Aging happens to all of us, and even tho genetics play a large part in it, 75% is determined by our lifestyle. Family studies demonstrated that about 25 % of the variation in human longevity is due to genetic factors (1).
There is thus a whole lot we can personally do to slow down the aging process and live a longer and healthier life.
In this article I am going to talk about 4 things that determine how fast we age: Diet, the elements, smoking, mental health and exercise.
1. Diet
The first point, and an important one. Our diet has a lot of influence on how we age. Through the years I have done a lot of reading about diet. This all started when I became a vegan about 11 years ago. I started being more interested in the effect our food has on our bodies.
So the first point I want to mention is calorie restriction.
There are a lot of studies that have shown the benefits of calorie restriction on longevity in monkeys, worms, dogs etc... In some of these studies, even a small amount of calorie restriction already resulted in life extension (2). It is however very important for humans to also eat a diet high in nutrition. We all know about the role of antioxidants in health and aging, so it is crucial to get the nutrients we need for healthy hair, bones, muscles, skin etc.
I personally have eaten a mild calorie restricted diet for many years, and look about 10 years younger than my age. I have always focussed on eating a nutrient rich diet. And when I listen to other people who look way younger than their age, like for example Jarred Leto, Plant eats on youtube who is 51 but looks in his 30s, and Lure Hsu for example, I notice a pattern. They all seem to be fit and thin people who eat a lot of whole foods and little to no meat or dairy. Even if you still want to eat meat, it is crucial to not eat too much of it, and cut out dairy where you can (which is full of hormones and will boost your IGF1). What these people seem to do is not consume too much food, often mildly calorie restrict, workout and eat tons of vegetables.
Lure Hsu
So obviously you should not starve yourself, but eat what you need and focus on eating lots of healthy whole foods.
What I personally suggest through my years or research and experience is: Some fruit every day ( especially berries are good), eat plenty of vegetables both cooked and raw, grinded flax seed 1-2 tablespoons a day, some olive oil but not too much, whole grains and tubers like potatoes, and beans and lentils. If you are wondering wether you are meeting all your nutrient requirements, you can fill in your diet at cronometer.com and see which nutrients you may be lacking.
But dont forget to sometimes indulge a little as well, as this will not put you off track. So if you want some ice cream, chocolate or cake once in a while, just have it :) If your diet in general is good, you should be absolutely fine. The peace of mind you have within yourself will actually make you healthier vs stressing about everything you eat.
It is the point that you feel better and look great, not starve yourself and destroy your body.
2. The elements
Exposing ourselves to the elements can take its tole on our skin. For example the cold winter air can make our skin feel dry and the sun is the nr one cause of skin aging. I talk about this in my previous article called 'The Nr 1 Tip For Keeping Your Skin Young'.
In the article mentioned above I talk about the need for SPF if you want to keep your skin looking young. You can of course also avoid the sun or cover up as much as possible when going outside. But I prefer to enjoy the rays of the sun, and simply protect myself with an SPF. There is however one issue you should be concerned about, and that is vitamin D deficiency, which is rampant in the west. Especially in Northwestern Europe a high percentage of people suffer from vitamin D deficiency, even when going outside for several hours. The sun is not as strong and it is often too cold to go outside without being fully clothed from head to toe. Actually it would be more accurate to say that more people suffer from vitamin D insufficiency, which is less severe than deficiency.
Vitamin D insuffiency has been linked to a number of problems, such as brittle bones and cancer. A study analyzing research done on the risks linked to vitamin D deficiency, found mixed results. Some links were found between for example certain cancers and vitamin D, but some things need more and better research (3).
Critically evaluating the evidence regarding the purported benefit of vitamin D on a multitude of health outcomes is difficult. The bulk of current data is based on observational, epidemiological studies, which are useful for generating hypotheses but not for proving causality.
On the basis of the current data, it seems prudent for persons older than 60 years to take a vitamin D supplement of 800 to 2000 IU/d to reduce the risk of falls and fractures. These recommendations are consistent with the recently released report of the Institute of Medicine, which recommended that healthy adults take 600 IU/d to maintain skeletal health and also concluded that information about the health benefits beyond bone health could not be considered reliable
To err on the safe side, it is thus adviced to take a vitamin D supplement every day. The one I have used is a liquid form of vitamin D (which absorbs better than pill forms), which is called Garden of Life D3.
All you need to protect your skin is thus a good moisturizer with an SPF, mentioned in my article above. And if you live in a particularly rough environment, lets say with lots of cold and icy wind - wear protective clothing on your body as well as your face.
3. Smoking
What can I say about this one? It is known all around that smoking is one of the worst habbits for your entire body. It destroys you inside and out.
Cigarette smoke causes unfavorable skin changes or intensifies course of many skin diseases including cancer. Tobacco smoke additionally quickens the natural process of skin aging. It has been observed that the skin of smoking addicts at the age of 40 years resembles skin of non-smoking 70 year old adults.
So do your very best to quit!
4. Mental health
An often underrepresented cause of aging is our mental health. Have you heard that some people say that a stressfull event has made them age overnight? Well... they are kind of right... kind off. Stress in particular has many negative effects on our bodies. An example of this may be Obama before and after he became president of the United States.
Yes, there is 7 years between both pictures, but 7 years is nothing and no reason to age so fast. If I look back at my pictures from 7 years ago, there is virtually no change. So obviously his high stress job didnt do him any favors regarding his looks.
However, we cannot always avoid stress. Let's say we have a stressfull job and need it to bring in the money. You can always work on finding a less stressfull job, but it is not always that easy. Some jobs are very necessary, and I am very glad that some people take it upon them to do those jobs. We should support all efforts to improve all stressfull jobs to be less stressfull where possible. Automation is one example I can think off, and putting more emphasis as a system on quality vs quantity.
What we can do however, is try and find techniques and supplements by which we can handle stress better. You can go to psychotherapy, find stress management courses, work on ways of thinking that will make you more at ease and less stressed about the tasks you need to perform.
But you can also take certain supplements that have been proven to aid the body in handling stress. The only one I have tried with success is Rhodiola. I have tried many herbs before, but Rhodiola gives me instant benefits, where I never felt much from other herbs besides Maca.
Research regarding R. rosea efficacy is contradictory. While some evidence suggests that the herb may be helpful for enhancing physical performance and alleviating mental fatigue, methodological flaws limit accurate assessment of efficacy. A rigorously-designed well reported RCT that minimizes bias is needed to determine true efficacy of R. rosea for fatigue.(5)
So this study talked about contradictory evidence regards the efficacy of Rhodiola, but I say: Try this for yourself! And watch youtube videos of others who have tried it themselves and read the comment section. You will read thousands of posts by people who rave about this herb, including myself.
My brother gave me this herb when I was sleep deprived, and I felt instant effect from it to my own surprise, because I tend to be rather sceptical about these things. It helps you deal with mental stress, physical stress, plus it helps you sleep better. It also can help with dealing with depression. So now I suggest this herb to everyone, and that is why I wanted to mention it in this blogpost.
Note that I did sign up as an amazon affiliate to make some extra money from this blog, but I stand behind every single product I recommend! I am one of amazons tops reviewers because I have bought so much on there, and thus have tried out a lot of things. Thus I have a lot of personal experience to share next to my research.
Which Rhodiola supplement should you use? It is recommended to take 200 to 600 milligrams (mg) per day. I personally take 500 every other day or a couple times a week. Sometimes I only take it when I feel stressed and/or tired, because if you take it too much it can become ineffective as your body gets used to it. Normally you should feel the effect after 2-3 hours of taking it, but for me it was quicker.
This is the one I recommend:
Trevida Rhodiola Rosea 500 mg Supplement - 100% Rhodiola Root Extract - Most Effective Formula 3% Rosavins 1% Salridosides - 60 Vegan Capsules
5. Exercise
Not only often helps you with de-stressing, but has positive effects on your entire body if you dont overdo it and pay mind to what you are actually doing. Some sports are better than others, and some environments are better to sport in vs others. It is for example better to go hiking in a nature rich environment vs a polluted car ridden city.
We confirm that there is irrefutable evidence of the effectiveness of regular physical activity in the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis) and premature death. We also reveal that the current Health Canada physical activity guidelines are sufficient to elicit health benefits, especially in previously sedentary people. There appears to be a linear relation between physical activity and health status, such that a further increase in physical activity and fitness will lead to additional improvements in health status.(6)
That probably doesnt come as a suprize to you. However it is still important to pay attention to the possible risks of exercise, and pick the kind of exercise that will be most beneficial. Of course, I would say the best kind of exercise is the exercise you enjoy, because you are most likely to stick to it. If you have no idea which one you like the most, try out different things: go dancing, try swimming, hiking etc...
Sometimes it is also worth doing something for maybe a 3 to 4 days a week, just because of the immense benefits it gives you. You may not be super excited about it, but it may be worth your effort. That is why I started lifting weight. I have been lifting weight 4-5 days a week now, and it has made my body look so much more toned and better overall. I could already see results in just 2 weeks time.
"Resistance training may enhance cardiovascular health, by reducing resting blood pressure, decreasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Resistance training may promote bone development, with studies showing 1% to 3% increase in bone mineral density. Resistance training may be effective for reducing low back pain and easing discomfort associated with arthritis and fibromyalgia and has been shown to reverse specific aging factors in skeletal muscle.(7)"
For me the most important benefit is keeping my bones strong. I am pretty sedentary but want to keep my body as strong and healthy as long as possible despite of that. For this reason we bought a home gym. If you want something small to begin with, I suggest using resistance bands. Resistance bands virtually do the same as weights dog, and they are also easy to take when travelling. They are a great addition to our home gym.
Make sure to research proper forms when you start lifting weights, as proper form is very important to not cause any injuries.
When I was talking about possible risks of certain sports, I was specifically thinking about the damage some sports can do to your joints, as well as for example sun damage if you go hiking or running. For the second there is the easy solution: SPF. For the first, you may want to consider good footwear and do some reading if you have decided on a certain sport to do. Most problems seem to occur with professional athletes, who put a lot of strain on their bodies. For most people, their sport activities wont cause an issue. But it is always good to consult professionals, and notify your doctor if you have any pains or concerns.
References:
- Human longevity: Genetics or Lifestyle? It takes two to tango
Giuseppe Passarino, Francesco De Rango, and Alberto Montesanto
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4822264/
2.Significant life extension by ten percent dietary restriction http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.12982/epdf.)
3.Vitamin D Insufficiency
Tom D. Thacher, MD and Bart L. Clarke, MD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3012634/
4.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23421102