Happy Healthy Long Life

At Age 75, What's Gary Player's Workout? Cardio, Strength-Training, Meditation, and a Mostly Vegetarian Diet

 

                                                                                       photo: Black Knight International

 

Mr. Player believes that the future of fitness lies in what people eat much more than how active they are.

"Nutritionists will be the new trainers.  Diet is 70% of the fitness puzzle,"  Player says.

For the last six years, Mr. Player has followed a mostly vegetarian diet.  He says he has much more energy since he's cut out meat.

"I need less sleep, my cholesterol is lower, and my stomach works way better, if you understand what I am saying," he says.

His weight has been consistent, averaging 155 pounds when he was in his prime playing days.

He's now 144 pounds.

"You need to be thinner as you get older.  Though most of my friends seem to follow the opposite philosophy,"  he says.

 

-excerpted from "What's Your Workout.  A Golf Great Works to Stay Fit, Well Over 50," by Jen Murphy, Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2011-

 

 

Gary Player is the new poster child for how to stay-fit-and-healthy after 70!   What an inspiration.  I had no idea.  Not to mention how good he looks!

I highly recommend reading the entire WSJ article.  Player's now 75--and he has some wise advice to share about how to stay healthy as we get older.

JB, a blog reader, clued me into the "What's Your Workout" story about Player that appeared in today's Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2011.  Thank you!

Before I had I chance to look at it myself, I sent it right on to my husband--an avid golfer.  I knew he'd appreciate it.  He read it immediately.

 

"I can't believe that article about Player.  What an inspiration he is!   Do you believe his workout?   A 100 pound weight on this chest while doing situps? 

I even printed it out, so I could look at it more closely.  He's one smart guy--and he even meditates."

 

Here's Just a Taste of What Goes Into Player's Workout  

 

• 1,000 sit ups & push ups every morning
• An hour of exercise, five or six days a week, including stretching & cardio
• Stair-climbing, jogging on a treadmill
  
• Swimminng
• Strength workout that includes squats, lunges, free weights, & a stability ball workout
  
• 20-30 minutes of meditation daily
• Oh my!
  

 

                                                                            photo:  Black Knight International

1,000 Sit-Ups with a 100 Pound Weight on His Chest

 

Two Short Articles You Might Want to See

 

"Breaking Bread Everywhere, Plentifully or Pitifully"  by Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times, August 1, 2011

Take a peek into the pantries of 15 people from around the world to see what everyone else is eating--complete with the calorie counts.  The photos come from Peter Menzel's & Faith D'Alusio's book, “What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets".

This is a fascinating photo essay, based on the current exhibit now showing in the Museum of Science in Boston.

 And here's what I ate on July 4, 2010! Complete with the calorie count!

                                                                                             Photo: Peter Menzel

Ahmed Ahmed Swaid, 50, sells qat (a stimulating plant leaf that is chewed) in Sanaa, Yemen, pictured here with dishes of fava beans, minced meat, lamb and saltah (a stew with beef and eggplant). Estimated calories pictured: 3,300.

And don't miss this one!

"Ancient Moves for Orthopedic Problems," by Jane Brody, New York Times, August 1, 2011.

Yoga therapy for pain relief, and to prevent surgery.  "It pays to know about methods of prevention and treatment for orthopedic problems that are low-cost and rely almost entirely on self-care."   Remember Dr. Loren Fishman's study to increase bone-density with yoga?   Here he is in the New York Times.

Sixty Minutes: The Secrets of the Healthy Monks of Mt. Athos - A Mostly Plant-Based Diet, Strict Limits on Olive Oil, Dairy, & Wine - Hard Physical Labor - and Meditative Prayer

 

"Since 1994, the monks of Mt. Athos have been regularly tested, and only 11 (the community numbers 2000) have developed prostate cancer, a rate less than one quarter of the international average.

In one study, their rate of lung and bladder cancer was found to be zero.

And when they get sick, there's an in-monastery doctor, Father Ermolos, who is not very busy, because the monks are in excellent shape:  there's remarkably little cancer, virtually no heart disease or Alzheimer's.

They must be doing something right, in addition to drinking wine at nine in the morning."

 

-Excerpted from 60 Minutes, "Mt Athos: A Visit to the Holy Mountain," aired on April 24, 2011, and "A Foolproof Anti-Cancer Diet, with Just One or Two Drawbacks,"  Sunday London Times, December 7, 2007-

 

If you received this via email, click here to get to the web version with all the links & photos.

 

Early Monday morning, blog reader Gael emailed me: 

Subject:  did you see 60 Minutes last night????  

great piece about these monks...but the diet piece sparked my attention. also an article in the UK times about them.

 

Nope.  I had missed Sixty Minutes'  Easter Sunday segment.   But, before I headed out the door for work on Monday morning, I scanned the 60 Minutes transcript--and read the Sunday Times of London story about the monks' diet!   Now here's a story to share!  Thanks so much, Gael!

 

I agree with Gael on this one.  Sure the story of these Orthodox Christian monks--who number around 2000, and have been living on a remote peninsula in Northern Greece, high above the Aegean Sea for over 1000 years--is fascinating.  But, I was curious about what was keeping them so healthy.

This is definitely an exclusive club!  Monks apply from all over the world for the opportunity to live an ascetic, mostly silent, prayerful life at one of the 20 monasteries on Mt. Athos.  They get far more applicants than they can handle & they say it's harder to earn a spot for this lifetime silent-ascetic-spiritual commitment, than it is to get into Harvard! 

But, back to the health story on Mount Athos.  Hardly any cancer?  Or heart disease?  Or Alzheimer's?  I wanted to know more!

Bottom line, their diet & lifestyle is a cross between:

• Calorie restriction
• The authentic post-World War II Mediterranean diet of Crete--lots of physical labor coupled with lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and just a little bit of olive oil, wine, & fish.

Br J Nutr. 2004--when researchers went back to Crete to look at the health of the  islanders--the group with the highest olive oil (MUFA) consumption had the highest heart disease, and those with the lowest olive oil intake had the the lowest heart disease.  Click here and here for more about why olive oil & the monounsaturated fats aren't exactly health food.

The data on which the Mediterranean Diet is based came from the 1950's. At that time the people on the Isle of Crete had the lowest all cause mortality. It was post-WWII, they were poor, didn't have a lot to eat, ate mostly fresh fruits & veggies from their gardens, walked 9 miles a day, worked at hard physical labor and the highest consumption of oil was 3 TBS a day--and small amounts of fish. Big difference from how we live today. 

• Dr. Ornish's mostly-plant-based, no-oil, exercise, & meditation prescription 
• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. & Dr. T. Colin Campbell's plant-based, no-added oil diets.
• Dr. David Katz's  (Yale University) theory on the benefits of limiting the variety of foods we eat. Limit your breaksfasts & lunches to a short list of options.  Too much variety amps up the appetite!  Keep dinners simple--don't tempt yourself with too many courses and different flavors-- it's impossible to resist.  No one can resist a sweet dessert after a savory dinner.  Read more here
• Dr. Herbert Benson's research on how meditation or daily prayer has positive effects on over 2000 genes that control aging, inflammation, stress, & metabolism. Gene changes can be seen within 8 weeks of starting a meditation practice--but long-time practitioners accrue the most impressive gains!  Click here to read "Genomic counter-stress changes induced by the relaxtion response" in PLOS One.

 

A Urologist Speculates about the Low Rate of Prostate Cancer in the Mt. Athos Monks

 

Dr. Haris Aidonopoulos, a urologist at the University of Thessaloniki, thinks it's because the monks avoid olive oil, dairy products, and wine at least three days of the week.  

"What seems to be the key, is a diet that alternates between olive oil and nonolive oil days, and plenty of plant proteins. 

It's not only what we call the Mediterranean diet, but also eating the old-fashioned way.  Small simple meals at regular intervals are very important."

Their meals are regular, ascetic, and repetitive.  I'm betting that Dr. David Katz of Yale, would say that's one of the secrets of their health success.

 

What's on the Monks' Menu Today?

 

I'm also guessing that Dr. T. Colin Campbell wouldn't complain about the small amounts of occasional fish that the monks eat on holidays & feast days.  According to Campbell, eating too much animal protein--over 5% of daily calories--turns on cancer cells.  In multiple lab experiments, Campbell was able to replicate how cancer cells switch off when animal protein drops below 5% of total calories.   Is the monks' low animal protein intake also part of their secret to "no-cancer success"?

What's in the Monks' Pantry?

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Pasta
• Rice
• Soy dishes
• Bread
• Olives
• Red wine from local mountain grapes
• Dairy products are very rare--female animals (dairy cows) are banned from the monasteries
• Fish are a culinary luxury--eaten only on Holidays & Feast Days.   Meat is never eaten.

According to Father Moses of the Koutloumousi monastery:

"We never eat meat.  We produce most of the vegetables  and fruit we consume.  And we never forget that all year round, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we don't use olive oil on our food."

It's not just olive oil that the monks steer clear of on Monday, Wednesdays, & Fridays.  They also avoid dairy and wine on those days.  Turns out, this routine is more about stretching out their food supply, than for religious reasons.  But, again, it's likely part of the secret of their good health.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday:

• No olive oil, wine, or dairy is eaten

Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday:

• It's Salad Days
• Breakfast is hard bread & tea
• Lunch is pasta or rice, vegetables & olive oil
• Dinner is lentils, fruit, salad, olive oil, and red wine

Feast Days & Holidays:

• Fish or seafood

Fast Days--103 days a year (based on my calculations--there could be more)

• Strict vegan diet

Meals are eaten quickly--in about 10 minutes--& in silence, while Bible passages are read.  As soon as the passages are completed, the meal is over.

 

And Then There are the Fasts--The Calorie Restriction Factor

 

The Orthodox Church requires the monks to stick to three rigorous fasting periods--which requires them to adhere to a strict vegan diet for weeks at a time.  40 days at Christmas, 48 days at Lent, and 15 days for the Assumption.  Check out: "Greek Orthodox fasting rituals: a hidden characteristic of the Mediterranean diet of Crete,"  Brit J Nutr  2004 Aug;92(2):277-84.

According to Michalis Hourdakis, a dietitian with the Athens University:

 

"This limiting consumption of calories has been found to lengthen life.  Meat has been associated with intestinal cancer, while fruit and vegetables help ward of prostate cancer."

 

The Exercise Factor

 

The Mt. Athos monks don't need a gym for their work-outs.  The 60 Minutes crew found that when they weren't praying, they were constantly busy--tending to their gardens and olive groves, clearing the trails on the steep mountainous footpaths, and providing their own electricity & hot water.  Anything that needs to be done--they're the one's doing the work!

The climbs up the mountainous paths exhausted the 60 Minutes crew--while it was a piece of cake for the fit Mt. Athos monks.

 

The Prayer/Meditation Factor

 

If the research on repetitive prayer or meditation is to be believed--that it has a positive effect on the genes that regulate stress, aging, and longevity--as well as increasing the supply of artery-saving nitric oxide--reducing the stress hormone cortisol--and reducing damage from oxidative stress--then, no wonder the Mt. Athos monks are practically disease-free!

These monks pray all day long!  365 days a year they are in an eight-hour conversation with God--meditative repetitive prayer.  On Mt. Athos daily religious services last eight hours.

While attending services, the 60 Minutes crew described the monks as, "Utterly transformed, with a concentration so profound, they were immune from distraction.  There were occasional flashes of ecstasy."  I'd say that's meditation at its best!

 

But, It's Never Just One Thing! 

 

Whether on remote Mt. Athos, or in the middle of New York City--the prescription for good health is the same. 

Dr. T. Colin Campbell says it best:

"There is not one single mechanism in a plant-based diet that is responsible for its health promoting effects.  It's not about individual nutrients.  It's the 100,000 chemicals from plant foods that work together synergistically that bring about good health. 

Good nutrition supported by exercise, water, and sunshine is greater than the sum of its parts.  It's a biological symphony."

Oops, I also forgot to mention one last thing about Mt. Athos:

"The lack of air pollution is likely to also play a factor in their superior health."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Times Magazine: Billionaire David Murdock's Die-Later Diet - He's On a Mission to End Chronic Diseases Through Better Diets

 

Photo:  Jeff Riedel for The New York Times

David Murdock, the Vibrant, Healthy 87 year old Chairman of Dole

 

"Because many cancers have environmental links and the one she got didn't run in her family, he suspects that lifestyle was a culprit, and is convinced that if the two of them had eaten better sooner, she would have been spared the surgery, the radiation, chemotherapy, the wheelchair, the year and a half of hope and fear and pain."  Frank Bruni, NYT Magazine

"If I had known what I know today I could have saved my wife's life.  And I think I could have saved my mother's life too."   David H. Murdock

 

If you received this post via email, click here to get to the web version.

Don't miss this Sunday's New York Time's Magazine story, "The Billionaire Who Is Planning His 125th Birthday,"  by Frank Bruni.  It's a not-to-be-missed delightful & inspiring pleasure to read--for healthy food lovers.  This post is only a summary.

It's all about Dole's (the fruit company) chairman, the 87 year old David Murdock who is on a mission to make it to his 125th birthday--fueled by healthy food & exercise.  You can't help but be inspired by his energy, health, philanthropy, and what his company is serving at their cafeteria--it's all good.  This dynamo stands at 5-foot-8-inches and weighs in at 140 pounds.

Murdock's a man to be reckoned with.  He's on Forbes' list of the 400 richest American's--no. 130, to be exact--with an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion, which includes his vast real estate holdings.  $4.2 billion before the recession hit.

 

How Does a Penniless Dyslexic High-School Dropout Become One of the Richest Men in America?

 

Make no mistake, Murdock came from humble beginnings--a true rags-to-riches story.  His dad was a traveling salesman with a shaky income--and his mother took in laundry & scrubbed floors to help the family out.

He was dyslexic, could only manage to make D's in school, was considered an imbecile, and dropped out of high-school.  And it gets even worse.  After military service he was penniless and homeless.  

But through a chance meeting with a loan officer at a greasy spoon, Murdock was able to raise $1200 in loans, and then hit the ground running.  He went from building affordable housing, to office building construction, to acquiring International Mining, then Occidental Petroleum, and finally to taking over Dole in 1985.

How does a penniless high-school drop-out go from homeless to billionaire?  As Murdock sees it, his lack of formal education turned out to be a gift.  He had to overcompensate for his lack of education & that made him an avid voracious reader.  And, because he was learning "out of school",  he benefited by reading  "without the narrowness of focus that he notices in many conventionally learned people." 

So, there he now sits, a high school drop-out heading research board meetings where everyone, except him,  has either a Ph.D. or an M.D.

 

The  Diet & Health Interest

 

Murdock's Healthy Food Philanthropy

Murdock's a tell-it-like-it-is champion for the idea that good diet equals good health--and he's putting his money where his mouth is--contributing millions to help fund research on the benefits of diet for disease prevention & reversal.

This includes $500 million to build the North Carolina Research campus near Charlotte, "dedicated to his conviction that plants, eaten in copious quantities and the right variety, hold the promise of optimal health and maximal life span."   The Research Campus is a cooperative effort of eight universities all working together for the benefit of health and longevity. These include Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, NC A&T State University, UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State University.

The North Carolina Campus now has Mary Ann Lila, a world-renowned blueberry expert, on their staff--lured away from the University of Illinois.

Here's a short-list of what's currently being studied at the NC research facility:

• The benefits of blueberries--they believe that known & unknow compounds in blueberries help combat several diseases, including obesity.
• Quercetin--the anti-inflammatory compound found in apple skins (*I remember reading about NC studies on quercetin last year!)
• Chia seeds--are they as useful a source of omega-3 fatty acids as halibut or salmon?  I can't wait to hear the answer to this one!
• A certain type of fermented Chinese tea--can it lower bad cholesterol?

Note:  I know what you're thinking--Dole & fruit research?--but you're wrong.  Murdock's fortunes aren't tied to Dole--he's got plenty of other business interests.  Nutrition is just his mission--not a profit-center.

 

Murdock's Own Funded "Framingham" Study

It gets even better.  Murdock is out to somehow save the world by creating a well-funded study that hopes to enroll 50,000 Kannapolis-area residents (where his NC campus is located), "taking full blood work from them, storing it in a refrigerated warehouse with backup generators and annually monitoring  the residents'  health."  The goal is to "help determine what biological markers today can tell doctors about the onset of disease decades later."  Don't worry, the results won't be owned by Dole.  Murdock's Mission:  to end diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

 

 

Why Murdock Cares So Much About Food & Health

 

Murdock's obsession with diet, heath, and longevity comes first from the memory of losing his mother to cancer when she was only 42 and he was 17--but mostly, it comes from the death of his wife--the love of his life--who died of advanced ovarian cancer at age 43 in 1985.   During Gabriele's treatment at the Mayo Clinic, Murdock was determined to find a way to heal her.   That's where he first began his nutrition research mission--trying to figure out if there was anything Gabriele could eat, or a lifestyle practice, that might make a difference to her disease.

 

"Because many cancers have environmental links and the one she got didn't run in her family, he suspects that lifestyle was a culprit, and is convinced that if the two of them had eaten better sooner, she would have been spared the surgery, the radiation, chemotherapy, the wheelchair, the year and a half of hope and fear and pain."

"If I had known what I know today I could have saved my wife's life.  And I think I could have saved my mother's life too."

 

Murdock's Personal Diet Transformation

For a few years after losing his wife in 1985, Murdock was in black fog--no energy for anything--including work.  And then he got energized--reading everything he could get his hands on in the medical literature--and making friends with top medical and food nutrition experts.  He learned from them--and they learned from him.   In the late 1980's Murdock finally started on his own health transformation.  I guess that put him at 62-64 when he started to eat right.

 

The Murdock Diet Philosophy

 

"He doesn't count calories or believe in extreme caloric restriction as a way to extend life.  But he does believe that excess weight is a sure way to abbreviate it, and reprimands friends, acquaintances and even strangers who are heavy."

 

He had no problem telling one of his construction/demolition contractors--who was 5-foot-11 & weighed about 285 pounds,  "You're probably going to die before this job's done, because you're so fat and unhealthy, and your family's going to wind up paying extra money for an extra-large coffin!"

At a restaurant, he'll push away the butter dish, and ask the server to, "Take the death off the table!"

 

What's David Murdock Eating?

 

1.  Lots of fruits & vegetables--all different kinds--including pulverized orange rinds & banana peels--he's all about variety.  There's nothing eccentric about eating the rinds--USDA lab experts say that most of the anti-oxidants are in the peels & rinds of fruit. (better make sure they're organic)

2.  He drinks a fruit & vegetable smoothie three times a day "to keep his body brimming with fiber & vitamins"

3.  No dairy, no poultry, no red meat

4.  Protein sources:  Beans, nuts, legumes, seafood & fish, and egg whites

5.  No alcohol, no sugar, no salt

6.  He does use a little olive oil & honey

 

What Kind of Exercise Is This 87-Year Old Doing?

 

1.  He weight lifts several times a week

2.  Brisk walking on a treadmill

3.  Working on his five homes (call it functional fitness), which include 500 acres of meadows & woods in North Carolina, a 2,200 acre ranch in California, and a home in Hawaii--and lots of animals to help care for.

 

How's the Diet & Exercise Working For Him?

 

1.  His doctors say this 87 year old has ideal blood pressure

2.  His arteries are clear

3.  His muscle tone is good

4.  Never has a backache.  Never has a headache.  Never has anything else.

5.  He's careful to get some daily sun exposure--but not too much--because of skin cancer  (but a little is all you need)

6.  Gets to sleep no later than 11:00 pm--and gets more than six hours of sleep every night

7.  He does have some hearing loss.

8.  His one questionable belief:  he rejects all medicines--took no anesthetic for a precancerous facial growth--no aspirin--no throat lozenges, for him--ever.

 

Will He Make It to 125?

 

Dr. Robert Califf, the Duke University cardiologist who is on Murdock's research board, has serious doubts.  He thinks Murdock's diet isn't a "provable longevity booster".   "But knowing whether eating a food actually causes you to live longer than not eating that food: the answer to that will only come with a study of an entire generation."  Who could argue with that one?

Murdock's other doctors say that even though his diet is laudable, he started his "healthful ways" too late--in this 60's--and they think genetics trump lifestyle.  Hmm.  To that, I'd say,  "How many 87 year olds do you see with his kind of good health, vigor, and energy?"  Who cares about making it to 125.  It's all about staying healthy and vital while you're alive!

 

A Day in the Life of Murdock's Die-Later Diet

 

Be sure to check out what David Murdock eats in one day.   Looks delicious.   Total calories:  1545  (But he's not counting!)

Gorgeous food photos by Dana Hursey.  Click here for the photo essay

 

Breakfast (8-9 a.m.)

Cold whole natural grains with fruit and almond milk, accompanied by an egg-white omelet and a smoothie that includes up to 20 different kinds of fruit and vegetables.

Lunch (1 p.m.)

Vegetable soup (recipe) made from organic vegetable broth, fresh vegetables and fresh herbs; salmon with steamed vegetables and whole grains.

Afternoon Snack (3-4 p.m.)

Crackers with natural peanut butter or almond butter and fresh fruit.

Dinner (6:30-7 p.m.)

A salad dressed with olive oil, accompanied by vegetable soup and white fish with steamed vegetables and grains.

Snack

Chocolate cookies made from dark cocoa and walnuts (high in antioxidants) and honey.

 

 

Painless Calorie Restriction for People Who Love to Eat - Lessons for Health, Longevity, and Disease Prevention from the NIH CALERIE Study

Calorie Restriction Without Counting Calories - A 6 Cup Salad, Eggplant Lasagna, a 27 ounce Green Smoothie, & Fruit for Lunch & Dinner

"I didn't think calorie restriction worked in humans until I started working with people who'd been doing it for years.

They are among the healthiest people I've ever known.  Their heart function is similar to people 15 years younger, they have very low levels of inflammation and very few get cancer."

-Dr. John Holloszy, M.D., lead CALERIE investigator, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri-

"In terms of cardiovascular diseases - the No. 1 cause of death: 4 out of 10 people die of it in the U.S. and Europe - we know that they (Calorie Restriction Society members) will not die of cardiovascular death."

"..every day doctors are publishing hundred of papers on circulation research and medications that are lowering blood pressure or cholesterol by a small bit. And here we have such a powerful intervention that is basically cleaning out the arteries."

"I don't know why anyone would take drugs when they could do something like this."

-Dr. Luigi Fontana & Dr. Susan Roberts, Washington University & Tufts University, investigators for the NIH-funded CALERIE Study-

9/21/10 update: Bill Clinton's CNN interview.  Why he's eating plant-based.  His stent wasn't going to cure his cardiovascular problems.  He wanted a long-term solution.  Click here.

Update 9/25/10:  Click here for my latest post about Bill Clinton's Diet and Wolf Blitzer's Interview with Drs. Esselstyn & Ornish.

Back to October 11, 2009 - Revisiting the CALERIE Study

One of my all-time favorite posts was almost a year ago--about the CALERIE Study that's been ongoing at Washington University in St. Louis (a shout-out to Wash U!), Tufts University in Boston, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

I was totally intrigued by these 132+ people who were cutting their calories by 25%, eating a nutrient-dense diet, and getting super healthy all at the same time.  But, honestly, it sounded like a whole lot of measuring, weighing, calorie counting, and constant hunger.  Back then I didn't seriously think it was something I could ever do it.

Fast forward to June 18, 2010 when I decided to up the ante on my plant-based diet, and take Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's challenge to cut out oils, nuts, and avocados from my already healthy diet.  That was 3 months ago--my 4 week "experiment" is over, but I'm still going strong with this eating lifestyle.

Weight-loss is always a huge motivator.  I got on the scale today and I was 121 pounds--unbelievable for me--and that's with plenty of muscles, I'll have you know!  Down 10 pounds in 13 1/2 weeks, and I'm not counting calories or depriving myself one bit. 

I love how my clothes fit--I love that my blood pressure is consistently low normal--that my resting pulse is around 56--my cholesterol is just fine, I've got plenty of energy, the toxic belly fat is almost gone, as well as my extra tush cushioning--and guess what?  I didn't set out on this diet to lose weight.  I figured I was fine just the way I was--at 131 pounds--OK for a sixty-year old. 

I set out on this path for the same reason that Lisa Walford did.  She's the 55 year-old daughter of the late Dr. Ray Walford, one of the first researchers to look at the benefits of caloric-restriction.  Lisa has followed a 25% calorie restricted diet for over 20 years and at 4 foot 8 inches, she weighs in at a diminutive 80 pounds, and eats around 1500 calories a day.  If Lisa wasn't trying to lose or gain weight--her "set point" would be 95 pounds and she'd be consuming 2000 calories a day.

"Personally, I don't do it in hopes that I live longer.  I do it so that I can liver better now!  If I do live longer, it'll be a nice bonus."   Lisa Walford

My Unintentional Calorie-Restriction Experiment

Without intending to, it turns out that I'm following many of the precepts of calorie restriction, as well as the guidelines of the CALERIE Study (the Comprehensive Assessment of the Long Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy). 

• Sticking to the most nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes--although the CALERIE study is not vegan or vegetarian.
• Eating foods that are filling, appealing, low in calories, and nutrient-rich.
• Eating lots of fiber--like close to 50 grams a day (for me) without counting grams or even trying.  Fiber is key to keeping satisfied and full--and it likely activates the satiety receptors in the lower intestine.  My husband is a huge fan of eating a big bowl of high-fiber cereal (Uncle Sam's & Ezekiel's) with oat milk as a dessert, or when he craves a snack.
• I've easily cut my calories by 25% just by eliminating the high calories of oil, avocados, chocolate, sugar, and nuts.
• Why I wasn't losing weight on a plant-based diet. To maintain my previous weight of around 131 pounds I was eating around 2000-2200 calories a day, and exercising around 5 days a week.  Sure, I had been eating mostly plant-based since March 2008--but I still used olive & canola oils, salad dressings, ate avocados, nuts, nut butters, chocolate, and didn't scrutinize labels for added fat.  I never lost a pound.
• Eliminating high-calorie-low-nutrient foods. By just cutting out the added oils in my food and in my cooking, eliminating nuts (except for small amounts of walnuts in recipes), avocados, vegan mayo, my beloved Terrapin Ridge Chipotle sauce, my favorite Whole Foods prepared deli vegan fare, hummus with tahini, and chocolate--I've naturally cut my calories to about 1400 a day without counting a calorie, or missing a thing!  Believe me, I never thought I could cook without oil, or live without nuts.
• I eat whenever I'm hungry and as much as I want.

If you had the chance to stay healthy and lean as you aged--free from the diseases of aging, like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases--and all you had to do was cut out 25% of your daily calorie intake--would you do it?

Oh--and if you could also fit into cool clothes, drop to your high school weight,  & enjoy super energy?  Would you be willing to do it?

Why Is Calorie Restriction on My Mind Right Now?

A few weeks ago I picked up the Sept/Oct issue Natural Health and zeroed right in on their cover story "Eat Less, Live Longer" by  Catherine Guthrie.   And then I watched the 2010 Milken Institute panel, "The Science of Longevity", that featured my favorite calorie restriction expert from Washington University, Dr. Luigi Fontana.  I highly recommend viewing this video if you ever have 70 minutes to spare.  Right!

Here's what I learned:

1.  Your body has a natural set point weight.  That's the weight your body would naturally gravitate to if you weren't trying to lose or gain weight.   If you want to lower your calories by 25%--you first need to know how many calories you typically eat to maintain your "natural set point" weight.

2.  Short-term pleasure vs long-term benefits.  To make this work, you have to be willing to sacrifice the short-term pleasure of chocolate cakes for the long-term benefit of good health.  Easier said than done.  It's also not just a calorie-cutting game--it's eating the most nutrient-dense foods possible.  Otherwise you end up malnourished.

3.  Why does calorie restriction confer good health?   Most researchers in the field believe it's because low-calorie nutrient-dense foods stave off oxidative stress, which is the damage caused by free radicals--a natural byproduct of the body's metabolism.  Catherine Guthrie offers an elegantly simple explanation of the process.

"Think of free radicals like the carbon dioxide produced when you burn gas driving a car.

By restricting the amount of calories entering the body, cellular engines are forced to be more efficient (hybrid vs SUV), and the entire body hums like a well-oiled machine.  More efficient cellular engines mean less metabolic waste and fewer free radicals spewed into the body.

Since free radicals (and inflammation) play a role in nearly all age-related diseases, especially cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, the result is healthier aging."

4. Caloric restriction slows aging. According to Dr. Luigi Fontana, caloric restriction is the most powerful tool we have to slow aging, and reduce disease.  All the cardiac risk factors are reduced significantly, type 2 diabetes is reduced to zero, arteries are clean, and cancer causing hormones are down-regulated.  Right now the average life span in the U.S. is 80 years.  The average health span is 50 years--after that it's doctor visits, prescriptions & treating disease.  We need to bridge that gap.  Fontana's latest article on "Extending Healthy Life Span--From Yeast to Humans"  is published in Science 2010 Apr 16;328(5976):321-6. Click here.

5.  Animal protein & cancer.  Reducing the amount of animal protein we eat to 10% of calories eaten reduces risk factors for prostate, breast, and colon cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases.  Animal protein increases IGF-1, a growth factor associated with these diseases. (Fontana)  Click here to read more.

6.  A Flat Belly Means a Healthy Body.  BMI is a crude way to measure health.  Waist circumference is better.  A flat belly means you are eating just the right amount of calories you need. Yikes!  A round belly means you are eating too much. (Fontana)

7.  If you have a family history of cancer, eating a high animal protein diet is not a good idea. (Fontana)

And now for the original post from Oct. 11, 2009.  It will explain a lot.

CALERIE: The NIH Calorie-Restriction Experiment. Lessons for Health, Slowing Down the Aging Process, Longevity, and Disease Prevention

Photo credit: Reinhard Hunger NYT 10/11/09

"In terms of cardiovascular diseases - the No. 1 cause of death; 4 out of 10 people die of it in the U.S. and Europe - we know that they (Calorie Restriction Society members) will not die of cardiovascular death."

"... subjects have cholesterol around 160, blood pressure around 100 over 60, high HDL, low triglycerides and very low levels of inflammation."

"...every day doctors are publishing  hundreds of papers on circulation research  and medications that are lowering blood pressure or cholesterol by a small bit.  And here we have such a powerful intervention that is basically cleaning out the arteries."

"I don't know why anyone would take drugs when they could do something like this." 

Dr. Luigi Fontana & Dr. Susan Roberts, Washington University & Tufts University investigators for the NIH- funded CALERIE Study,   NYT 10/11/09

If you had the chance to stay healthy and lean as you aged--free from the diseases of aging, like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases--and all you had to do was cut out 25% of your daily calorie intake--would you do it?  Oh--and if you could also fit into cool clothes, drop to your high school weight,  & enjoy super energy?  Would you be willing to do it?

We know that careful calorie restriction--eating a nutrient-dense-low-calorie diet--works in rodents and those University of Wisconsin rhesus monkeys--but will it work for humans who are constantly tempted by cheeseburgers, pizzas, office parties, and dinners out with friends?  (Read about the Rhesus Monkey 20 year follow-up here)

According Dr. Susan Roberts, one of the principal CALERIE investigators, when it comes to animals,  "They don't just live longer, they are healthier.  They actually aged biologically slower.  Their hair has gone gray less quickly.  Their hormones have stayed at their youthful profile and their immune function has stayed good."

I'd heard for years about too-skinny "calorie-restriction groupies" who were out to beat death with a miserably low-cal boring diet.  It held no appeal for me.  I love food too much!

But, I've got to tell you, after reading about the National Institute of Aging's ongoing calorie-restriction  experiment known as CALERIE  (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy)--I'm rethinking this whole calorie-restriction scene!  This is not excruciating or boring at all!  And since I started on my "veganish" adventure in March of 2008--I'm not that far away from the CALERIE model already!

Take a look at Jon Gertner's fascinating story, "The Calorie-Restriction Experiment" in the October 11, 2009 New York Times Magazine, here. 

Honestly, I'd describe it as Weight Watcher's on steroids--with help from physicians, dietitians and counselors.  There's even room for an occasional Uno's pizza, Haagen Dazs ice cream bar, bratwurst, or beer.

The first participants are finishing up their 2-year trial and the results are promising.

What is the CALERIE Study?

• Since it's virtually impossible to follow people over a lifetime to find out if restricting calories by 25% would slow aging, drastically reduce diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer--CALERIE aims to follow a select group (right now there are 132 enrolled) for two years to find out if the biomarkers for aging can be modified when calories are restricted.
• The study will measure if inflammation, insulin levels, blood pressure, core body temperature, and body weight can be lowered simply by reducing calories by 25%.
• Where are the sites?  Tufts University in Boston; Washington University in St. Louis; Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.
• Who is eligible?  20-50 year olds who are healthy and not too fat or too thin--having a BMI of 22-27.9.  Participants also have to be motivated, organized (they have to measure & record every morsel they eat for 24 months), have stable jobs with little travel, and a supportive family.

What's the Diet Like?

• So, do you think you know how many calories you eat every day?  Think again.  Most participants guessed wrong.  Using a high-tech lab technique that involves swallowing water with rare isotopes, the researchers are able to figure out precisely how many calories each participant is typically consuming.  Then they cut it down by 25%.  
• Liz Ewen, a molecular biologist, was eating 2,226 before CALERIE--now she's at 1,670.  Dr. Jeff Peipert, an OB-Gyn, was consuming a whopping 3,300 a day pre-CALERIE--now he's at just under 2,500. 
• For the first 28 days participants get all their meals & snacks cooked for them and at no cost--based on their individual calorie counts.  This gets them accustomed to portion sizes and adjusted to eating the kind of foods that will keep them filled and satisfied.  And this food isn't spartan:  Mediterranean-style fish with Greek-style potatoes, or Farfalle with Pesto & Diced Chicken, for example.  After 28 days--they buy and prepare their own food--with regular help and guidance from dietitians and a support group.
• The Key to eating 25% less:  eat foods that are nutrient rich and high in fiber, like vegetables, fruit, high fiber cereals, and soups.  Aim for foods that weigh as much as what you were eating before the diet--but lower in calories--to keep you full and satisfied.  Favorite food for keeping hunger at bay:  apples.   Everyone in CALERIE has become a big fan of apples. 
• The 4 Rules for Eating Less:  Eat Foods That Are Filling, Appealing, Low in Calories, Nutrient Rich!
• Dr. Susan Roberts of Tufts says, "If you don't change your diet to a high-satiety diet you will be hungry, and you will fail."  Fiber One, the breakfast cereal, or Nature's Path Organic Smart Bran--both with soluble & insoluble fiber, "have a unique  effect in helping calorie-restriction subjects feel fuller, probably because they activate certain receptors in the lower intestine."

To see some of Dr. Roberts' satiating snack recipes in my previous post click here: "The Instinct Diet Helps Us Combat Our Hard-Wired Food Cravings - And Satisfy Our Cravings for Something Spicy, Salty, Crunchy, & Chocolate"

• CALERIE tip: Save up calories if you have a special occasion or celebration coming up.  Want a bratwurst or Haagen-Dazs?  Save up those calories.  Decide what's more satisfying--170 calories for a gin & tonic, or a  190 calories for a  Haagen Dasz ice cream bar.

What Is the Hardest Part of the CALERIE Diet?

• Surprisingly, no one complains of raging hunger.  But most everyone felt hungry for the first few weeks.  When I joined Weight Watchers years ago to lose pregnancy weight I felt exactly the same way.  But then you just get used to less calories and learn to eat more filling foods.
• The hardest (& most annoying) part is getting used to measuring the food, preparing the food, and keeping track of the calories.

Why is CALERIE Working For Most of Its Participants?

• There's accountability. 
• You have to submit a weekly food diary.
• Attend weekly weigh-ins
• Once or twice a week you must attend individual counseling sessions
• Group counseling sessions give participants an opportunity to swap strategies and get support from fellow dieters.
• There's a battery of medical tests every 6 months.  Cognitive tests.  Blood tests.  Bone-mineral density tests.  Measurements of resting metabolism, respiratory output, and internal core temperature.

What About Weight Loss?  What About Health Improvements?  What About Energy? 

• Most participants met their weight loss goals.  They were told to expect to lose about 15% of their weight during the first year.  After that initial drop they would plateau to "weight stability".
• Doug Hansen started out at 198 pounds and dropped to 168--near his plateau--after 6 months.  Jeff Peipert began at 174 pounds--dropped to 151 after 52 weeks--and was projected to plateau at 147 pounds.
• Benefits.  For example: Peipert's blood pressure started out at 130 over 80.  Now almost a year into CALERIE, he's at 110 or 115 over 54. At age 49 his weight is what he weighed in high school.  Same for Brad Beggs. He is down to wearing a size medium shirt--a size he hasn't worn since high school.  And Beggs adds, "I've never gotten so much pleasure in my life."

Dr. Jeff Peipert, a Washington University CALERIE participant

Wondering about energy?  Check out how Dr. Jeff Peipert spent a recent day off:

1.   18 holes of golf

2.   Biking 8 miles back & forth to his office just to pick something up

3.   Cutting his 1 acre lawn

4.   Pulling out tree roots with his son for over an hour

5.   40 minute after-dinner walk with his wife.

6.   This "calorie-incinerating machine"  was wondering why he felt particularly hungry the next day,  resulting in his eating a bowl of cereal in the middle-of-the-night.  Both my husband & I have definitely noticed the huge uptick in our appetites the day after long work-outs.  It makes sense to us.

Is Calorie-Restriction Possible for the Average American?

• The Naysayers:  Dr. John Holloszy, a Washington University lead investigator thinks 99% of Americans can't stick with it.  Other doctors think calorie-restriction requires too much individual effort--too much in medical resources--too much in counseling.   Dr. Robert Krikorian, a neuropsychologist who happens to be a long-time follower of a calorie-restriction diet himself-- thinks that most people won't pay attention to how much they eat--and they would refuse to keep up the organizational requirements necessary for such a diet.
• The Boosters:  Many doctors involved in CALERIE are surprised & encouraged at the high level of compliance with the diet.
• The Participants:  All of the subjects that Times writer Jon Gertner spoke with intended to continue with calorie-restriction when the trial ended.  Liz Ewen likened it to Weight Watchers (& I agree).  Given the right online tools, some sort of infrastructure, group meetings, and dietitians available for support, Ewen thinks it's suitable for many people.  "It's really not much more than embarking on a diet that teaches you how to eat normal foods but make better choices!"
• Some of the  first of the group to finish:  Most of "first finishers" plan to keep up the diet--but switch to estimating the calories, rather than counting them precisely.  Josh McMichael finished up with CALERIE in September.  In the few weeks since ending the program he gained eight pounds--but it's now mostly gone.  "I tried the new massive burgers at Burger King,"  he said.  "Twice.  Wasn't worth the side effects.  I think I've gotten over things like that.  For the most part."

Words of Encouragement from the Lead Investigators

• Dr. Luigi Fontana of Washington University in St. Louis.  "My perception right now is the effects of calorie restriction are multiple, so I think it is highly difficult to find one, or two, or three drugs that will mimic such a complex effect."  And although he isn't optimistic that calorie restriction will gain traction in the general public, he does believe an important common sense lesson will be learned from the experiment:

"Eating less is better than eating more, especially if it's a nutritious mix of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and the like.  The evidence is overwhelming now that it will improve your health and will improve your chances of living healthier and probably longer."

• Dr. Susan Roberts of Tufts University in Boston:  Roberts thinks the study will have greater effects than the average clinical trial.  "I don't know why anyone would take drugs when they could do something like this--calorie-restriction,"  said Roberts.

The Healthy Librarian Weighs in on Calorie Restriction

For my money, the folks in the CALERIE study are following a plan that seems very similar to:

• Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat for Health: Lose Weight, Keep It Off, Look Younger, and Liver Longer
  
• Dr. Susan Roberts'  (a CALERIE lead investigator) Instinct Diet
• Dr. Caldwell Essestyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
• The Weight Watcher's diet plan

Easiest way to cut calories:  ditch added fats, like butter, margarine, mayo, cooking oils, salad dressings, desserts, high-fat dairy like cheese & ice cream, and the after-dinner snacking.

Foods highest in nutrient density:

*Dr.Fuhrman’s  Aggregate Nutrient Density Index
Top 30 Super Foods Score

1. Collard, mustard, & turnip greens 1000
2. Kale 1000
3. Watercress 1000
4. Bok choy 824
5. Spinach 739
6. Brussels sprouts 672
7. Swiss chard 670
8. Arugula 559
9. Radish 554
10. Cabbage 481
11. Bean sprouts 444
12. Red peppers 420
13. Romaine lettuce 389
14. Broccoli 376
15. Carrot juice 344
16. Tomatoes & tomato products 190-300
17. Cauliflower 295
18. Strawberries 212
19. Pomegranate juice 193
20. Blackberries 178
21. Plums 157
22. Raspberries 145
23. Blueberries 130
24. Papaya 118
25. Brazil nuts 116
26. Oranges 109
27. Tofu 86
28. Beans (all varieties) 55-70
29. Seeds: flaxseed, sunflower, sesame 45
30. Walnuts 29

Drugs or Diet?  I find it interesting that the only cure for celiac disease (the inability to digest gluten) is to follow a gluten-free diet.  There are no pharmaceutical or surgical cures.  People with celiac who want to get better just follow a gluten-free diet.

Yet, when it comes to the diseases of aging, like Type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and cardiovascular diseases--most physicians find that the majority of people are unwilling to follow a diet even if it promises to free them from these diseases.  Oh well!

Do you think such a diet is ready for Prime Time?  Would you be willing to give it a try?

From the Archives of Internal Medicine--Seven Good Reasons to Exercise and Increase Your Chances For Healthy Aging

Exercising Ladies in their Eighties

Weight Machine Workout for Muscles and the Mind

"Exercise is better than any drug or anything else we have for aging.  There's no downside.  If this were a drug, it would be the safest, most effective drug in the universe."

Dr. James O. Hill, Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver

Seven articles--count them!  All in the January 25, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.  

All of them saying the same thing, "Exercise works. Just do it.  Whatever your age.  Start now!"  click here for the Table of Contents.

I must be an exercise geek, because honestly, I find this kind of news exciting, encouraging, and hopeful.  It shows how we really can change our health.  Sure diet is an important partner in health--but exercise has a dual, and synergistic role in the equation.

Why Exercise?  What We Can Learn from Six New Studies & One Editorial?

• Weight-lifting improves the brain. "Resistance Training and Executive Functions,"  Liu-Ambrose, Teresa et al, University of British Columbia.   The Study: Women aged 65-75 who spent 1-2 hours a week on progressive strength/resistance training with dumbbells and weight machines significantly improved their cognitive function after 12 months.  They improved their performance by 10.9-12.6% on the most important brain function: executive ability.  They saw improvements in their decision making, their ability to resolve conflicts, and they were better able to focus on subjects without becoming distracted by competing stimuli.  But alas, no improvements were seen in 2 skills: keeping numbers in their working memory, and shifting from one task to another. The strength training group's skills were measured against a control group who only did balance & toning exercises.  As for the balance and toning group--their scores on executive ability deteriorated by .05%.  The added bonuses found in strength-training?  It counteracts the inevitable muscle loss of aging while improving bone density and strength.  The Canadian group also improved their walking speed--which is a predictor of substantial reduction in mortality.  Big Point: The cognitive benefit showed up after 12 months of training--but not after 6 months.  Those who lifted weights 2 x a week experienced less muscle discomfort than those who lifted only once a week.  No surprise!  Take Away Message: Add strength-training to your exercise routine.  2 or 3 times a week is best.

•  Start exercising at middle-age if you want to stay healthier as you age.  "Physical Activity at Midlife in Relation to Successful Survival in Women at Age 70 Years or Older,"  Sun, Qi et al, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School.  Click here for the article.  Harvard researchers looked at the health of over 13,000 women from the well-known Nurses' Health Study who had reached 70 years of age without any physical or mental impairment. Those who had higher levels of physical activity beginning at midlife were less likely to have chronic diseases, heart surgery or any physical, cognitive or mental impairments as they aged.  Take note: regular moderate-intensity (not wimpy) midlife physical activity made all the difference in the world to one's health after age seventy! Those who regularly walked at a moderate pace starting from midlife had a better chance of exceptional health than those who walked at an easy leisurely pace.  Picking up the pace made a huge difference in health--the fastest walkers significantly increased their odds of successful aging over the lollygaggers!  And don't despair, moderate walking improved later-life health in both lean and overweight women.  But those who kept their weight down (BMI range of 18.5-22.9) and exercised more vigorously than moderate walking improved their odds the most. 

Understanding METS.   For women, these are the METS for 1 hour of activity: 12 for running, 8 for stair-climbing; 7 for jogging; bicycling; lap swimming; and playing tennis; 6 aerobics or calisthenics; 2.5 to 4.5 for walking, depending on the pace--easy (<2 mph) normal (2-2.9 mph) brisk (3-3.9 mph) very brisk (4 mph or more)  To get over 15 METS a week you would need to walk 3.5 hrs./week at 4 mph or more.  Example: 30 METS=2.5 hrs of running; 30 METS=6.6 hrs of walking at a pace of 4 mph or more

• Exercise for stronger bones, a better heart, less chance of falls, and to decrease your health care costs. "Exercise Effects on Bone Mineral Density, Falls, Coronary Risk Factors, and Health Care Costs in Older Women-the Randomized Controlled Senior Fitness and Prevention (SEFIP) Study," Kemmler, Wolfgang et al, the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen Nuremberg, Germany. 

"Contrary to pharmaceutical agents, which are typically dedicated to specific diseases, physical exercise affects a variety of risk factors and diseases and therefore plays a vital role in general disease prevention and treatment of the elderly."

In this randomized single-blinded controlled German study, 227 women over age 65 participated in an either an 18 month group exercise program, or in a wellness program (the control group).  The exercise program included 2 60-minute group exercise classes, and 2 20-minute at-home sessions--including aerobic exercise at 70%-85% maximum heart rate, balance training, isometric floor strength training for the lower body, stretching, and upper body thera-band strength training.  The wellness group participated in low-intensity exercise,walking at 50%-60% maximum heart rate, very low-moderate intensity strength training, and progressive relaxation exercises.  Results: Compared to the wellness group, the exercise group significantly improved their bone mineral density in both the lumbar spine & hip; their fall risk decreased with a 50% lower fracture incidence; and both groups (wellness & exercise) significantly reduced their 10-year coronary heart disease risk, mainly because both groups lowered their blood pressure.  Interesting Finding: Participation and adherence was much better in the group exercise classes than with the home exercise component.  Not a surprise to me at all.  I prefer group exercise, hands-down.  Take Away Point:  Even starting after age 65, exercise has a tremendous impact on one's health--and strength training definitely improves bone density.

• Moderate physical exercise reduces the risk of cognitive impairment. "Physical Activity and Incident Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Persons. The INVADE Study,"  Etgen, Thorleif et al, Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany.  This study followed a large group of Bavarians (3,903) age 55 and older for two years.  At the end of the period they compared the incidence of cognitive impairment in the group with their levels of physical activity. The researchers adjusted for all the usual vascular risk factors that might contribute to cognitive impairment.  The Results:  Moderate or high physical activity was associated with a reduced incidence of cognitive impairment after the 2 year follow-up.  For those with no physical activity the incidence of cognitive impairment was 13.9%.  In those with moderate physical activity (less than 3 x a week) the incidence of impairment was 6.7%.  The high physical activity (greater or equal to 3 x a week) seniors had a 5.1% incidence of impairment.  Take Away Point: Exercise can the lower the risk of cognitive impairment--and the more days the better!

• Even in a nursing home exercise can improve the quality of life--but not by that much. "Effects of Exercise Programs to Prevent Decline in Health-Related Quality of Life in Highly Deconditioned Institutionalized Elderly Persons," Dechamps, Arnaud et al, Universite Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France.  This study included 160 institutionalized out-of-shape elderly (average age of 82) who were still able to understand basic motor instructions & who could move from one position to another.  They were divided into 3 groups: adapted tai chi for 30 minute sessions 3x a week; a cognitive action program which is a type of exercise that is related to everyday actions--from 30-40 minutes 2x a week; and a control group which had no exercise program.  Results:  After 12 months, the non-exercising control group experienced a greater decline in the activities of daily living than the exercisers.  Those in the  exercise programs slowed their health quality decline, however, the improvements experienced by the elderly exercisers weren't considered clinically significant.  Bottom Line:  Although exercise programs in nursing homes can slow down health decline, expecting actual physical improvements may be too much to ask. Don't wait until your eighties to start that exercise program.  You will have a much better shot if you start young--or at middle-age.

• Add exercise and weight loss to the DASH Diet and you will see even greater improvements in blood pressure. "Effects of the DASH Diet Alone and in Combination with Exercise and Weight Loss on Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Men and Women with High Blood Pressure," Blumenthal, James et al, Duke University Medical School, North Carolina.  The DASH Diet emphasizes moderate calorie, low fat, low sodium, whole grain foods, along with 6-12 servings of fruits & vegetables a day.  Click here to learn more. The Study: 144 participants with an average age of 52, with an average blood pressure of 138/86 mm Hg, and not on any BP medication were enrolled in the study, and divided into 3 groups: 1. DASH Diet alone with counseling, 2. DASH Diet with a behavioral weight loss program & a supervised exercise program 3x a week at a level of 70%-85% heart rate, or 3. The  "usual diet control" group.  The study lasted 4 months.  Results: The DASH diet + weight loss & exercise group did the best, of course.  Their blood pressure was reduced by 16.1/9.9 mm HG.  Those on the DASH diet alone reduced their blood pressure by 11.2/7.5 mm HG, and those in the  "usual diet control group dropped theirs by only 3.4/3/8 mm Hg. Weight loss: The DASH Diet + exercise & weight management group lost an average of 19.1 pounds.  The DASH Diet alone group lost .7  of a pound.  The "usual diet group" gained 2 pounds.  Cardiovascular Markers:  The DASH Diet + exercise  weight loss group had the greatest improvements in this area-- including less arterial stiffness as measured by pulse wave velocity, an average of 19% improvement in their aerobic capacity (VO2 max), improved baroreflex sensitivity of 33% (less stiffness in the arteries--which is an early side effect of hypertension), and decreases in the size of the left ventricle--a side effect of high blood pressure (increases in the muscle tissue that makes up the wall of the heart's main pumping chamber-the left ventricle).  TAKE AWAY POINT:  The DASH Diet (high in fruits & vegetables, low in salt) + weight loss + exercise is the best combination to lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular risk factors.

• Exercise--the most effective prescription out there.  It's the best "drug" available to prevent dementia and insure successful aging.  "Evidence Regarding the Benefits of Physical Exercise,"  Drs. Jeff Williamson & Marco Pahor, Institute on Aging, University of Florida.  This editorial in the Archives of Internal Medicine highlights the benefits of exercise on successful healthy aging.

"It is now well established that higher quantities of physical activity have beneficial effects on numerous age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis, falls and hip fracture, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, low fitness and obesity, and decreased functional capacity, all conditions that greatly increase the risk of reduced independence in late life. 

Two of these studies (in the Archives of Internal Medicine) evaluated the relationship between physical exercise and decline in cognitive function, a major contributor to loss of independence and related institutionalization in elderly individuals.

Optimism in this area is sorely needed owing to the failure of promising interventions aimed at preventing cognitive decline and dementia in the recent past.

Physical inactivity is one of the strongest predictors of unsuccessful aging for older adults and is perhaps the root cause of many unnecessary and premature admissions to long-term care."

A New Role for Omega-3? Lengthening Our Telomeres--A Key Marker for Aging, Longer Life, and Health. From JAMA & UCSF.

  

"The main result of our study is that patients with high levels of Omega-3 fish oil in the blood appear to have a slowing of the biological aging process over five years as measured by the change in telomere length. It's also the first study that shows that a dietary factor may be able to slow down telomere shortening."   

-Ramin Farzaneh-Far, M.D., of the University of California at San Francisco, lead author of "Association of Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels with Telomeric Aging in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease"  JAMA 2010;303(3):250-257.

Click here to see the web version of this post if you are receiving this via email.

This week's big medical news story appeared in JAMA and it is one more reason why you want to be sure to get your Omega-3s everyday--while lowering your intake of the Omega-6s.

We already knew that the Omega-3s were amazing.

• They're anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting
• They prevent age-related cognitive decline
• They lower triglycerides
• They lower blood pressure
• They slow age-related macular degeneration
• They keep blood vessels flexible
• They lower depression
• They decrease joint stiffness in rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis
• They're necessary for fetal and infant brain development

So What Did The JAMA Heart And Soul Study Tell Us That We Didn't Already Know?

The UCSF researchers followed 608 outpatients with stable coronary artery disease for 5-8 years.  At the start of the study they measured everyone's levels of Omega-3's and the length of their leukocyte telomeres--which is a marker of aging.  Remember though--this was an observational study, not a gold-standard double-blind randomized controlled study.

Here's how the lead researcher Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far explains the results:

"The main result from our study is that patients with high levels of Omega-3's fish oil in the blood appear to have a slowing of the biological aging process over five years as measured by the change in telomere length."

"Patients with the highest levels of Omega-3 fish oils were found to display the slowest decrease in telomere length, whereas those with the lowest levels of Omega-3 fish oils in the blood had the fastest rate of telomere shortening, suggesting that these patients were aging faster than those with the higher fish oil levels in their blood."

"By measuring telomere length at two different times we are able to see the speed at which the telomeres are shortening and that gives us some indication of how rapidly the biological aging process is taking place in these patients."

What Are Telomeres And How Exactly Do They Affect The Aging Process?

 

PLASTIC TIPS ON SHOELACES—that’s the analogy often used to describe telomeres. They are the red caps sitting on the ends of these blue chromosomes. 

Just like plastic shoelace tips that keep the laces from fraying--the telomeres protect valuable genetic material needed for our cells to divide properly, and to repair worn-out cells.

They are also strong markers for aging (see the graph below and get depressed).  Not only do they shorten as we age, over time the telomeres can become damaged and shorten because of inflammation, smoking, obesity, or lack of exercise. 

Emmuanel Skorkalakes, of the Wistar Institue in Philadelphia, explains,

"When the telomeres become short, then you start cutting into actual chromosomes where there are genes essential for our body. To prevent the fraying DNA in all those aging cells from seeding maliganant tumors, the body turns them dormant. Your body shuts down more and more cells every day and you become old."

This week's JAMA study is just one more bit of evidence that shows how our lifestyle choices can affect telomere length--and promote healthy aging.

• A 2008 twin study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine compared the telomere length of exercising twins versus couch-potato twins.  After only 12 months, the telomere's of the exercising  showed the equivalent of being 10 years younger than their couch-potato siblings.  Click here to read about the study.
• A 2008 study led by Dr. Dean Ornish followed a group of men with early prostate cancer who made these lifestyle changes:  increased their fruit & vegetable consumption; limited their fat consumption to 10%; lowered their consumption of refined sugar; took vitamin supplements & fish oil; exercised for 30 minutes a day; and either meditated or did yoga for stress relief.  After only 3 months, 24 out of 30 men showed significant increases in their telomerase levels.  Click here to read about the study.
• A number of studies have also shown how stress can accelerate telomere shrinking, especially in caregivers of chronically ill children and the spouses of Alzheimer's patients.  One study even suggested that you can accelerate your biological age by as much as 17 years if you're exposed to what you perceive as high psychological stress!

All About Omega-3's.  Does It Really Have To Be Fish Oil?

Yes, the JAMA study used Omega-3 fish oil, but Omega-3s really originate in green leafy plants--not in fish.

Susan Allport is a medical researcher who is an expert in "all things Omega-3".  She has written a brilliant article in the September 2009 issue of Prevention, "The Vanishing Youth Nutrient" that does an excellent job of explaining why we need Omega-3s in our diet, why so many physicians equate Omega-3 with fish, and why Omega-3 is sorely lacking in our diets.  Click here for the article.

• We can only obtain the Omega-3s through our diet. 
• They are essential to the healthy development of our brains--and they are found in the highest concentrations in our most active tissues: brains, eyes, hearts, the tails of sperm.
• The metabolism of every species on the planet is a function of the amount of Omega-3s in its tissues, according the Dr. Tony Hulbert of the University of Wollongong in Australia.  Think: Omega-3=growth, activity, energy.  Omega-6=hibernation, fat storage, belly fat.  Athletes take note:  high concentrations of omega-3s in muscle cells lead to improved athletic performance.
  
• Research from the 1980s showed fish-eating populations of Greenland and Japan had the lowest rates of heart disease.  That's why the Omega-3s became associated with fish--instead of with green plants.  And that's why the American Heart Association recommends fish or fish oil as our main source of Omega-3s.  Big Problem:  Fish are not a sustainable source of Omega-3s--there are simply not enough fish in the world's oceans.
• Big Point:  "Omega-3s are found in the green leaves of plants.  Fish are full of omega-3s because they eat phytoplankton (the microscopic green plants of the ocean) and seaweed.  They are what turn sunlight into sugars, the basis of life on Earth."
• You can get all your Omega-3s from green leafy vegetables, legumes, flax seeds, chia seeds (they have the highest level of any plant-click here to read more), or walnuts, grass-fed animals and their milk, or eggs, wild cold-water fish like salmon, highly purified fish oil supplements, or algae-sourced Omega-3 supplements.
• Big Point:  If you cut back on vegetable oils, processed foods, trans-fats, corn-fed meat, chicken and milk you will actually lower the amount of Omega-3s you need in your diet to balance the negative effects of the inflammatory, fat-promoting Omega-6s we are getting in our Western Diet.
• The ratio of Omega 6's to 3's should be 2:1, or ideally 1:1.  Currently, for most Americans, the ratio is 17:1 in favor of heart-disease-causing Omega 6's.

Why Is Our Diet So High in Omega-6s, And So Low In Healthy Omega 3's?

• Omega-6 fats come from the seeds of plants.  We need them--but we need far less of them than we are consuming--and we need them in just the right ratio to Omega-3s.  They promote blood clotting, inflammation, and cause us to "pack on the pounds".  Just like corn-fed beef.  Grass-fed or plant-fed animals and humans are naturally lower in fat!
• Big Point:  Omega-6s and Omega-3s are in constant competition to enter our cells.  Eat too many Omega-6s in the form of meat, oil, or processed food--and you'll be seriously deficient in Omega-3s.  Eat less Omega-6s, and your body won't need as many Omega-3s to function properly.
• Omega-3s began to disappear from our food supply when previously grass-fed animals began eating corn and soybeans, which are high in Omega-6s.  The factory-farm and feedlots replaced the family farm, and grass-fed meat, milk, and eggs became history.  Click here to read about King Corn's effect on our health.
• With farm subsidies for corn and soybeans, companies like Archer Daniels Midland figured out how to extract oil from these and other seed plants--giving us even more Omega-6s in our diet.
• The AHA and other health agencies encouraged us to use oil and margarine because they assumed these cholesterol-free oils were good for the heart.  Wrong!
• "Food chemists discovered that rancidity in packaged food was caused by the oxidation of some minor but pesky  fats: the Omega-3s."  So they removed them and extended the shelf-life of packaged food.
• Fewer and fewer of us are eating enough green leafy vegetables, fish, or flax to even put a dent into the "out-of-whack" Omega-6 to Omega 3 ratio.

I highly recommend you read Susan Allport's article in Prevention, as well as her book, The Queen of Fats.  She does an excellent job of explaining the good, the bad, and the ugly of the fat world.

If you need any more convincing on the wonders of Omega-3, watch Allport's brief video, The Rat Race, comparing rats fed on diets rich in Omega-3s with those fed on diets deficient in Omega-3s.

Click here if you've received this post via email and aren't seeing the video.

The Longevity/Vigor Quest. It's Centenarian Joe Rollino Matched Against the Anti-Aging Medicine of Cenegenics Medical Institute. Lifestyle Modification vs Pharmaceuticals

The Great Joe Rollino at 103

The Great Joe Rollino as a young man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Rollino, was 104, just 2 months shy of turning 105, when he was fatally injured by a minivan in Brooklyn on January 11, 2010.  He was on his daily early morning walk to pick up coffee, a tabloid, and a lottery ticket.  Until the end he was strong, healthy, and a picture of health!

If not for the New York Times, I would never have heard of Joe Rollino.  He was man from a different time. Growing up near the turn of the century, quitting school at 10 years old to join the carnival.  He led a career as a Coney Island strongman, a boxer, and a trainer, who billed himself as "The Strongest Man in the World".  

At 5-feet-4-inches 122 pounds, in his prime he once lifted 475 pounds with his teeth, 675 pounds with just one finger, and moved 3200 pounds with his back.  He bent quarters with his teeth and fingers and continued to demonstrate his coin-bending skills into his 100's.

"Pound for pound, in the feats that he practiced, he was one of the greatest performing strongmen we've ever had, if the lifts he's credited with are accurate.   For his size, Joe was apparently one of the strongest men who ever lived."

-Terry Todd, co-director of the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas, who knew Joe for 40 years-

 

What Can We Learn From New York City's Oldest & Strongest Man?

• He was a lifelong vegetarian, as was his mother--which at the time was unusual.
• He never drank, smoked, or indulged in sweets.  At his 104th birthday party he blew out all the candles on his cake, but passed on eating a piece.  He said if he never would have made it to 104 if he ate that kind of stuff.
• He ate oatmeal every morning.
• "He was the picture of health until he died.  He had no glasses, no hearing aid.  He had no assistive walking device and didn't take any prescription drugs of any kind,"  according to his close friend Arthur Dreschler, president of Joe's club, "The Association of Oldtime Barbell and Strongmen".
• Rain or shine he still walked 5 miles every morning (albeit a little slowly), and exercised daily--which sometimes included swimming laps in the Atlantic ocean.  He continued to lift weights five days a week--even exercising before his 104th birthday party luncheon.
• He was a devotee of the "Iron Game", a body-building philosophy that supports weight-lifting as an enjoyable lifelong hobby but strongly eschews steroid use.
• He was a longtime member of the Coney Island Polar Bear Athletic Club--a group who swims in the icy Atlantic ocean 3 to 4 times a week.   They call it "winter bathing" and attribute their good health to the practice.  They believe "if they stay in for 5 to 10 minutes, the cold water kills germs that fester inside one's body."  All the Polar Bear members claim that once they started "winter bathing" they haven't been sick.  Same for Joe, who at 103 said he couldn't remember the last time he was sick.  His friend, fellow Polar Bear buddy, and former Brooklyn homicide detective,  Louis Scarcella, said Joe held the Club's record, swimming every day, no matter the weather for eight years, never missing a day.
• "Muscle strapped to bone" is how Louis Scarcella described Joe.  Until the day he died, people described him as physically active, agile, and loose.  Mentally lucid and sound.  "His memory was nothing short of astounding, especially when you consider he fought at about 122 pounds, often against boxers weighing 50 pounds more than he.  To say he was a physical marvel, would be a gross understatement." 
• "If he told me he was 75, I would have said he looked great for his age, and here he was 104 years old," said extremely-fit 61 year old  retired NYPD detective, Arthur Perry.
• Friends said he lived life to the fullest, and looked forward to every day with enthusiasm.  He was never skeptical, cynical, angry or resentful. 

To read more about Joe click here.

 
 

The Other Side of The Vigor Quest--$10,000 a Year for H.C.G., Growth Hormones, and Testosterone

Contrast Joe Rollino's simple healthy low-tech lifestyle with the kind of big buck pharmaceutical techniques featured in the fascinating January 17th, New York Times Magazine article by Tom Dunkel, "Vigor Quest".  Click here for the full article.

It's the kind of anti-aging medicine that costs lots of out-of-pocket-cash, and follows controversial skimpy medical evidence. It might bring vigor for now, but serious adverse effects down the road.  The jury is still out.  It's part good common sense, like a low glycemic-diet, weight-training, aerobic exercise, omega-3 supplements--and part human lab rat experimentation.

But its devotees say, "Lifestyle alone isn't enough." 

To combat the corrosive effects of aging, every three months the followers of Cenegenics Medical Institute's  brand of anti-aging medicine--and they now number around 10,000--get 10 vials of blood drawn, in order to measure all sorts of hormone and blood chemistry levels--checking to see what sort of pharmaceutical tweaking is in order. 

A little more testosterone?  A bit more human growth hormone?  Perhaps some H.C.G.--human chorionic gondatropin, a commonly used fertility drug that is distilled from the urine of pregnant women, and can stimulate the testes to secrete more testosterone.

Author Dunkel interviewed John Bellizzi,  a 51 year-old amateur soccer player and businessman from Rye, NY, who got fed up with using Advil, hot tubs, and surgery to keep him in the game. 

Two years ago Bellizzi consulted with Manhattan endocrinologist Dr. Florence Comite, who is affiliated with Cenegentics.  Comite calls her work, "...aggressive prevention, the basis of which is metabolism modulation.  Twenty years from now, this will be the standard of care."  She's like an "ace mechanic who keeps Bellizzi running in spite of worn parts."

Turns out, Comite has impeccable credentials--she's Yale-trained, with former stints at the N.I.H., and as a part-time faculty member at Yale.

Now, two years after working with Comite, Bellizzi is a believer.  He no longer collapses on the couch after soccer games, he can play an hour longer than before, he feels mentally sharper, and he is 15 pounds lighter.  It might be the changes in his diet, eliminating the junk food, adding some mainstream supplements, and having a more well-rounded exercise regimen. 

Bellizzi credits his turnaround to the controversial H.C.G. he injects--which also happens to have a list of scary side effects.
 

The Cenegenics' Poster Child Dr. Jeffrey Life

Who hasn't seen this picture of Dr. Life in every airline's complimentary magazine?  He's the 71 year old doctor, who was once fat and unfit, until he re-invented himself with diet, exercise, and the Cenegenics brand of pharmaceuticals.

For Life this means:

• 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day
• Co-Q10 twice a day
• 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day
• 4 grams of fish oil a day
• 10 mg of melatonin at bedtime
• A testosterone injection once a week
• A human growth hormone injection once a day

Read the article.  Interesting provocative reading, but no thank you!  I'm sticking with my simple lifestyle modification plan of diet and exercise!  It's the Start of the New Year, the Start of the New Decade, and the Start of My Sixties. Some Simple Strategies for Staying Healthy and Happy. At Least I Can Hope!

So, what do you think?  Joe Rollino or Dr. Jeffrey Life?  

It's the Start of the New Year, the Start of the New Decade, and the Start of My Sixties. Some Simple Strategies for Staying Healthy and Happy. At Least I Can Hope!

Author Dan Buettner has scoured the Earth — not for the fabled Fountain of Youth — but for the key to a happy old age. He spent five years visiting areas of the world where people tend to live longer, healthier lives, areas he calls "Blue Zones."

Buettner says he has identified four things people can do that can potentially increase life expectancy:

• Create an environment that encourages physical activity
  
• Set up your kitchen in such a way that you're not overeating
  
• Cultivate a sense of purpose 
  
• Surround yourself with the right people.

"These are long-term fixes that have been shown over and over to add not only more years of life, but better years of life."

-NPR story, "Can 'Blue Zones' Help Turn Back the Biological Clock?", June 8, 2008-

If you're reading this through via email, click here to get to the more readable web-version.

 

It's the start of the New Year. 

It's the start of a new decade.

It's the day I turn sixty.

Look, I'm not a big-birthday-celebration-kind-of-person.  They come and go and I don't even think about the years.  But turning 60 is different.  It's the last quarter of life, with no guarantees on what that quarter is going to look like.

Judging by my parents--that last quarter of life doesn't look so promising.  Which is exactly why I've been paying attention to exercise and eating right since I turned 30. 

That's when my dad had one of those massive debilitating strokes that left him unable to communicate, unable to read or fully understand speech, and eventually unable to walk or do anything.  He was 69 at the time--just when he was getting ready to kick back a little, work a little less, travel, and just enjoy life.  He spent 16 years living in this kind of post-stroke-limbo-state, spiraling downward.

My mom was 62 at the time, and my dad's stroke changed her life in an instant.  One minute she was planning all the trips they'd finally have a chance to take--and enjoying their new role as grandparents--and in the next she was jockeying the world of wheelchairs and therapists.

With the stress of full-time care-giving, and years of no exercise or attention to diet, by 72 she had developed severe coronary artery blockages, hypertension, kidney stones, and painful spinal fractures.  Then came the mini-strokes that finally added up to vascular dementia in her eighties.

And unfortunately, this scenario is all too common.  "[M]ost elderly Americans – more than two-thirds of current 65-year-olds, according to a detailed 2005 projection by a team of health policy analysts — at some point will need assistance to cope with daily living, either paid help or unpaid, at home or in a facility."

So, sixty seems kind of scary to me.

Which is exactly why I'm ready for a more "Conscious Aging" plan.  We already have all the evidence we need to stay healthy.  It's not about adding more years to our lives.  It's all about adding more life to our years!

Just a sampling of the evidence.

• The 52 country INTERHEART study was very clear.  There are 9 easy-to-modify risk factors that are associated with 90% of heart disease.  This was a huge study--30,000 people from every inhabited country--and the results were the same for all races, all sexes, all countries.  All 9 of these risk factors are within our control--and would eliminate 90% of heart disease, regardless of one's genetics. 1. Keep lipids (cholesterol & triglycerides) down; 2. Stop smoking; 3. Prevent or control hypertension; 4. Prevent or control diabetes; 5.  Reduce belly fat; 6.  Find ways to control psychological and social stressors; 7. Increase fruit and vegetable consumption; 8.  Moderate alcohol consumption is protective; 9. Get regular physical exercise   Lancet 364:937-952, Sept. 11, 2004.
• The Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study.  "The largest and longest study to date, done as part of the Harvard-based Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, included almost 110,000 men and women whose dietary habits were followed for 14 years.  The higher the average daily intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease...[F]or every extra serving of fruits and vegetables that participants added to their diets, their risk of heart disease dropped by 4%." Harvard School of Public Health

• The China Study.  This is Dr. T. Colin Campbell's mammoth 2006 study on the effects of a plant-based diet on health--citing over 750 studies.  The conclusion: People who ate the most-animal-based foods got the most chronic disease.  People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease.  According to Campbell, "Good nutrition supported by exercise, clean water, and sunshine is greater than the sum of its parts.  It's a biological symphony.  My introduction to Dr. T. Colin Campbell

• The Longevity Personality.  From the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, April 2009 comes this conclusion: Those who live the longest are more outgoing, more active, more easy-going, more empathetic, and more agreeable than those who live a normal life span. The Blue Zones calls it, "likeability".

Here's My Strategy for Staying Out-of-Trouble After Sixty

Some of these are long-time habits, and they're easy for me to follow.  Some of these I don't do as regularly as I should.  Some of these are new goals.  But this much I do know:  If I don't have a plan, if I don't do these consciously, and if I don't carve out time to make them happen--they won't.

1.  Stick with 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  The Green Smoothies make it easy.  I get 6 servings in a 27 ounce Klean Kanteen that I divide over breakfast and an afternoon snack.  I calculated the nutritional info on my daily 27 ounce serving that includes, 2 1/2 cups kale, 8 mini-carrots, 1/2 cup pomegranate juice, 1/2 apple, 1/2 orange, 1/2 kiwi, and 3/4 cup frozen black raspberries.  Check out the nutrient content for 27 ounces:

Nutrition Facts The Healthy Librarian's Green Smoothie-kale,blackberries,carrots,orange,kiwi,pom juice,apple
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	342
Total Fat	2.2g
Saturated Fat	0.2g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	140mg
Carbohydrate	82.1g
Dietary Fiber	13.8g
Sugars	49.1g
Protein	8.9g
Vitamin A 729% Vitamin C 485% Calcium    35% Iron 28%

 

Then throw in some veggie-based soup, a salad, a veggie-based dinner entree, some fruit for dessert, and I'm good to go. 

This eating plan is the same as the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)--guaranteed to stop hypertension.  The Cache County (Utah) Study on Memory shows it also prevents cognitive decline.   Dr. Amy Lanou and Michael Castleman, authors of Building Bone Vitality claim it will build and strengthen bones--because the 17 nutrients necessary to build strong bones are all found in a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

2.  A balanced exercise plan.  It's not just about cardio--there are 4 areas that need attention: Cardio (spinning-my fave), Weight-training, Flexibility & Balance (yoga-my fave), and Core Strength.  No, you can't just walk and think you're in good shape.  I'm super regular with my cardio, and not as regular with the weight training and yoga.  Click here to see what my workout looks like. As for core strength--that's pretty much non-existent.  And when it comes to weight-training, according to Randy Raugh, the Canyon Ranch physical therapist, and author of the excellent Prime for Life--Functional Fitness for Ageless Living--to get the maximum benefits you need to do it for 3 non-consecutive days a week--2 at the minimum.  Unfortunately, I often weight train only 1 day a week.  If you want to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis, and maintain your muscle strength as you age--weight-bearing exercise for the lower body, and weight-training for the upper body is a must-do!  Yoga, helps with balance, preventing future falls, and building strength.  As for core strength, I'm upping my game with Dr. Stuart McGill's routine, and my birthday-present to myself is the physical therapist-designed Pelvicore exercise ball.

3.  A plant-based diet with minimal added fat.  I'm nearing the 2 year mark on eating plant-based, so this is the easy part. I've got this down pat. I still use a little olive oil for cooking and in salads, and very occasionally eat some seafood or dairy when eating with friends.  I'm convinced.  If you want to lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk for type-2 diabetes, lower your blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease & stroke, and reduce your belly fat--this is the way to go.  Dr. David J. Jenkins of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto is one of the pre-eminent researchers on the benefits of a plant-based, low-glycemic diet (like beans, nuts, oats,& quinoa) for improving diabetes control, lowering cholesterol, and preventing cardiovascular disease.  Click here for Jenkins research.  And that's not all--keeping your blood sugar stable with low glycemic plant-based foods and exercise will preserve your brain.  Click here.  And as for too much fat--not only is it bad for your belly--it's bad for your brain--so just ditch it Click here.

4. No time urgency.  This is what keeps the Okinawans calm, relaxed, and living longer.  I'm really working on this one--which goes hand-in-hand with flexibility.  Things don't always go as planned--you either go-with-the-flow or get stressed and anxious.  My favorite 2 words, "Oh well."  Life goes better when you stay in the moment, chill, and don't worry about getting there fast.  When our Christmas Day trip to New York City was aborted because of an ice storm, we checked into a hotel at noon, and enjoyed a dinner of cranberry nut mix, Larabars, Cliff Bars, and clementines.  All the restaurants were closed in this Pennsylvanian town.  Oh well.  We had a good time, and made it to New York safe and sound the next day.

5. More Dancing, Singing, Laughing, Playing, Schmoozing, and Mahjing.  What's the point of staying healthy without having fun?  That's the reason we work at staying healthy. Cool fact: There's a little organ deep in the ear, called the sacculus--and it gives us a great sense of pleasure and well-being when it's stimulated.  But, it can only be stimulated through singing!  So, bring on the Singstar Karaoke!  Click here.

6.  The Supplements.  I'm really bad at regularly taking supplements.  I'm good at counting them out, taking them to work, and bringing them back home with me.  Truth is, there are some supplements worth taking because there's no easy way to get enough of them through diet alone.  Here are my favorites:  Omega-3s (I use Omega-Brite), DHA, (an omega-3 for brain health), Magnesium, Citracal, Vitamin D (I'm up to 3000 IUs), Curcumin (also known as turmeric, the yellow color in curry), and Juvenon (the combo of acetyl l-carnitine & alpha lipoic acid) developed by Dr. Bruce Ames.  Click here to read more about what I take, and what some prominent physicians take.  

7.  Eliminate the time-wasters from my day.  Except for watching "The Middle" or "Glee", TV watching always leaves me bored and unsatisfied.  So, why bother wasting the precious time?  The same goes for my mindless internet cruising, checking in more than necessary with email, the NYT, and other favorite sites.  Enough already!

8.  Maximize my peak energy times of the day.  Over a year ago I blogged about getting in sync with our natural energy ebb and flow throughout the day.  It works--and I intend to start planning my day around them, when possible.  For instance, 9-11 is the peak time for brain work-creativity-and analytical work.  On days when I don't work I would usually use this time for exercise & errands.  Poor use of brain time.  Better to exercise between 3-6.  To read more, click here:  Maximize Your Energy-Match Your Tasks to Your daily Energy Levels.

9.  Give a gift a day for 29 days a month.  When 36 year old Cami Walker of LA learned she had multiple sclerosis, her spirits flagged.  She was tired, in pain, and had the prospect of a debilitating disease ahead of her.  When a holistic health educator gave her the prescription of giving 29 gifts a day for a month she thought it sounded it crazy.  Nothing big (and that's the point)--something like making a supportive phone call or saving a piece of yummy cake for her husband.  Of course the prescription didn't cure her,  but it had a startling effect of helping her cope with her illness and gave her a more positive outlook on life.  I love this idea.  It's a planned regular way to just think about kindness.  No big acts, just something little-done everyday.  To read more, click here.

10. Cultivate my garden of friends and family.  Regular phone calls, visits, dinners, outings, and celebrations.  At 60 there's no time to delay any of these.  It's the glue that keeps us together and makes life worth living.

11.  Once You're Through Learning--You're Through.  This is the philosophy of John Wooden, the 97-year-old retired UCLA basketball coach.  No doubt about it, learning and sharing what I learn is my purpose in life.  I'm lucky to have a job that gives me access to learning about health and medicine, and a hobby that gives me a chance to share what I learn.

12.  Start Eating Less.  OK, I'm ready to shed a few pounds, and I know from past experience that writing down exactly what I eat, and how much I've exercised, really works.  I use something called MyFoodDiary.com and it's set up with all my favorite recipes.  Unfortunately, I haven't used it in quite some time.  The new year is a great time to start!  To read more about this tool, click here.

For some good reasons to eat less, read:  CALERIE: The NIH Calorie-Restriction Experiment. Lessons for Health, Slowing Down the Aging Process, Longevity, and Disease Prevention 

 

 

Time to end this list.  I've already maximized my 9-11 brain time and written this post.  It's now time to make my smoothie, do some core exercises, take those supplements, answer birthday phone calls, enjoy a birthday lunch, followed by an evening out with friends who all share the same wedding anniversary--if we can just make it through our foot of snow!

I'd love to hear from anyone who is 60 or over with advice, tips, and wisdom about maximizing life in the sixties, seventies, and more.

 

 

Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, When I'm 64? Take a Look at the Future Through the Statistics of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project

Around Thanksgiving my husband turned 60.

Around New Year's I'll be joining him.

Back in 1967 when I first heard the Beatle's song, "When I'm 64" the thought of getting to that age seemed like a million years away.  And now I'm almost there.  Yikes!  How does that happen so quickly?

1970

2009

When I get older losing my hair, many years from now.

Will you still be sending me a valentine,
birthday greeting, bottle of wine?

Will you still need me,
Will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

Speaking of turning 60--check out Ben Schott's Op-Chart  (it's easier to read than my reproduction) in the December 14th New York Times. Pretty interesting statistics about what life looks like at age 57-85.

His chart data was collected by the University of Chicago's  National Social Life and Health Project.

Schott has done a fantastic job of summarizing much of the NSHAP data that was recently published in the Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol. 64, Suppl. 1, November, 2009.

According to the NSHAP: "The health of older adults is influenced by many factors. One of the least understood is the role that social support and personal relationships play in health and aging."

It certainly looks like the Beatles were right back in 1967 when they wrote, "We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends".   If you doubt it, check out who lives the longest and happiest of lives, in:  "Longevity Lessons: It's Not Just Exercise & Diet - It's Friends, Empathy, Cooperation & A Laid-Back Attitude"

Who says it's got to be all downhill from here?

CALERIE: The NIH Calorie-Restriction Experiment. Lessons for Health, Slowing Down the Aging Process, Longevity, and Disease Prevention

Photo credit: Reinhard Hunger NYT 10/11/09

"In terms of cardiovascular diseases - the No. 1 cause of death; 4 out of 10 people die of it in the U.S. and Europe - we know that they (Calorie Restriction Society members) will not die of cardiovascular death."

"... subjects have cholesterol around 160, blood pressure around 100 over 60, high HDL, low triglycerides and very low levels of inflammation."

"...every day doctors are publishing  hundreds of papers on circulation research  and medications that are lowering blood pressure or cholesterol by a small bit.  And here we have such a powerful intervention that is basically cleaning out the arteries."

"I don't know why anyone would take drugs when they could do something like this." 

Dr. Luigi Fontana & Dr. Susan Roberts, Washington University & Tufts University investigators for the NIH- funded CALERIE Study,   NYT 10/11/09

If you had the chance to stay healthy and lean as you aged--free from the diseases of aging, like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases--and all you had to do was cut out 25% of your daily calorie intake--would you do it?  Oh--and if you could also fit into cool clothes, drop to your high school weight,  & enjoy super energy?  Would you be willing to do it?

We know that careful calorie restriction--eating a nutrient-dense-low-calorie diet--works in rodents and those University of Wisconsin rhesus monkeys--but will it work for humans who are constantly tempted by cheeseburgers, pizzas, office parties, and dinners out with friends?  (Read about the Rhesus Monkey 20 year follow-up here)

According Dr. Susan Roberts, one of the principal CALERIE investigators, when it comes to animals,  "They don't just live longer, they are healthier.  They actually aged biologically slower.  Their hair has gone gray less quickly.  Their hormones have stayed at their youthful profile and their immune function has stayed good."

I'd heard for years about too-skinny "calorie-restriction groupies" who were out to beat death with a miserably low-cal boring diet.  It held no appeal for me.  I love food too much!

But, I've got to tell you, after reading about the National Institute of Aging's ongoing calorie-restriction  experiment known as CALERIE  (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy)--I'm rethinking this whole calorie-restriction scene!  This is not excruciating or boring at all!  And since I started on my "veganish" adventure in March of 2008--I'm not that far away from the CALERIE model already!

Take a look at Jon Gertner's fascinating story, "The Calorie-Restriction Experiment" in the October 11, 2009 New York Times Magazine, here. 

Honestly, I'd describe it as Weight Watcher's on steroids--with help from physicians, dietitians and counselors.  There's even room for an occasional Uno's pizza, Haagen Dazs ice cream bar, bratwurst, or beer.

The first participants are finishing up their 2-year trial and the results are promising.

What is the CALERIE Study?

• Since it's virtually impossible to follow people over a lifetime to find out if restricting calories by 25% would slow aging, drastically reduce diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer--CALERIE aims to follow a select group (right now there are 132 enrolled) for two years to find out if the biomarkers for aging can be modified when calories are restricted.
• The study will measure if inflammation, insulin levels, blood pressure, core body temperature, and body weight can be lowered simply by reducing calories by 25%.
• Where are the sites?  Tufts University in Boston; Washington University in St. Louis; Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.
• Who is eligible?  20-50 year olds who are healthy and not too fat or too thin--having a BMI of 22-27.9.  Participants also have to be motivated, organized (they have to measure & record every morsel they eat for 24 months), have stable jobs with little travel, and a supportive family.

What's the Diet Like?

• So, do you think you know how many calories you eat every day?  Think again.  Most participants guessed wrong.  Using a high-tech lab technique that involves swallowing water with rare isotopes, the researchers are able to figure out precisely how many calories each participant is typically consuming.  Then they cut it down by 25%.  
• Liz Ewen, a molecular biologist, was eating 2,226 before CALERIE--now she's at 1,670.  Dr. Jeff Peipert, an OB-Gyn, was consuming a whopping 3,300 a day pre-CALERIE--now he's at just under 2,500. 
• For the first 28 days participants get all their meals & snacks cooked for them and at no cost--based on their individual calorie counts.  This gets them accustomed to portion sizes and adjusted to eating the kind of foods that will keep them filled and satisfied.  And this food isn't spartan:  Mediterranean-style fish with Greek-style potatoes, or Farfalle with Pesto & Diced Chicken, for example.  After 28 days--they buy and prepare their own food--with regular help and guidance from dietitians and a support group.
• The Key to eating 25% less:  eat foods that are nutrient rich and high in fiber, like vegetables, fruit, high fiber cereals, and soups.  Aim for foods that weigh as much as what you were eating before the diet--but lower in calories--to keep you full and satisfied.  Favorite food for keeping hunger at bay:  apples.   Everyone in CALERIE has become a big fan of apples. 
• The 4 Rules for Eating Less:  Eat Foods That Are Filling, Appealing, Low in Calories, Nutrient Rich!
• Dr. Susan Roberts of Tufts says, "If you don't change your diet to a high-satiety diet you will be hungry, and you will fail."  Fiber One, the breakfast cereal, or Nature's Path Organic Smart Bran--both with soluble & insoluble fiber, "have a unique  effect in helping calorie-restriction subjects feel fuller, probably because they activate certain receptors in the lower intestine."

To see some of Dr. Roberts' satiating snack recipes in my previous post click here: "The Instinct Diet Helps Us Combat Our Hard-Wired Food Cravings - And Satisfy Our Cravings for Something Spicy, Salty, Crunchy, & Chocolate"

• CALERIE tip: Save up calories if you have a special occasion or celebration coming up.  Want a bratwurst or Haagen-Dazs?  Save up those calories.  Decide what's more satisfying--170 calories for a gin & tonic, or a  190 calories for a  Haagen Dasz ice cream bar.

What Is the Hardest Part of the CALERIE Diet?

• Surprisingly, no one complains of raging hunger.  Bu most everyone felt hungry for the first few weeks.  When I joined Weight Watchers years ago to lose pregnancy weight I felt exactly the same way.  But then you just get used to less calories and learn to eat more filling foods.
• The hardest (& most annoying) part is getting used to measuring the food, preparing the food, and keeping track of the calories.

Why is CALERIE Working For Most of Its Participants?

• There's accountability. 
• You have to submit a weekly food diary.
• Attend weekly weigh-ins
• Once or twice a week you must attend individual counseling sessions
• Group counseling sessions give participants an opportunity to swap strategies and get support from fellow dieters.
• There's a battery of medical tests every 6 months.  Cognitive tests.  Blood tests.  Bone-mineral density tests.  Measurements of resting metabolism, respiratory output, and internal core temperature.

What About Weight Loss?  What About Health Improvements?  What About Energy? 

• Most participants met their weight loss goals.  They were told to expect to lose about 15% of their weight during the first year.  After that initial drop they would plateau to "weight stability".
• Doug Hansen started out at 198 pounds and dropped to 168--near his plateau--after 6 months.  Jeff Peipert began at 174 pounds--dropped to 151 after 52 weeks--and was projected to plateau at 147 pounds.
• Benefits.  For example: Peipert's blood pressure started out at 130 over 80.  Now almost a year into CALERIE, he's at 110 or 115 over 54. At age 49 his weight is what he weighed in high school.  Same for Brad Beggs. He is down to wearing a size medium shirt--a size he hasn't worn since high school.  And Beggs adds, "I've never gotten so much pleasure in my life."

Dr. Jeff Peipert, a Washington University CALERIE participant

• Wondering about energy?  Check out how Dr. Jeff Peipert spent a recent day off:

1.   18 holes of golf

2.   Biking 8 miles back & forth to his office just to pick something up

3.   Cutting his 1 acre lawn

4.   Pulling out tree roots with his son for over an hour

5.   40 minute after-dinner walk with his wife.

6.   This "calorie-incinerating machine"  was wondering why he felt particularly hungry the next day,  resulting in his eating a bowl of cereal in the middle-of-the-night.  Both my husband & I have definitely noticed the huge uptick in our appetites the day after long work-outs.  It makes sense to us.

Is Calorie-Restriction Possible for the Average American?

• The Naysayers:  Dr. John Holloszy, a Washington University lead investigator thinks 99% of Americans can't stick with it.  Other doctors think calorie-restriction requires too much individual effort--too much in medical resources--too much in counseling.   Dr. Robert Krikorian, a neuropsychologist who happens to be a long-time follower of a calorie-restriction diet himself-- thinks that most people won't pay attention to how much they eat--and they would refuse to keep up the organizational requirements necessary for such a diet.
• The Boosters:  Many doctors involved in CALERIE are surprised & encouraged at the high level of compliance with the diet.
• The Participants:  All of the subjects that Times writer Jon Gertner spoke with intended to continue with calorie-restriction when the trial ended.  Liz Ewen likened it to Weight Watchers (& I agree).  Given the right online tools, some sort of infrastructure, group meetings, and dietitians available for support, Ewen thinks it's suitable for many people.  "It's really not much more than embarking on a diet that teaches you how to eat normal foods but make better choices!"
• Some of the  first of the group to finish:  Most of "first finishers" plan to keep up the diet--but switch to estimating the calories, rather than counting them precisely.  Josh McMichael finished up with CALERIE in September.  In the few weeks since ending the program he gained eight pounds--but it's now mostly gone.  "I tried the new massive burgers at Burger King,"  he said.  "Twice.  Wasn't worth the side effects.  I think I've gotten over things like that.  For the most part."

Words of Encouragement from the Lead Investigators

• Dr. Luigi Fontana of Washington University in St. Louis.  "My perception right now is the effects of calorie restriction are multiple, so I think it is highly difficult to find one, or two, or three drugs that will mimic such a complex effect."  And although he isn't optimistic that calorie restriction will gain traction in the general public, he does believe an important common sense lesson will be learned from the experiment:

"Eating less is better than eating more, especially if it's a nutritious mix of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and the like.  The evidence is overwhelming now that it will improve your health and will improve your chances of living healthier and probably longer."

• Dr. Susan Roberts of Tufts University in Boston:  Roberts thinks the study will have greater effects than the average clinical trial.  "I don't know why anyone would take drugs when they could do something like this--calorie-restriction,"  said Roberts.

The Healthy Librarian Weighs in on Calorie Restriction

For my money, the folks in the CALERIE study are following a plan that seems very similar to:

• Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat for Health: Lose Weight, Keep It Off, Look Younger, and Liver Longer
  
• Dr. Susan Roberts'  (a CALERIE lead investigator) Instinct Diet
• Dr. Caldwell Essestyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
• The Weight Watcher's diet plan

Easiest way to cut calories:  ditch added fats, like butter, margarine, mayo, cooking oils, salad dressings, desserts, high-fat dairy like cheese & ice cream, and the after-dinner snacking.

Foods highest in nutrient density:

*Dr.Fuhrman’s  Aggregate Nutrient Density Index
Top 30 Super Foods Score

1. Collard, mustard, & turnip greens 1000
2. Kale 1000
3. Watercress 1000
4. Bok choy 824
5. Spinach 739
6. Brussels sprouts 672
7. Swiss chard 670
8. Arugula 559
9. Radish 554
10. Cabbage 481
11. Bean sprouts 444
12. Red peppers 420
13. Romaine lettuce 389
14. Broccoli 376
15. Carrot juice 344
16. Tomatoes & tomato products 190-300
17. Cauliflower 295
18. Strawberries 212
19. Pomegranate juice 193
20. Blackberries 178
21. Plums 157
22. Raspberries 145
23. Blueberries 130
24. Papaya 118
25. Brazil nuts 116
26. Oranges 109
27. Tofu 86
28. Beans (all varieties) 55-70
29. Seeds: flaxseed, sunflower, sesame 45
30. Walnuts 29

Drugs or Diet?  I find it interesting that the only cure for celiac disease (the inability to digest gluten) is to follow a gluten-free diet.  There are no pharmaceutical or surgical cures.  People with celiac who want to get better just follow a gluten-free diet.

Yet, when it comes to the diseases of aging, like Type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and cardiovascular diseases--most physicians find that the majority of people are unwilling to follow a diet even if it promises to free them from these diseases.  Oh well!

Do you think such a diet is ready for Prime Time?  Would you be willing to give it a try?