Maximizing Healthy Aging With Natural Methods

January 30, 2023

What you do every day can either cause premature aging or promote healthy longevity. We have biological and chronological ages. Your chronological age is based on how long you have been alive. We all age at the same chronological rate, but do not age at the same biological rate.

Some enemies will cause your body to age making you look and feel older than you are. Certain lifestyle and dietary modifications can help extend your lifespan and improve your health to feel and look younger than you are.

When it comes to our health it is about the choices, we make every day. Healthy behavior can increase the chances of living a long healthy life. Engaging in unhealthy behavior has the opposite effect. It is that simple.

Most of the time it is great to live in the present moment, not letting ourselves worry about the future. However, we may not have a future if we gratify ourselves in unhealthy ways every day, It will catch up with you!¹

Biological enemies that drive aging:

Chronic stress

uncontrolled inflammation

Toxins

Nutrient deficiencies

Mitochondrial dysfunction

Stress

People exposed to chronic stress age rapidly. The telomeres in their cells of all types shorten faster. When your telomeres are short the cell can no longer divide so they become damaged or die off. This is called Cellular senescence. The cell becomes inactive slowly accumulating damage that it can't repair, cells permanently stop dividing but do not die off. These senescent cells linger inside the body and accumulate over time, affecting the healthy function of tissues and organs as we age.²

It is important to find ways that work for you to manage stress. Certain nutrient and botanical ingredients such as Ashwagandha, holy basil, Lemon balm, Chamomile, and passionflower just to name a few, can help manage stress along with lifestyle choices.³

It is also important to address Trauma. Trauma is stored in the body and is intricately connected with our nervous system and immune system.⁴

Activities like meditation, breath work, spending time in nature, exercise, and being with friends, are just some of the ways people find help with their stress levels. Discovering things to do that make you forget about everything else and just enjoy the moment you’re in. It could be painting, pickleball, cooking, bird watching, or volunteering at an animal shelter. Whatever lights you up and brings you laughter and joy.⁵

Uncontrolled Inflammation

Inflammation is often not noticed right away. Typically, it has been raging for a while before you notice that something is wrong. It can manifest in many ways. Such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, and more.

Chronic stress, a diet high in sugar, processed foods, and poor gut health are some of the causes of inflammation. This type of uncontrolled inflammation exacerbates the aging process and age-related disease. There is a term for this called “inflammaging.”⁶ The word inflammation originates from the Latin word “inflammatio” which means fire. So how do we put the fire out?

We can start by making changes to remove those things that create an imbalance in the body and add in those things that restore balance.

When there are imbalances in the microbiota in our digestive system, it will influence the level of inflammation in the body. The bacterial flora of the gut is directly related to inflammation. Having a food sensitivity test is important. The foods you eat may cause gut inflammation, which can lead to a leaky gut.⁷

Following an anti-inflammatory diet that emphasizes nutrient-dense plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds has been shown to that help reduce inflammation.⁸

Supplements for inflammation ⁹

Curcumin

Omega-3 fatty acids

Ginger

Vitamins C and D

The importance of Mitochondria

Mitochondria are crucial for your survival; you cannot live without them. They are membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell's biochemical reactions.

Strong mitochondria form the basis for your body- and brain- power. How strong your mitochondria are and how many you have will determine how you feel every moment of every day. They determine how much energy you have, how well your cells communicate, and how well your organ’s function.¹⁰

Mitochondrial dysfunction

Mitochondria become weaker and die off as you age. The key to healthy longevity and health is optimizing your mitochondria. Poorly functioning mitochondria are found in most chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, Parkinson’s, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia. It might also show up as fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, intolerance to exercise, and rapid aging. Improving mitochondrial function results in slower telomere shortening.¹¹

Supporting Mitochondria function¹²

Exercise such as HIIT workouts

Cold therapy

Good sleep hygiene

Antiinflammatory diet

Fasting or time restricted eating

Supplements that support Mitochondria

PQQ

Alpha lipoic acid

Resveratrol

Green tea extract

L- Carnatine

Eating for healthy longevity

Mediterranean dietary patterns increase life expectancy, reduce the risk of major chronic disease, and improve quality of life and well-being.

The traditional Mediterranean diet consists of high consumption of plant-based foods; low consumption of meat and meat products, moderate to high consumption of fish, and healthy fats, and low consumption of dairy products. Wine is also included in moderation during meals.¹³

Eat an Antioxidant-Rich Diet

Antioxidants bind to free radicals which increase with age, and deactivate them, protecting you from cellular damage that speeds up the aging process. Consuming a variety of colorful fruits and vegetable provide antioxidants such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. They protect our brain from stress and free radical damage and support learning and memory. They may help slow down the aging of the brain.13

Avoid sugar and processed food

High glucose destabilizes your blood sugar levels and that makes you produce more free radicals, which leads to a deteriorating aging process.¹⁴

Processed foods are full of harmful ingredients and are virtually void of nutrients. Research indicates that eating ultra-processed foods is linked to the accelerated shortening of telomeres and cell aging.¹⁵

Epigenetics

Many studies are being done in the field of epigenetics that show one day we may be able to reverse the aging process. Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. These studies point to new avenues that focus on epigenetics rather than genetics to prevent or treat age-related damage. So until that day comes when the aging process may be reversed through gene therapy, we have to modify our behavior and choices to promote healthy longevity and be aware that our environment is intricately connected to our health.¹⁶

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Maximizing Healthy Aging With Natural Methods

Biological enemies that drive aging:

Stress

Uncontrolled Inflammation

Supplements for inflammation 9

The importance of Mitochondria

Mitochondrial dysfunction

Supporting Mitochondria function12

Eating for healthy longevity

Eat an Antioxidant-Rich Diet

Avoid sugar and processed food

Epigenetics

Supplements for inflammation ⁹

Supporting Mitochondria function¹²