By Dr. Joseph Mercola | mercola.com
Man has long searched in vain for the eternal fountain of youth. And now, it seems, some scientists may have discovered the key to turning back the hands of time.
ABC affiliate News 15 Arizona has reported that scientists from Arizona State University and Texas A&M University have made a breakthrough discovery in plant DNA that could lead to stopping cancer cold, as well as slowing the aging process.
Centenarians are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S population, with numbers doubling every decade; by the year 2050, the number of people who will have reached the century mark is expected to pass 1 million.
Centenarians have 60% lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, yet scientific explanations for their health and longevity remain elusive.
As a group, centenarians are happy and optimistic and have extremely low rates of depression and other psychiatric problems, suggesting that you may live longer by simply keeping a positive attitude.
There are four key nutrients that help prevent dementia and cognitive decline. If you want to live to be 100, you need healthy levels of vitamin D, DHA, folate, and magnesium.
To live longer, you need to counteract the progressive loss of muscle mass by increasing your protein intake as you age. The elderly, bodybuilders and endurance athletes typically have higher than normal protein requirements for their age group.
It’s also important to cycle high and low protein intake. Ideally, combine protein restriction with fasting, followed by increased protein intake on strength training days.
Fasting 16 to 18 hours each day is ideal, as this allows your body to deplete the glycogen stores in your liver to a greater degree.
The benefits of fasting are the suppression of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the activation of autophagy, both of which play a role in disease prevention and longevity.
In interviews and surveys with centenarians, certain themes came up time and time again when asked to explain why they've lived so long. Following are the 10 most common reasons they gave for their long lives:
- Keeping a positive attitude
- Eating good food
- Participating in a moderate exercise like walking, gardening swimming, etc.
- Living clean (not smoking or drinking excessively)
- Living independently
- Having a family to interact with
- Having a circle of friends
- Being born with “good” genes
- Having faith/spirituality
- Staying mentally active and never stopping learning something new
