Stop Aging with Longevity Framework

Healthy Life Matters

Hey AI Explorer,

Welcome to the latest edition of your weekly newsletter “Solve with AI”.

What if you share your age and people don’t believe you? They may say “You look so much younger” or “No way you are not xx years old”.

60s are the new 40s.

This is true.

You and I have been programmed to accept that aging is normal. The truth is far from it.

First a quick disclaimer.

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Disclaimer

The information in this newsletter/post is for educational purposes only and is not medical or health advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or lifestyle. The author and publisher are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences from the use or misuse of the information provided. Use this information at your own risk.

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Yes. We will all eventually age (at least based on the present global lifestyle) but you don’t have to accelerate your aging process.

I have previously shared how people living in Blue Zones live longer and healthier lives than people living in the same country or region.

Today, I want to take it further and dive deeper into why people age and how you can decelerate the aging process.

First, we need to understand the biological process of aging.

Why do we age?

Aging is a very complex process that involves several factors i.e. macro-environmental, genetics, cellular, physical, and emotional.

1. Genetic and Cellular Factors

Our body is not stationary. Every second of every minute you experience a major transformation inside your body at the cellular level.

At a cell level, the you that was 10 minutes ago is not the same person now.

It is hard to imagine but it’s true.

You and I are constantly changing every second.

Think of our body as a non-stop 24/7 Giga factory with millions of mico-factories within.

As we go through this transformation, there are positive and negative impacts on our cells and cellular elements.

The protective caps (Telomeres) at the ends of our chromosomes shorten when the cell splits. Eventually, the caps become so short leading to inflammation and accelerating the aging process.

Our DNA mutates (sequencing changes) over time due to various factors such as UV radiation, and toxins. Mutations can be related to our genetic factors or epigenetic factors (environmental impact on gene expression).

Over time, mutations can impact cellular function leading to cancer, other diseases, and aging.

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Protein chains in our body must fold into specific shapes to function correctly.

Over time and due to aging, these protein gets misfolded. The accumulation of misfolded protein can lead to toxic structures associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Think of this as someone folding the laundry incorrectly and stashing the clothes in the closet. One day you will have a pile of clothes with missing pairs.

2. Metabolic and Mitochondrial Factors

Besides the core cellular operations, the other related areas of aging are our metabolism and Mitochondrial functions.

Our mitochondria are considered the powerhouse of our cells. Over time, the mitochondrial function of producing energy declines. The decline in energy production and damage to Mitochondrial DBN further accelerates cellular aging.

Cellular metabolism also causes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This byproduct is not good for our body. Although antioxidants neutralize ROS, aging weakens this function.

Excess ROS damages DNA, and proteins and further accelerates the aging process.

Metabolic function changes due to aging such as resistance to insulin and lower metabolic rate can lead to obesity, diabetes, and cardio diseases.

No wonder why as people get old they are more susceptible to diseases.

3. Environmental and Lifestyle Factors

This area fascinates me because you and I are in full control of most if not all factors related to environment and lifestyle.

What you eat has a huge impact on how you age.

Consuming diets high in processed foods, sugars, and unhealthy fats can lead to inflammation and oxidative stress.

I generally avoid sugar on weekdays and unhealthy fats altogether.

Conversely, diets rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals can support healthy aging by reducing inflammation and oxidative damage.

Routine physical activity helps reverse some of the negative effects of aging such as muscle loss, cognitive decline, and chronic disease risk.

Environmental exposure is also harmful to health.

The average lifespan of mine workers is significantly lower than people who don’t work in mines.

Why?

Mine workers are constantly exposed to higher levels of environmental toxins, pollutants, and harmful chemicals which accelerates aging by increasing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Although you may not work in a mine, you and I are exposed to higher environmental toxins and pollutants through traffic pollution or factory emissions.

4. Psychosocial Factors

The last factor impacting aging is related to your mind.

Stress (chronic) can accelerate aging by increasing the production of cortisol which suppresses the immune system and impacts our brain function.

Simple relaxation or meditation can help mitigate the impact of stress.

Most people don’t have time to meditate. I have the same problem so I use a program called Zen12 to relax my mind even when I am working.

It may seem like living alone is the optimal way to live stress/drama free, but the truth is far from it.

Social interaction provides much-needed emotional support, reduces stress, and promotes psychological well-being. This can positively impact the aging process.

Lastly, sleep quality is often overlooked and misunderstood area. You may read articles about the number of hours you should sleep every night.

The media stresses on the quantity but quality plays a bigger role.

Although it is important to sleep enough hours, the quality of is directly linked to cognitive decline, metabolic dysfunction, and increased risk of chronic diseases.

I use the Oura ring to monitor my sleep pattern. Oura provides detailed charts and dashboards to track my sleep. It makes recommendations on my physical activity so I can improve my overall sleep quality.

Since you and I have spent time to understand how aging works it is time to learn how you can slow or even reverse aging.

There are many frameworks and programs in the market on this topic. However, my favorite is the work done by Dr. Michael Greger.

Dr. Greger’s work is peer-reviewed and his focus is primarily on nutrition and physical activity.

I have developed a 7 part framework based on his book “How Not to Age”.

Let’s understand the framework so we can use it in our ChatGPT prompt.

Nutrition

Dr. Greger emphasizes whole, plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

He recommends incorporating the “daily dozen” in your meals.

The list includes a serving of beans, berries, fruits, greens, cruciferous vegetables, flaxseed, nuts, and more.

You should also minimize processed food such as sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.

Drinking water instead of sugary drinks or alcohol is also recommended.

I bought a half-gallon bottle and I keep that everywhere I go. The bottle comes with a 2-hour consumption marker which allows me to keep track of my progress without any annoying app or notifications.

Physical Activity

I cannot stress enough about moving your body every day. Walking, biking, swimming, jogging, or weight training should be a part of your daily routine.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle starts with physical activities and strength training.

Dr. Greger recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity in addition to an active lifestyle.

I don’t generally get time to dedicate 30 minutes every day for exercise (I do 3 times a week) but I counter that with bike riding with my kids or walking.

Mental Wellbeing: Mind Matters

It’s all about the mind.

What you think may not be what you act on but just by the nature of thinking it you are stimulating the brain into many areas.

Carve out time in your day to do some type of mind management activity. Find ways to reduce stress and improve cognitive functions.

I like to destress by listening to Zen12 or slow music or watching stand-up comedy shows on YouTube. My favorite is the Dry Bar comedy channel.

Sleep and Recover

Dalai Lama says “Sleep is the best meditation”.

I don’t think I can beat that.

No meditation, relaxation, or mind activity can replace sleep.

Plan to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night.

I want to stress the impact of devices on your sleep quality. I have personally tested this dozens of nights.

The day when I have an extra workload and I work on my laptop after 8 pm my sleep quality decreases significantly.

How do I know that?

I wake up tired in the morning, I feel sleepy and have low energy all day long.

I also know by using the Oura app which tells me day over day sleep performance.

Stop using personal devices before bed.

I watch TV every night before going to bed so I cannot ask you to stop watching TV. (I don’t watch anything after 10:30 pm)

However, based on my experiments, TV has much less impact on sleep quality compared to cell phones, tablets, or laptops.

Why?

Personal devices are held much closer to your eyes than TV. The rays of light coming from these devices reduce the production of melatonin and its normal cycle.

Your case might be different so do your tests. My lifestyle and habits may be much different than yours.

Stay Socially Connected

I stressed this in my Blue Zone newsletter as well.

Maintaining healthy social connections with family, friends, and community contributes to emotional well-being.

Get out of social media and virtual worlds and go into the physical world and meet people.

I travel a lot and live close to my extended family so I get my dose of social connections.

Minimize Toxins

Dr. Greger recommends minimizing or eliminating the use of harmful substances such as tobacco, excessive alcohol, and recreational drugs.

My father used to smoke one pack of cigarettes till I was a teenager.

He is 75+ now and ever since he quit smoking his health has improved, he looks younger, he feels great and rarely gets sick.

Aging can be directly related to the consumption of harmful substances.

If you live close to chemical plants or heavy traffic streets/highways then it is recommended to find another place.

This may not be an option for you due to one or the other reasons. I understand it is not easy to pack your stuff and go.

If this is the case then plan to do that when the circumstances are favourable to you.

Nothing happens if you don’t plan.

Monitor Your Health

Dr. Greger talks about keeping tabs on your health to avoid falling traps of Big Pharma.

I want to share a short story related to regular check-ups.

I used to depend on the basic finger poke health checkup because of its convenience.

Many employers and insurance companies offer this for free because of the low cost.

Every year, I would go to the person with limited medical knowledge who poked my finger and used a small device to give me quick metrics.

I got instant results related to Total cholesterol, Blood sugar, and HDL/LDL.

Then I decided to give a try to annual full biomarker blood work by Life Extension ( I buy my vitamins from them).

The results were quite different from the finger poke test. Some of the markers where so different that I am now questioning the validity of the poke test.

My bloodwork results from Life Extension were accompanied by a personalized nutrition action plan.

What’s interesting is I took both tests within a month so my body should not change that much.

However, every person is different so again I recommend you consult your doctor/physician for your personal medical and regular health checkup needs.

The bottom line is to keep track of vital health indicators such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels.

Great!

Let’s use ChatGPT to prepare your detailed plan of action.

Here is the prompt.