Karen Feldsher writes for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on how we can age healthier, based on new research. In short, behavior changes, dietary changes, medications, and more, can improve our health and reduce the challenges of aging.
We have better sanitation and better ability to prevent infectious disease than we did in the past. But, as a result, people are living longer, which means they have new health risks that come with aging. We are more likely to have neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and metabolic diseases.
Work at the Harvard School of Public Health is focused in part on molecular-level factors that affect aging. Researchers want to develop treatments to prevent diseases that come with old age. Some researchers study worms that only live two weeks but have a genetic structure similar to ours.
Researchers test the effects of dietary changes and intermittent fasting on the worms. One of their most interesting findings is that a change in diet leads the worms to live eight weeks longer–ten weeks rather than two weeks–and to remain youthful most of that time. It also leads to five to seven percent weight loss in a year or less, as well as better blood pressure and glucose levels.
The researchers also think that intermittent fasting–eating all your meals each day within an 8 hour time-period and not eating the remaining 14 hours in the day– leads to a longer life. Intermittent fasting, they believe, leads to burning of fats for fuel, resulting in cardiometabolic health, rather than simply burning carbohydrates.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- A little high-intensity activity daily goes a long way
- Live longer, avoid ultraprocessed foods
- Give up alcohol altogether, live longer
- Want to live longer? Genes and lifestyle matter
- Eat less intermittently, live longer?
