a parent student guide to college admissions). Born in Florence, S.C., he grew up during the civil rights struggle and successfully protested the segregation of the Florence Public Library. He is a former university professor who studied at Morehouse College, Bowdoin College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California at Berkeley, and at Harvard University with degrees in biology, dental medicine and public health epidemiology. He has pursued cell biology research at Oak Ridge National Laboratories and at the University of Helsinki. He later took the risk to pursue work in the Third World, first in Cameroon and subsequently in Hong Kong, Suriname, and Saudi Arabia. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health. The writer has a fervent belief that advances in science, technology, and universal educational access should be focused like a laser beam to eliminate world poverty, disease, and ignorance, as well as, solve critical problems of energy, clean water, food production, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. He has two sons, practices Tai Chi, has traveled to over 62 countries, and presently resides with his wife in Portland, Oregon.
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