Want to Live Longer? Do These 6 Things
Want to figure out how to live longer? Many people assume that how long we will live is simply a matter of fate or the genes we’re born with. And while those do play some part in our life expectancy, it is also directly related to the dietary and lifestyle choices that we make every day.
So even though we can’t control whether we’ll be hit by a bus someday (or whether our parents and grandparents lived well into old age), there are 6 things we can do that really can make a difference in how long we live.
1. Eat Less
Did you know that eating less can make you live longer? When we do intermittent fasting or calorie restriction, it forces our body to start to burn fat instead of carbohydrates or glucose. This activates the production of AMPK, an enzyme in our cells that regulates energy use and has been shown to increase longevity. Essentially, when AMPK is activated, it kicks on your survival mechanism, which helps your body stop the replication of bad cells. However, how much you should reduce your calories is different for each individual, so it’s important to meet with a qualified nutritionist before attempting to cut back on your calories.
2. Exercise Every Day
We all know that exercise is good for us, but do you know why? One of the key reasons is that exercise can help lengthen our telomeres, which are caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes. When our telomeres are shorter, they become less protective of our chromosomes, which leads to increased aging. Exercise helps keep telomeres longer, reducing signs of aging. In addition, exercise improves blood flow and raises our NAD levels, which is a coenzyme that produces energy in our cells.
Doing more strenuous exercise, especially intervals of intense training, that causes you to work up a sweat is the most beneficial, but remember, any activity is better than no activity at all. Doing some form of exercise at least 10 to 30 minutes a day will go a long way to improving your health and helping you live longer.
3. Sleep More
It’s no secret that our mind begins to deteriorate as we get older. And one of the best things we can do to keep our brain sharp as we age is to get enough sleep. Not only does sleep help reduce blood pressure and keep our immune system healthy, but it also improves our brain’s plasticity, which is our ability to remember, learn and adapt. When we sleep, our body cleanses our brain by sending a mixture of cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid through the brain to carry away toxic waste, including amyloid-beta proteins that are thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease. By getting enough sleep, we are able to flush those toxins away, preventing excess build-up.
If you struggle with getting enough sleep, try to stick to a regular bedtime routine and avoid electronics before you go to bed. You can also try eating a small snack that includes protein before you go to bed. And if you get up in the middle of the night, don’t lie there for hours trying to fall back asleep. Instead, get out of bed and read or journal for a bit until you feel tired enough again to go back to sleep.
4. Eat Foods with Polyphenols
Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that can prevent or reverse damage done to cells by the aging process, helping you live longer. Studies have shown that polyphenols can help manage blood pressure, reduce blood sugar levels, reduce chronic inflammation and more.
Polyphenols are produced in plants, and they are more prevalent in plants that are grown under stressful conditions, such as drought or when fighting and invasion of bacteria. For example, grapes are high in polyphenols because they are usually grown in dry conditions. Other foods that are high in polyphenols include berries, plums, cherries, nuts, dark chocolate, vegetables and green tea. You can also find polyphenols in supplements including allicin (garlic) and quercetin and resveratrol.
It’s good to get these protective chemicals through foods, as they come with other nutrients that work together synergistically to enhance the benefits. Supplements taken with food will have similar effects as well. Stronger synthetic compounds are in the works pharmaceutically that will have more substantial long-term benefits but in the meantime it can be as easy as drinking a few glasses of green tea and supplementing with resveratrol or quercetin.
5. Consider the Benefits of Metformin
Metformin is a drug that is designed to treat diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and inhibiting glucose production in the liver, but it turns out that it has also been shown to lower the incidence of age-related diseases such as colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer and has been shown to increase people’s life span by about five years. One of the great things about metformin is it can lower LDL levels and, more importantly, it increases energy by mimicking aspects of caloric restriction by activating AMPK. It can be taken intermittently with guidance, and a prescription is necessary for it in the U.S. Of course, there is the possibility of some side effects, so it’s important to consult with your health care practitioner, especially if you have kidney disease or other risk factors, before taking it.
6. Boost Your NAD Levels
As mentioned above, NAD is a coenzyme found in every cell that plays a role in healthy cell function and is essential for energy production. NAD levels naturally decline as we age, leading to many age-related diseases, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. To boost your NAD levels, try to eat foods that boost NAD production, including avocadoes, sardines, salmon and broccoli, as well as vitamin B3 supplements, which is converted into NAD in your cells. NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) is another supplement that has been shown to greatly increase NAD+ levels. For more information on how and why to take NMN, contact me.