This week, we’ve focused on the accelerating breakthroughs transforming health and medicine.
“Within the next 10 years the world will rocket into new norms of aging, new population increases, new life spans, and new ways of living,” Dr. Michael Roizen, Peter Linneman and Albert Ratner write in The Great Age Reboot.
Dr. Mike is the Chief Wellness Officer Emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic.
To benefit from what is coming, Dr. Mike and his co-authors write that you must “take control of your health destiny.” Because “the best way to prepare for a healthier future is being healthier now.”
Here are the 10 best practices for self-engineering your body to prepare for the Great Age Reboot.
BEST PRACTICE #1: Measure and improve the “6 Normals +2”®.
Michael, Peter, and Albert have identified six markers for overall health:
- Blood pressure of less than 125 mmHg systolic and less than 85 mmHg diastolic
- BMI (body mass index, a measurement comparing your weight to your height) should be less than 27, or better, a waist-to-height ratio (your waist measurement divided by your height) of 0.40 to 0.55.
- Fasting blood sugar (associated with diabetes) of less than 106 mg/dL
- LDL cholesterol (a risk factor for heart disease) of less than 70 mg/dL
- No cotinine in urine (an indicator of tobacco use)
- Completion of a stress management program
The “+ 2” are seeing a primary care physician and making sure your immunizations are current.
BEST PRACTICE #2: MANAGE STRESS
Interestingly, it’s our response to stress, not stress itself, that causes the damage.
“So the goal isn’t to eliminate stress completely,” they observe, “but instead to improve your reaction to it.”
Regularly engaging in stress-reducing activities “dramatically decreases your perceived stress levels,” they note. “Reducing stress helps improve markers for heart disease and brain-related problems. MRI imaging shows that stress shrinks the hippocampus, and that atrophy is a hallmark of dementia.”
Here are some proven stress-reducing practices that change your focus and calm down your biological systems:
- Meditation: “Even just a few minutes of meditation a day can be helpful,” the authors write, “and there are a number of apps and online videos that can help you get started.”
- Deep breathing: “Deep breathing engages the relaxation response. Really think about pulling those breaths from your belly and diaphragm,” they suggest.
- Social support: Connecting with friends reduces the negative effects of stress. “In fact, social contact with at least six different people a month has long been associated with a number of positive outcomes,” the authors share.
BEST PRACTICE #3: PRIORITIZE HIGH QUALITY SLEEP
“This is probably one of our population’s greatest self-engineering issues,” the authors note.
“Poor sleep is associated with decreased immune function and premature aging from infectious processes. That means you need to not only get enough sleep (at least 6.5 hours every night) but also make sure it’s quality sleep.
“Good sleep hygiene (no screens in the bedroom, no eating for at least three hours before sleep, only red-wavelength lights in bathrooms, etc.) is crucial to making sure you get your rest.”
BEST PRACTICE #4: MOVE IT!
Being active, as Michael, Peter, and Albert explain, is one of the best things you can do for your heart, brain, musculoskeletal system, and immune system. They write:
- “Studies show that being sedentary is associated with a higher risk of a number of problems, including cardiovascular disease.
- “Exercise can reverse heart damage for people who have been sedentary. Research has shown that this happens because physical activity helps improve the heart’s elasticity and function.
- “Maintaining and adding a little muscle mass helps boost your metabolism, because muscle is metabolically expensive. You burn more calories just by having muscle instead of fat. That is a virtuous cycle.
- “Research has shown that strength training can significantly reduce the symptoms associated with depression, including anxiety, apathy, low mood, and sadness.
- “Exercise helps you maintain body mass without gaining fat. A study in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging found that losing mass (and replacing it with fat) with age can be associated with memory problems such as dementia.”
- One of the less understood benefits of exercise is what it does for your brain. “Numerous studies show that physical activity has a positive influence on brain function and increases the size of the hippocampus,” they note, which is “associated with lower risk of Alzheimer’s and most forms of dementia.”
Where to begin? “Taking a brisk walk is a perfectly great place to start,” the authors recommend.
- One meaningful goal is walking 10,000 steps a day. Other options include riding a bike or elliptical machine, swimming, or gardening—”they all count,” they say. The goal is to do these exercises with enough intensity to raise your heart rate for 20 minutes three times a week. The key is doing it consistently. No excuses.
- The next level up is high-intensity interval training [HIIT]. “Research shows that this decreases disability, dementia, and death. One study in the British journal Sports Medicine found that you can reduce your risk of all-cause mortality by 24 percent if you increase your walking pace to a brisk one (the study looked at walkers who reached 4.3 miles per hour).
It’s also important to work your muscles, including resistance training several times each week.
The authors’ other recommendation is about 40 jumps in place each day. “This is an important activity for increasing lymphatic flow, as well as for increasing bone density and spinal disk health,” they note.
BEST PRACTICE #5: PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DIET
Michael, Peter, and Albert’s first diet recommendation is to eat more fish.
“In study after study, it’s clear that one of the most potent sources of brain-friendly foods is fish—specifically, DHA and omega-3 fatty acids (and possibly omega-7). These are most accessible in such foods as salmon and ocean trout.
“These friendly fats do a lot to promote good brain and heart health,” they note, “including reducing damaging inflammation. Studies have also shown that regular fish eaters lose fewer brain cells than those who consume less fish, and they also show that eating fish helps arteries stay clear. However, avoid fried fish, as well as mackerel, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna, which usually are very high in mercury.”
If you don’t like fish, there are other options to get these nutrients, including walnuts and algal DHA supplements.
The authors have several other diet-related recommendations.
“A Mediterranean-style diet—or a pesco-vegetarian version that incorporates salmon, ocean trout, and a few personalized supplements—can reduce death from cardiovascular disease by up to 30 percent,” they note. “Eating this way can also arrest the development of dementia by up to 60 percent.”
- If you choose this route, you want most of your calories to come from plants or plant-based fats, such as olive oil, avocados, and nuts.
- The other benefit? “This regimen is very low in sugar, added syrups, simple carbohydrates, and saturated fat.”
- Why is this good? Because “saturated fat (found in red meat, dairy, and egg yolks) is linked to changes in the bacteria in your intestine, which then results in the development of inflammation in over 80 percent of Americans.”
- Inflammation can be a killer because, the authors explain, it leads “to heart and arterial disease, stroke, increased aging due to arthritis and the avoidance of pain by reducing movement, increased dementia, and the risk of cancer.”
“Avoid body-busting ingredients,” they state. “Fifteen straight hours of reality TV isn’t the only thing that can turn your brain to marshmallow. Marshmallows can turn your brain to marshmallow—as can a few other foods:
- “Avoid added sugars and syrups (found in processed foods, baked goods, and more; fruits are OK because their sugars are those found in whole foods and take longer for you to process—thus they tend not to raise your blood sugar too quickly).
- “Raising your blood sugar quickly and outside the normal range fosters biochemical processes that add plaque to your arteries, degrade your energy-producing systems, add fat to your waist, foster infections, and promote inflammation everywhere in your body, leading to chronic diseases like liver and kidney failure, immune dysfunction, most cancers, and dementia.
- “Avoid foods with saturated fats: It probably isn’t the fat, but the proteins that come with it, that change the bacteria in your gut to cause inflammation in your brain and heart. These fats are found in red meat, egg yolks, cheese, and most other dairy; they’ve been linked to many health problems.
- “Avoid simple carbs: Working like sugars, simple carbohydrates (found in white bread and pasta) increase your blood sugar level quickly and also trigger inflammatory responses. Whole grains and fiber are forms of carbohydrates that decrease inflammation and are good for brain and heart health (think beans, oats, fruits, and vegetables).
- “Moderate alcohol is OK for your heart—no more than one and a half drinks for men and one for women daily. However, it is considered harmful for your brain. So you should make decisions about alcohol based on your personal predispositions and risk factors.
- “Drink filtered coffee (no cream or sweeteners) and enjoy blueberries (they have properties that lower the risk of disease). Coffee has been linked to the prevention of dementia (there is not enough data on tea or decaf coffee). The filter removes diterpenes in coffee that raise serum and LDL cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia.”
Other diet-related suggestions include:
- “Hunker down in the produce section: The absence of various micronutrients in your diet can decrease your immune function, so diversify your portfolio of leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, berries, and citrus fruits—aim to really get a variety. This will improve the chances that all your micronutrients—vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as minerals like zinc and selenium—are covered.
- “Eat (the right) protein: Protein is key, since it’s a building block of antibodies that are integral to your immune function. Salmon’s healthy fats are good for the brain and whole body. You can also get protein from cooked beans/ legumes and lean white meats, like chicken or turkey.
- “Be aware that some sources of protein can contain large amounts of saturated fat, and the amino acids that are associated with foods with saturated fats that may promote cancer development. So stay away from red meat and processed meats.
- “Make the cuts: For improved immune function and to help prevent cancer, it’s best to limit added sugar, added syrups, and simple carbohydrates as described above. But even better, eliminate processed foods and substitute whole foods.”
- Fiber is another key ingredient in a healthy diet as it “lowers risks of diseases and conditions of aging associated with the arteries (from heart attacks and strokes to diabetes and inflammation).” The goal here (once again) is to eat plenty of veggies and beans.
BEST PRACTICE #6: ADD SOME SUPPLEMENTS
“It’s a good idea,” they write, “to boost your diet with half a multivitamin-multimineral supplement twice a day (morning and night) to ensure all of your bases are covered to avoid the very common zinc, magnesium, copper, and selenium deficiencies of diets in the developed world.”
Other supplements to consider include vitamin D3, CoQ10, a variety of healthy probiotics, and baby aspirin (one in the morning and one at night with half a glass of warm water before and after).
BEST PRACTICE #7: TRAIN YOUR BRAIN FOR SPEED
“When you’re consistently working your brain,” the authors write, “especially in places where you have to make quick decisions, you’re promoting the growth of neurons, connections, and the hippocampus.
“Two studies found that 70-to 75-year-olds who regularly played speed-of-processing games (games in which you have to think and analyze situations quickly) for just 18 hours over a 10-year period experienced more than a 25 percent decreased risk of dementia over those 10 years, and an increase in acetylcholine (an important neurotransmitter that is key for memory recall) in key brain regions.
“Because of the data supporting them, we like Double Decision and Freeze Frame from BrainHQ,” they write. “We also expect that playing speed games on your phone or Ping-Pong or anything that requires your brain to act fast would also be beneficial.”
BEST PRACTICE #8: FLOSS YOUR TEETH DAILY
“Oral bacteria thriving on food residue stuck between your teeth can migrate to your bloodstream,” Mike, Peter, and Albert note. “There they can fuel inflammation that damages the lining of your arteries—making it susceptible to a buildup of plaque, which stiffens and narrows the arteries and—bang!—heart attack, stroke, and dementia.”
Another smart move: Seeing a dental professional twice a year.
BEST PRACTICE #9: USE A SAUNA SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK
“Studies demonstrate reduced dementia in more than 15 percent of those who used a sauna four times a week for 20 minutes or more; whether this benefit is the result of stress reduction or some other property is still unknown.
“We believe the benefit is due to the high temperature, which releases heat shock proteins, produced by cells in response to stressful conditions. This means a hot bath or an infrared sauna may have the same benefit.”
BEST PRACTICE #10: GET AN ANNUAL CHECK-UP AND CREATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR
“Early detection of any health issue is one of the major keys to treating it before it ages you too early,” Mike, Peter, and Albert write. “Your body is a resilient thing of beauty, but the further down a bad path you are, the harder it is to get back to where you need to be. Unfortunately, many people avoid annual physical exams and other diagnostic tests.”
Make these your regular appointments:
- “Physical exam: annually, including blood and other tests to help you minimize heart disease, stroke, and orthopedic, metabolic, and dementia risks.
- “Colonoscopy: every three to 10 years after the age of 45, depending on findings for prior colonoscopies and your risk factors (some with unique risk factors, such as African Americans at age 40, may need one earlier).
- “Gynecological and urologic exams: yearly.
- “Mammograms in women and men with gynecomastia: every one to two years from age 30
- “Others: Eyes, ears, smell, one leg standing, grip strength, and bone density tests every two years after age 50.
More tomorrow!
_______________________
Reflection: Which of these ten practices would have the biggest impact on my health if I consistently followed it over the next decade?
Action: Choose one of the ten practices and commit to implementing it this week. Don’t try to change everything at once. Build one habit, then another, and let consistency compound over time.