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Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee
#208 Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To, with Professor David Sinclair
Oct 12, 2021
02:16:59
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Quick takeaways
- Inducing hormesis through simple habits like fasting, plant-based diets, and hot/cold therapies can activate longevity genes.
- Aging is the root cause of major chronic diseases, suggesting a focus on reversing aging to combat these ailments.
- Activation of key pathways like Sirtuins and AMPK through lifestyle choices can mitigate age-related decline and enhance overall well-being.
- Plant molecules like resveratrol and polyphenols from red wine can simulate adversity and potentially promote longevity benefits.
- Regular high-intensity interval training can reset the body's response to stress and oxygen levels, contributing to improved endurance.
Deep dives
Reversing Aging Through Epigenetic Reprogramming
Reversing aging has been achieved through epigenetic reprogramming in scientific experiments on mice, offering a remarkable potential for human longevity and health. This process involves restoring youthful characteristics to cells, addressing diseases, and maintaining overall vitality. By reversing the biological clock based on epigenetic markers, significant health improvements can be attained, showing promising results in age-related conditions and lifestyle impacts.
Biological Aging and Disease Prevention Strategies
Aging begins at conception, with epigenetic changes shaping the cell's functionality and influencing future health outcomes. By implementing preventive measures like intermittent fasting, consuming a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and lean proteins, and engaging in consistent physical activity, the aging process can be positively influenced. These strategies aim to enhance longevity, improve cellular health, and reduce the risk of age-related diseases.
Influencing Longevity Pathways and Hormetic Responses
Key pathways such as Sirtuins, mTOR, and AMPK play pivotal roles in regulating longevity genes and maintaining cellular health. Practices like intermittent fasting and consuming less protein can activate these pathways, promoting survival signals while inhibiting growth factors associated with aging. By inducing hormetic responses through lifestyle choices and targeted interventions, individuals can potentially mitigate age-related decline and enhance overall well-being.
Optimizing Health with Lifestyle Changes
Implementing lifestyle changes such as reducing meat consumption, practicing intermittent fasting, and incorporating olive oil in diets can positively impact longevity. By prioritizing plant-based nutrition, managing protein intake, and activating beneficial genes through diet and exercise, individuals can enhance their health span and potentially reverse age-related changes. These approaches offer promising avenues for supporting vitality, addressing age-related diseases, and promoting overall well-being.
The Role of Plant Molecules in Health and Longevity
Plant molecules like resveratrol and other polyphenols found in red wine and olive oil can activate an enzyme linked to longevity. Resveratrol enhances this enzyme's activity, while mixing it with other plant molecules can lead to health benefits. These plant compounds simulate adversity in the body, potentially signaling a scarcity of nutrients, which may result in longevity benefits by activating a survival response.
Exercise and Its Impact on Aging
Regular exercise, particularly high-intensity interval training, plays a crucial role in health and longevity. Exercise helps in resetting the body's response to oxygen levels and stress, contributing to improved endurance and overall health. Interval training, even for short durations, can lead to longer-term health benefits, such as enhanced energy production and vascular restoration.
Metformin, Supplements, and Aging
Metformin, a drug known for its impact on insulin sensitivity, has been linked to delaying the aging process. Supplements like resveratrol, fisetin, and quercetin, when combined with a balanced diet and exercise, can further support longevity. Understanding the role of supplements, optimizing gut microbiota, and maintaining a balanced lifestyle are key factors in combating aging processes.
Advancing Longevity Research with Naked Mole Rats
Research on naked mole rats, which can live up to 30 years compared to a few years for typical rats, showcases potential breakthroughs in human longevity. By studying aging as the root cause of many human afflictions, advancements in prolonging lifespan could significantly enhance quality of life regardless of one's final age.
Revolutionizing Aging with Age Reversal Technology
Recent developments in age reversal technology, including gene therapy and embryonic gene introduction, hold promise for rejuvenating various body tissues, potentially adding extra years to human lifespan. Studies indicate a future where age reversal treatments could offer holistic rejuvenation, impacting areas like vision, muscle function, immune system, and overall vitality, paving the way for extended human lifespans and improved well-being.
14.
Are You Going to Your Doctor's Computers and Seeing if There's Anything Wrong?
2min
My guest today is a revolutionary thinker and ground-breaking scientist who’s on a mission to make you younger. And if that sounds promising, you’ll be pleased to know this podcast contains practical advice you can start to follow today.
He’s Australian biologist and Harvard professor David Sinclair, author of Lifespan: Why We Age – And Why We Don’t Have To. David is one of the world’s leading scientific authorities on longevity, ageing and how to slow its effects. His research interest is the epigenetics of ageing and how we can reprogramme our genes to stop and even reverse it. That’s right – reverse the ageing process. And when you listen to him explain the science, it’s not as crazy as it sounds.
The key to staying young, he explains, is inducing hormesis, a state of survival in our bodies, and you don’t need a lab to do it. Simple habits like skipping meals, eating more plants and less meat, certain types of exercise, and hot/cold therapies can create just enough adversity to switch on our bodies’ longevity genes.
David’s goal is not vanity. It’s not to make us young for the sake of it. Instead, he’s shining a spotlight on ageing as the root cause of all the major chronic diseases that ultimately kill us. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, dementia – his research suggests they could all be eliminated if we looked at the common cause, instead of treating the end symptoms.
Of course, this would result in a population who spent significantly more time on earth, so we discuss the ethical questions this raises in the light of our climate and economic crises. Would ageing really be better described as a disease than a natural, inevitable process? This conversation contains so many thinking points and lots of practical tips that we can all start to apply immediately. Would you want to live to 150, if you could do so in full health?
CAUTION: If you have type-2 diabetes or are on any blood sugar lowering medications, talk to a healthcare professional before you go for prolonged periods without eating.
Thanks to our sponsors:
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Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/208
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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
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