

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.
Image Credit: Harli Marten / Unsplash. This image has been modified.
Popular Videos for Longevity


The Benefits of Calorie Restriction for Longevity
Though a bane for dieters, a slower metabolism may actually be a good thing.
Increased Lifespan from Beans
The intake of legumes—beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils—may be the single most important dietary...
Caloric Restriction vs. Animal-Protein Restriction
The lifespan extension associated with dietary restriction may be due less to a reduction in...
The Okinawa Diet: Living to 100
What would happen if you centered your diet around vegetables, the most nutrient-dense food group?
How to Prevent High Blood Pressure with Diet
High blood pressure, the #1 killer risk factor in the world, may be eliminated with...
Telomeres: Cap It All Off with Diet
Is the reversal of cellular aging Dr. Dean Ornish demonstrated with lifestyle changes due to...
Survival of the Firmest: Erectile Dysfunction & Death
Because penile arteries are only about half the size of the coronary arteries in the...
Longer Life Within Walking Distance
Researchers find exercise often works just as well as drugs for the treatment of heart...
Turning the Clock Back 14 Years
Four simple health behaviors may cut our risk of chronic disease by nearly 80%, potentially...
How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years
The consumption of blueberries and strawberries is associated with delayed cognitive aging by as much...
Methionine Restriction as a Life-Extension Strategy
Plant-based diets may prove to be a useful nutrition strategy in both cancer growth control...
Do Flexitarians Live Longer?
Does just reducing one’s intake of meat, dairy, and eggs significantly reduce mortality?
Fruits, Veggies, & Longevity: How Many Minutes Per Mouthful?
The first study to gauge how much longer we live based on the number of...
How to Counter the Inflammation of Aging
What can we eat to combat “inflamm-aging,” the chronic low-grade inflammation that accompanies the aging...All Videos for Longevity
-
What’s the Ideal Waist Size?
Increased risk of metabolic complications starts at an abdominal circumference of 31.5 inches in women and 37 inches in most men, though it’s closer to 35.5 inches for South Asian, Chinese, and Japanese men.
-
Is the Obesity Paradox Real or a Myth?
How do we explain studies that suggest overweight individuals live longer?
-
The Effects of Obesity on the Immune System and Kidney and Liver Diseases
What are the effects of weight loss on natural killer cell function, our first line of immune defense against cancer, as well as kidney function and fatty liver disease?
-
The Effects of Obesity on Gallstones, Acid Reflux, and Cardiovascular Disease
Sufficient, sustained weight loss may cut the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes in half.
-
The Best Diet for Weight Loss and Disease Prevention
The most effective diet for weight loss may also be the healthiest.
-
Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Animal Protein?
Might animal protein-induced increases in the cancer-promoting grown hormone IGF-1 help promote brain artery integrity?
-
What the New Blood Pressure Range Guidelines Mean
Natural approaches to lowering high blood pressure can work better than drugs because you’re treating the underlying cause, and can end up having only good side effects.
-
The Metabolic Harms of Night Shifts and Irregular Meals
What shift workers can do to moderate the adverse effects of circadian rhythm disruption.
-
How Circadian Rhythms Affect Blood Sugar Levels
The same meal eaten at the wrong time of day can double blood sugars.
-
Chronobiology – How Circadian Rhythms Can Control Your Health & Weight
Given the power of chronotherapy—how the same dose of the same drugs taken at a different time of day can have such different effects—it’s no surprise that chronoprevention approaches, like meal timing, can also make a difference.
-
Are BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids) Healthy?
Why we may want to strive not to exceed the recommended intake of protein.
-
The Benefits of Early Time-Restricted Eating
Calories eaten in the morning count less and are healthier than calories eaten in the evening.