If living a long and healthy life is a goal, there are steps you can take to turn back the clock.
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, whose award-winning research on DNA methylation, the regulation of gene expression, has been studying the difference between biological and chronological aging, and in her forthcoming book, “YOUNGER YOU: Reduce Your Biological Age and live longer, better”.
Using epigenetics, the study of how environments and behaviors affect gene expression, the book details the eight-week pilot clinical trial Fitzgerald led that reportedly shaved three years off the biological age of participants with accessible settings. in diet and lifestyle.
Fitzgerald told Fox News Digital that motherhood and reports of declining life expectancies in the United States inspired her to study biological aging. According to the World Health Organization’s most up-to-date life expectancy repository, the average life expectancy for Americans is 78.6 years, while the median life expectancy is 66.6 years.
“Our biological age is advancing faster in this country than our chronological age,” Fitzgerald said. “And those last 16 years are spent with at least one, and for most of us, two chronic disease diagnoses. we’re not okay We didn’t spend our last years healthy.”
While statistics show that Americans are biologically aging at a faster rate, Fitzgerald’s research indicates there are ways to slow it down, and the process is surprisingly simple and cost-effective.
have a nutritious diet
When it comes to reversing your biological age, Fitzgerald recommends changing your daily diet to include nutritious foods, herbs, and spices.
“Obviously you want to eat more colorful, leafy greens like beets, and different herbs or botanicals like turmeric, which is found in curries, and green tea; all of these have the ability to change our genetic expression towards something more youthful when taken together. .”
Other healthy, nutrient-dense foods Fitzgerald recommends include low-sugar fruits like avocado, blood oranges, blueberries, grapefruit and green apples; clean animal proteins like eggs, grass-fed beef, grass-fed chicken, organic pork (if possible), lamb, and salmon; and healthy monosaturated, saturated, omega-3, and omega-6 fats” that can be found in a variety of nuts and seeds.
Daily carbohydrate intake you shouldn’t exceed 35 percent of your caloric intake, and most can be eaten through servings of fruits and vegetables rather than grains, which often contain gluten, a wheat protein that can cause inflammation in some, Fitzgerald explained. that is to say Tom Brady and others gluten free celebrities that have promoted its benefits (Miley Cyrus, Ryan Phillippe, Kourtney Kardashian and more).
do moderate exercise
getting moderate exercise each day promotes cell repair, detoxification through sweat, and burns pro-inflammatory fats while building heart muscle. According to Fitzgerald, not exercising can potentially reduce life expectancy in a similar way to smoking.
On a brighter note, the exercises that are helpful in reducing biological age are not necessarily intense.
“In our study, we also included a modest exercise prescription. It wasn’t crazy at all: just half an hour, five days a week, not really trying, kind of 60 to 80% perceived effort,” Fitzgerald said. “So 60% would be you’re breathing a little bit more, maybe sweating a little bit, you know, nothing too crazy. The important thing is consistency.”
Fitzgerald added that many healthy centenarians practice a lifestyle that includes some form of movement. These exercises can range from walking around town, gardening, dancing, cleaning, or riding a bike.
reduce your stress
Aside from diet, stress is a leading cause of premature aging, Fitzgerald told Fox.
In their own words, “We are very stressed as a country. And stress is like gasoline in the fire of aging. But the research also shows that reversing that stress, like practicing meditation or maybe yoga or tai chi, has really good effects on our gene expression, like contributing to that biologically younger profile.”
For his clinical trial participants, Fitzgerald prescribed a “basic meditation protocol.” He generally recommends 10 minutes of meditation twice a day, although there are relaxation podcasts or cuddle sessions with a pet or loved one that can help manage anxiety and other stressors.
don’t forget to postpone
get enough rest it’s the other key to staying biologically young, according to Fitzgerald. Getting at least seven hours of sleep each night not only helps keep your energy level high during the day, it also leads to healthy DNA methylation.
“Sleep: If it’s good, the quality will keep us biologically younger,” Fitzgerald said. “If we are not sleeping well, we will change our genetic expression towards something that increases our risk of chronic diseases, which in turn increases our biological age.”
“YOUNGER YOU: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better” by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald will be available for purchase beginning January 18, 2022.
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