Category Archives: Longevity Medicine

Genome-Wide Association Studies, GWAS, look at the genomic milieu, but the presence or absence of a gene rarely tells the whole story. Genes, need to be transcribed, and ultimately metabolic products are created. Each of these inter-related levels has additional influencers and feedback mechanisms.Genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analysis are all currently active areas of investigation in the field of omics.

Taking a page from Dracula, studies in which older and younger mice have their circulations surgically connected, termed parabiosis, demonstrate that younger mice age more quickly, while those older mice are rejuvenated. While that finding has prompted charlatans to offer the blood of young donors for sale, it has prompted serious research on how and which of the multitude of proteins within our blood influence aging. We are just at the beginning of these investigations, there are no causal factors identified, and there will be no pills or treatment coming in the short term. A new report from Nature Medicine reports from the frontier on how the protein composition of our blood, a fluid that contains proteins from nearly every cell and tissue, changes with age.

The researchers utilized blood samples from roughly 4300 individuals age 18 to 95 and identified approximately 1400 proteins whose concentrations changed over time. Phenotypically, we know that men age differently than women; a metabolic basis for that observation may come from the fact that of those 1400 aging proteins, almost two-thirds of them were significantly different in men versus women.

It is a combinatorial nightmare to consider how each of these 1400 proteins interacts, so the researchers grouped them to reduce the complexity of analysis. As you might expect, the pattern of change in the proteins, their trajectory varied over time, some linear, others exponential, but most in a non-linear manner. Those trajectories identified 8 clusters represented in this graphic.

The researchers poetically described the aggregate pattern created by these varying trajectories as undulating; and identified three crests at age 34, 60, and 78. And while there was some overlap, each of these crests was mostly unique compositions of proteins.

Altogether, these results showed that aging is a dynamic, non-linear process characterized by waves of changes in plasma proteins that reflect complex shifts in biological processes.

Many of the proteins identified were part of signaling pathways, proteins carrying information from tissue to tissue throughout the body. Other proteins represented additional key biologic pathways with little overlap, a finding consistent with the idea that aging reflects the loss of the resilience that redundancy provides.

The researchers point out that the changing protein profile, the proteomics, are at this juncture best thought of as biomarkers, not causal agents. It is just too early in the investigation to be more confident in their roles. There were able to create a proteomic clock to predict ones age with a great deal of accuracy. While they report that patients whose age was underestimated did better on cognitive and physical tests than their peers, they made no mention of the findings for those individuals whose age was overestimated.

Source: Undulating changes in human plasma proteome profiles across the lifespan Nature Medicine DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0673-2

Original post:
Welcome to the Proteome: A New Way to Look at Aging - American Council on Science and Health

Lipman's final piece of advice (and, arguably, the most important) is to remember to enjoy life. In our world of biohacking and meticulous measuring, we can become so caught up in all of the numbers and blood tests and food restrictions that it may cause more harm than good.

"Biohacking is a very good, preventive thing. But then it can go a little too far, and you could become too stressed about it," Lipman says.

He even believes that stressing about nutrition and diet can actually have the opposite effect. Sometimes, the stress that comes with being neurotic about food can actually spark worse reactions in people than if they had just eaten the allergen itself.

"I think the stress of being neurotic and dogmatic about food is probably worse for you than eating a little bit."

Of course, some people have serious flare-ups with certain foods, so that's not to say you should ignore your allergies with a nonchalant, carefree attitude. But the concept of orthorexia and being neurotic about food isn't healthy, according to Lipman. That said, we should be aware of when we're going too far when it comes to our well-being.

So, if you're going to remember one piece of Lipman's valuable advice, let this be it: "Eat less and laugh more. You've got to have some humor about it, and you've got to loosen up."

There you have ita little physical adversity, but don't take it too seriously. A wiseyet simplesentiment from the famous Frank Lipman, himself. As the holidays are quickly approaching, you might want to make relaxation a priority this season. You can even tell your family members that taking the time to sit back and laugh was prescribed by a widely recognized functional medicine doctor.

Read more:
The 3 Best Healthy Aging Tips, According To Frank Lipman, M.D. - mindbodygreen.com

Women who exercise appear to live longer: Those who are very fit run a much lower risk of dying from heart disease, cancer and other common causes compared to those who are less active, a new study suggests. They new report is considered important because it's one of the few exercise studies that focus on benefits for women.

Spanish researchers found that compared to the fittest women, those with poor capacity for exercise were nearly four times more likely to die from heart disease, according to the study presented at EuroEcho 2019, the annual meeting of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.

The fittest women in the study were able to manage the equivalent of walking up four flights of stairs in about 45 seconds, or walking up three flights very fast, said the studys lead author Dr. Jesus Peteiro, a cardiologist at the University Hospital A Coruna.

Prior to Peteiros research, information on the benefits of exercise in women had been scant as many studies have focused on men.

Peteiro believes there is hope even for women who don't workout if they are willing to make a change now. While gym memberships may work for some, its too easy to let those lapse, he said in an email.

Women were considered fit if they could walk fast up four flights of stairs or very fast up three flights without stopping to catch their breath.

We think that it is more important to change the lifestyle than to merely join a fitness club for a time, Peteiro said. For changing lifestyle we mean to change the daily routine to make it more active. For instance, commuting to work by walking, cycling or public transport always leads to more exercise than taking your car."

Trending stories,celebrity news and all the best of TODAY.

Also, walking up stairs at home or work instead of using the elevator can help.

To take a closer look at how a womans fitness might impact her longevity, Peteiro and his colleagues turned to data that had been collected on 4,714 adult women with an average age of 64 who had been referred for a heart disease test that involves working out on a treadmill.

The women were asked to walk, and then run if they could, with increasing intensity until they couldnt go any longer. Images of the womens hearts were generated during the test.

The women were declared fit if they could work out at 10 metabolic equivalents or METs equal to walking fast up four flights of stairs or very fast up three flights without stopping to catch their breath.

One question Peteiro cant answer is what the fit women did to get in shape. That information wasnt in their records, he said.

The women who achieved 10 METs or more were compared to those who couldnt make 10 METs.

Over the next four and a half years, there were 345 deaths from heart disease, 164 from cancer and 203 from other causes.

The annual rate of death from heart disease was nearly four times higher among women who didn't exercise compared to those who were fit, 2.2% versus 0.6%, while the annual rate of cancer deaths among women with poor exercise tolerance was double that of the fit women, 0.9% versus 0.4%.

The annual rate of death from other causes was more than four times higher in those with poor exercise capacity compared to those who were fit, 1.4% versus 0.3%.

The new research adds to what is already known about exercise and longevity, but heralds as one of the few landmark studies that focus solely on women, said lcilma Fergus, director of cardiovascular disparities at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

While many existing guidelines indicate that physical activity is an important first step, this study does help to quantify how much more of a benefit can be achieved by exercise, especially vigorous exercise, Fergus said in an email.

The new study underscores the importance of regular exercise for all of us, said Kerry Stewart, a professor of medicine and director of clinical and research physiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The vast majority of evidence suggests that 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise will produce health benefits and lower the risk of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, diabetes and arthritis, Stewart said, adding that just being thin isnt enough to protect against these diseases.

There is research in men showing that those who were able to maintain a high level of fitness had the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease, Stewart said. And those who worked at becoming fit lowered their risk of heart disease, whereas those who started out in very good shape, but lost fitness over time were more at risk.

Linda Carroll is a regular contributor to NBCNews.com and Today.com. She is also the co-author ofOut of the Clouds: The Unlikely Horseman and The Unwanted Colt who Conquered the Sport of Kings.

Here is the original post:
How to live longer: Women who exercise have healthier hearts - TODAY

The age-old secret to a longer life really comes down to a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise, limiting alcohol intake, not smoking and eating a healthy balanced diet. Good nutrition is key to leading a healthy lifestyle. The foods a person eats gives the body information and materials they need to function properly. If a person eats too much food, or food that gives the body the wrong instructions, their risk of potentially life-threatening diseases increases and lifespan shortens. What is the best diet to help a person live a long, healthy life and reduce their risk of deadly diseases?

A study has been published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal and reignites debate around increasingly popular vegan diets amid conflicting medical advice and evidence over the impact of ones health.

The study found every three percent in calories form plant protein was found to reduce risk of death by 10 percent.

The figure rises to 12 percent for risk of dying from heart disease. By contrast, raising the share of animal protein in ones diet by 10 percent led to a two percent higher risk of death from all causes.

DONT MISS

Experts recommend eating more plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Lean protein and low-fat dairy products are also recommended.

Numerous research suggests eating at least seven portions of fresh fruits and vegetables per day may lower the risk of dying from cancer by up to 15 percent.

Dr Mingyang Song said: Overall, studies have supported the importance of the sources of dietary protein for long-term health outcomes.

Read the original post:
How to live longer: This diet has been proven to help you live longer and stave off cancer - Express

A New York Times bestselling author of five books and easily recognized as a trailblazer in functional and integrative medicine, youd think Dr. Frank Lipmans philosophy on health aging will be quite the journal entry, sprawling into different facets that all explore a branch, all intertwining like a spiders web in order to achieve prime aging.

To our surprise, its not. In fact, it couldnt be simpler.

"Basically, eat less, laugh more, deal with your stress, take sleep seriously. What else would be important?" Dr. Lipman said in a recent podcast.

However, while he definitely has the formula down when it comes to aging gracefully, Dr. Lipman recently said that hes fascinated with our current pursuits to prolong our health, and not just our lives.

As such, he commented on it, saying that we should be aware of increasing our health span, not our life span.

So, how do you do it? Here are his tips, according to a recent post on mindbodygreen.

Physical adversity is the way to go

According to Dr. Lipman, a little bit of stress is actually good for you, which should come in the form of physical adversity such as fasting and high-intensity exercise. The idea is that your body is stressed a little bit to stimulate longevity genes, which then teaches your body to handle bigger stressors better. But dont starve yourself because the idea is that a little goes a long way.

Move intentionally

This isnt just about exercising more, although thats always a good idea. Per Dr. Lipman, this is about exercising intentionally and intelligently. The key, according to him, is to push your body in an intentional way that would test it but not enough to cause injury. Its harder to recover as you get older, and so its important to change the way you do your routines to better suit your body.

Dont take life too seriously

The last piece of advice, per Dr. Lipman, is to simply not take life too seriously and have some fun. These days, everyone is too caught up with numbers and metrics that its easy to forget how to enjoy things while were at it. Eat less and laugh more. Your life would be all the more better.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that every 19 minutes an older adult dies from a fall in any part of the country. Pixabay

Original post:
Expert Reveals 3 Best Healthy Aging Tips - Medical Daily

Modern medicine and healthcare have made living long lives a very real possibility. While most of the methods used depend on medical or surgical procedures, experts suggest that leading a healthy lifestyle plays a key role in helping you live a long life.

And this is where the Blue Zones diet comes in. Recent research has shown that adopting the lifestyle habits of those who live in the Blue Zones will help you extend your life beyond the age of 100 years. How exactly does this lifestyle system work? Lets find out.

Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.

In 2005, Dan Buettner did a cover story, Secrets of Long Life, for the National Geographic Magazines November edition, where he described how the centenarians (those who have lived beyond the age of 100 years) of the world lived, where they were located, what they ate, and how they were able to elongate their lives.

The story inevitably captured the imagination of people, and in 2006 Buettner and a team of demographers, scientists and anthropologists conducted deeper research into the specific regions (or zones) where the highest percentage of centenarians live. These zones are:

Despite the huge geographical and cultural differences between each of these zones, the researchers noticed nine common denominators and lifestyle characteristics that the residents of these zones shared. These characteristics were then named the Power 9 and are listed as follows:

1. Move naturally

You might think strenuous or mindful workouts in the gym multiple times a week or training for or running marathons might contribute to a long lifespan, but the people of the Blue Zones do none of these. They just live in environments where movement or activity is constant. Unlike the sedentary, desk-bound professional lives the rest of the world lives, most centenarians engage in jobs like gardening, housework or working outdoors in other ways. They do not use mechanical or electronic conveniences that cut out the natural movements of the body.

2. Purpose

Why do you wake up in the morning? Do you have a sense of purpose? You might think these are spiritual questions that have nothing to do with living a long life, but the residents of the Blue Zones disagree. Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to 7 years of extra life expectancy, Buettner wrote in his report published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine in 2016. Take a page out of the book of those who have lived beyond 100, find your purpose in life and work towards it.

3. Downshift

You might not realise it while you are busy worrying incessantly about that target or deadline at work, the disputes in your personal life, or the larger goals in life that you are unable to achieve - but stress does not add to your life, and it definitely does take away valuable years. Its not that people in the Blue Zones dont experience stress. They do. But they take a downshift or some time to shed off that stress effectively. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors; Adventists pray; Ikarians take a nap; and Sardinians do happy hour, Buettner wrote.

4. 80% Rule

Gluttony is actually very harmful to your health - and not because it's a "sin". People in the Blue Zones believe in the 80% rule, and it has clearly served them well in living long lives. Hara hachi bu - the Okinawan 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals - reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full, Buettner wrote. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. So, stop before you overstuff yourself, cut back till about 80% and you wont just avoid weight gain - you might even end up living longer.

5. Plant slant

What do centenarians from all the Blue Zones definitely eat, despite the huge difference in the local foods available to them? Beans, including fava, black, soy, and lentils, Buettner wrote. Eating plant-based meals most of the time does not mean that you must stop eating meat though. In fact, the people from the Blue Zones arent necessarily vegetarian. They eat meat, including pork, but only 5 times per month on an average. The focus should be on more plant intake rather than meat intake.

6. Wine @ 5

Heres some good news for fans of red wine: drinking one or two glasses of red wine, specifically Sardinian Connonau, in the company of good friends and good food can help you live longer based on the evidence gathered from the Blue Zones population. People in all Blue Zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers, Buettner wrote. As he said though, moderation is key. You cannot drink a weeks worth of alcohol in one go and expect it to do anything but harm.

7. Belong

Having faith can also add years to your life, Buettners research proves. All but 5 of the 263 centenarians interviewed belonged to some faith-based community, he wrote, while adding that attending faith-based services 4 times per month will add 4 to 14 years of life expectancy. It doesnt matter what your specific faith or religion or belief-system is as long as you do have one and a community of fellow-believers who meet up to share the faith at least four times a month.

8. Loved ones first

Buettner wrote that putting family first also plays a role. He goes on to explain that keeping ageing parents and grandparents close (or living with them), having a life partner, and investing more time and love in your children actually helps elongate life. This has a lot to do with mental health and care because if you invest in your family you are more likely to be looked after and feel happy. It also reduces disease and mortality rates and can increase life expectancy.

9. Right tribe

Finding your tribe, or the right set of people who can provide lifelong support is apparently a big factor of longevity. Buettner wrote about how people in the Blue Zones are born into or maintain social circles that supported healthy behaviours. The presence of a social circle also seemed to keep vices like smoking away and promote happiness. Create and sustain a reaffirming group of lifelong friends, and you might just be able to fight depression, obesity and beat ageing.

As you can see, the Blue Zones Diet is more about changing your lifestyle rather than just focusing on food or exercise. It promotes a healthy and happy way of living which finally pushes back the time of death by decades when done right. If you can accomplish all the changes, maybe you too will live to be a centenarian.

For more information, please read our article onBlue Zone Diet.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.

Updated Date: Dec 10, 2019 18:14:33 IST

Tags : Blue Zones, Blue Zones Diet, Centenarians, Dan Buettner, Diet For Longer Life, Diet Tips, Healthy Diet, Longevity, NewsTracker

Original post:
Blue Zones Diet: Will following this diet help you live for 100 years? - Firstpost