The Causes and Cures of Aging

The fountain of youth has been sought for millennia and although we cannot halt the aging process completely, the point at which our organs/bodies fail can be managed. As shown in Fig 1 (left), physically active and endurance-trained individuals have a higher maximal aerobic capacity (VO₂max) vs. sedentary counterparts across all age groups. Remarkably, you can see that old, endurance-trained individuals even have the same VO₂max vs. sedentary individuals in their late teens. As such, research shows that endurance training delays critical organ failure, protects from disease, and may extend lifespan by almost 10%. An upper threshold of longevity benefits of physical activity has been reported to be 3 to 5 times (e.g., 450 – 750 min/week) the recommended minimum recommendations. While aerobic exercise is considered the gold-standard for enhancing cardiovascular fitness, health, and longevity, resistance exercise is more effective for building strength and muscle/bone mass.

Sleep

Sleep is another pillar of health that must be minded for optimized health and longevity benefits. Research is clear that too short and too long sleep is associated with greater risk of death. Optimal sleep duration is between 7-8 hours; however, sleep quality also matters. In a previous blog article we discussed the importance of sleep quality and strategies to improve your sleep for optimized health.

Nutrition and Supplements

One recent study found that consumption of ‘risk-increasing foods’ (e.g., higher intake of processed meat and red meat) is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, while optimal consumption of ‘risk-decreasing foods’ (e.g., vegetables, nuts, fruits, whole grains, and fish) results in a 56% reduction of all-cause mortality. Other studies have shown that increased consumption of trans fats is associated with coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality, while no clear association could be found for saturated fats. Collectively, these results point to a Mediterranean or vegetarian type of diet for enhanced health and longevity, which supports the observations made in populations in “Blue Zones” that have an unusually high percentage of centenarians. While a healthy diet is generally sufficient for young individuals, it is important to fill any nutritional gaps with supplements. In addition, aging is associated with increased oxidative stress, cell damage, and a progressive inability to repair and replace damaged components of the cell. Thus, extra intake of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and proteins may be needed for optimal health and functioning.