longevity

A six-year study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found three behaviors exerted enormous impact on longevity: not currently smoking, consuming a healthier diet, and moderately exercising at least 21 minutes a day. People with all three behaviors reduced their chances of dying in that time by 82 percent.

A similar study measured how much vitamin C subjects had in their bloodstreams, as vitamin C level was considered a good biomarker of plant food intake (and hence was used as a proxy for a healthy diet). The drop in mortality risk among those with healthier habits was equivalent to being 14 years younger.

The mitochondrial theory of aging suggests that free radical damage to our cells’ power source (mitochondria) leads to a loss of cellular energy and function over time. According to the theory, the resulting cellular damage is what essentially causes aging. Aging and disease have been thought of as the oxidation of the body, but eating antioxidant-rich foods may slow down this oxidant process. On average, plant foods may contain 64 times more antioxidants than animal foods. Including a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices each meal continuously floods our body with antioxidants to help ward off stroke and other age-related diseases, promoting longevity.

Consuming fruits and veggies, and not smoking, has also been associated with longer protective telomeres, the caps on the tips of our chromosomes that keep DNA from unraveling. Each time our cells divide, a bit of that cap is lost. Telomeres can start shortening as soon as we’re born, and when they’re gone, we’re gone. The food we eat may impact how fast we lose our telomeres: Consumption of refined grains, soda, meat, and dairy has been linked to shortened telomeres, while fruit, vegetable, and other antioxidant-rich plant food intake has been associated with longer ones.

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For substantiation of any statements of fact from the peer-reviewed medical literature, please see the associated videos below.

253 videos

All Videos for Longevity

Running group coming towards camera on a trail

How Much Exercise Is Too Much?

It may be prudent to limit chronic, vigorous exercise to no more than an hour a day and no more than five hours a week, taking at least one or two days off. For runners, the recommended upper limit for longevity benefits is 30 miles a week.

Group of adults of various ages walking together outdoors

Does Exercise Extend Your Lifespan or Just Your Healthspan?

I was surprised by how much controversy is in the medical literature over whether the apparent longevity benefits of exercise are even real.

People exercising on treadmills at the gym

Exercise Is Medicine

The evidence supporting the overall health benefits of physical activity is overwhelming.

There’s a Fly in My Aging Research!

How do you unlock the mysteries of aging?

Does Astragalus Have Benefits for Life Extension and Fighting Cancer?

One of the most popular herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, astragalus root is marketed as a “life-prolonging” tonic.

Doctors in a lab using testing equipment

The TAME Trial: Targeting Aging with Metformin

If you have diabetes, metformin can make things better, but if you don’t, the drug may make things worse.

Does Metformin Work as a Life-Extension Drug?

Amazingly, diabetics placed on metformin may live longer lives than those who never got diabetes in the first place.

Woman using a stationary machine at the gym

Naturally Boosting AMPK with Exercise for Life Extension

AMPK is said to serve as a “mitochondrial guardian.”

A place setting with a fuel gage in place of a plate

Naturally Boosting AMPK with Caloric Restriction for Life Extension

Amping AMP-activated protein kinase is one of the anti-aging pathways I cover in my longevity book, How Not to Age.

Benefits and Side Effects of Glucosamine for Osteoarthritis

Billions are spent on glucosamine supplements every year. Do they work? Are they safe?

Green tea in a glass mug on a table outside

Green Tea as a Mouthwash for Halitosis (Bad Breath)

Green tea can help reduce plaque as much as the gold-standard chemical mouthwash without its side effects, but what about other aspects of oral health, such as bad breath?

Does Resveratrol Make You Live Longer?

Is the red wine molecule resveratrol responsible for the “French paradox”?

APOE—The Single Most Important Gene for Longevity

APOE is the primary cholesterol carrier in the brain and plays a major role in packaging and transporting LDL cholesterol throughout the body.

Happy grandfather with his son and grandson

Is Longevity Genetic?

Based on a study of thousands of twin pairs, only about 25 percent of the difference in lifespan among people is genetically determined.

Woman experiencing hot flash on a bench outside

How to Delay the Age of Menopause with Diet and Lifestyle Factors

Approximately half of the variability of age of menopause among women is explained by genetics. What behaviors or circumstances can help explain the rest?

Why Do Milk Drinkers Live Shorter Lives on Average?

How might we reduce the risk of premature death from dairy consumption?

Can Getting Transfusions of Young Blood Slow Aging?

Ready for the mind-blowing twist in the mystery of why the injection of blood from young animals into old ones has a rejuvenative effect?

Parabiosis Experiments Prove Bloodborne Aging Factors

Macabre experiments surgically attaching old animals to young ones show there is something in the blood that causes aging.

Clock on a plate with knife and fork next to

Diet and Caloric Restriction for Longevity—The Monkey Trials

How can we make sense of the disparate results from the four primate studies on caloric restriction and lifespan?

The Side Effects of Human Growth Hormone as an Anti-Aging Therapy

Taking human growth hormone (somatotropin) may actually accelerate the aging process.

Holding a vitamin D supplement capsule with sun shining behind

Do Vitamin D Supplements Help Prevent Diabetes, Cancer Mortality, and Overall Mortality?

Randomized interventional trials are necessary to establish cause-and-effect.

Dr. Greger and the presentation title on a blue background

How Not To Age – Live Presentation

In this live lecture, Dr. Greger offers a sneak peek into his latest book, How Not to Age, a New York Times Best Seller.

Senior couple walking on the beach holding hands and barefoot at sunrise

Is It Possible to Reverse Aging and Live Forever?

Some animals, like the immortal jellyfish, can effectively live forever, so why can’t we?

Man touching face while suffering a stroke

Update on Vegetarian Stroke Risk

Those eating more plant-based diets have lower risk of having a stroke, including both bleeding and clotting strokes.

Flat lay composition with fresh wild mushrooms on black table

Dietary Sources of the “Longevity Vitamin” Ergothioneine

It may be even more important to include mushrooms (or tempeh) in our diet as we age.

Photo of Dr. Greger against blue background with words “New Book How Not to Age”

Book Trailer for How Not to Age

Learn about my newest book, How Not to Age, a New York Times Best Seller.

Why Vegans Should Eat More Plant-Based

One cannot assume that simply avoiding animal foods will necessarily produce a healthy diet.

Nuts, berries, grain, vegetables, and fruits spread out

What to Eat to Prevent Telomere Shortening

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of plant-based diets may explain why they can effectively reverse cellular aging by elongating telomeres.

Person in a white shirt holding their stomach

Fecal Transplants for Aging and Weight Loss

Does poop from centenarians have anti-aging properties?

How Hot Peppers May Extend Your Life

Spice can hack your brain by making foods taste saltier.

Is Spicy Food Good for You?

Those who eat spicy foods regularly tend to live longer, but is it cause-and-effect?

A clipboard, pen, and graphs with stethoscope

The Negative Effects and Benefits of Plant-Based Diets

What are the pros and cons of plant-based eating?

Plant-Based Diet for Treating and Reversing Stage 3 Kidney Disease

I share a touching story of the power of plant-based eating for chronic kidney failure.

English muffin with egg and processed meats

Dietary Guidelines: “Eat as Little Dietary Cholesterol as Possible”

Why do the official federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the intake of dietary cholesterol (found mostly in eggs) as much as possible?

The Harms Associated with Eating More Southern-Style Food

Diet appears to mediate the majority of the racial health gap.

Diet and Lifestyle for Cancer Prevention and Survival

What kind of diet should cancer patients eat?

The Purported Benefits of Vitamin K2: Should You Take Supplements?

Our body can make vitamin K2 from the K1 in green leafy vegetables.

Woman choosing between salad and hamburger

How to Avoid the Boomerang Effect of Remedy Messaging

How can mandating healthy eating messaging on fast-food ads ironically make things worse?

The Potential Harm in Unnecessary Gluten-Free Diets

How might we prevent the inflammation from gluten-free diets?

Is Allulose a Healthy Sweetener?

Are rare sugars like allulose a healthy alternative for traditional sweeteners?

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