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Eating red meat is bad for our health, and many scientific studies show how it negatively impacts our well-being. A new study conducted at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Purdue University indicate that diets replacing red meat with plant proteins lead to a reduction in risk factors for CVD. The results of the survey were published in the Circulation journal (April 2019).

CROSS COMPARISON BETWEEN MULTIPLE DIETS
In order to reach these results, a systematic review was performed of the studies published before July 2017 in PubMed (the US National Library of Medicine of the National Institute of Health, which include over 30 million citations of biomedical literature such as biology journals, online books, and MEDLINE-database of life sciences and biomedical disciplines). This is the first updated meta-analysis of Randomized Control Trials evaluating the effects of red meat on CVD risk factors, comparing it to control diets in which red meat was replaced with a variety of foods. The researchers compared the classic red meat-rich diets with different types of diets: high-quality vegetable protein sources (legumes, soy, and nuts); chicken, poultry and fish; fish only; poultry only; mixed sources of animal protein (including dairy); carbohydrates (low-quality refined grains and simple sugars such as white bread, pasta, rice, crackers, and biscuits).

In total, 36 randomized control trials were included, involving a total of 1,803 participants. Plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, lipoproteins, and blood pressure (all CVD risk factors) levels of participants consuming a red meat diet were compared to that of all other types of diets. By this comparison, the researchers found that there weren’t significant difference in the concentrations of lipoproteins, total cholesterol, or blood pressure. Although, diets high in red meat resulted in higher triglyceride levels than all other diets. The key takeaway is that diets with higher amounts of high-quality plant proteins (like legumes, soy, and nuts), on the other hand, led to lower cholesterol levels than diets rich in red meat.

REPLACE RED MEAT WITH LEGUMES AND NUTS
According to previous studies, replacing red meat with high-quality vegetable protein sources, rather than low-quality poultry, fish, or carbohydrate, leads to more favorable changes in blood lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. Furthermore, the results are consistent with long-term epidemiological studies that observe a lower incidences of heart attack risk when red meat is replaced with nuts and other plant proteins. The heterogeneity found in previous studies regarding the effects of red meat on CVD risk factors may be attributed to the composition of the control diet. For this reason, professionals state that future studies should take into account more specific comparisons.

To conclude, experts recommend to avoid red meats as much as possible and instead to consume vegetarian diets with high quality plant proteins (legumes and nuts), both for personal health benefits and for food sustainability purposes.

Sources
Marta Guasch-Ferré et al. – “Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Red Meat Consumption in Comparison with Various Comparison Diets on Cardiovascular Risk Factors” – Circulation (April 2019)

Okkio alla SALUTE is a very important survey in Italy that included 50,000 primary school children and its goal is to monitor their weight and lifestyle. The data from the latest version (VI, spring 2019) has been available for a few weeks. Let’s look at them together.

Unfortunately, Italian children are still in a critical situation: 3 out of 10 are overweight (29.8%), of which 1 is obese (9.4%). We are second only to Cyprus, and almost at par with Greece and Spain. The prevalence is highest in the southern regions.

Another aspect which is worth looking at is the high prevalence of obesity among families with a low socioeconomic status. Our Foundation works closely with these families both through free health care in the nutritional field, and via education and awareness programs on issues related to health and longevity. As a result, the Valter Longo Onlus Foundation carries out free educational projects for primary and secondary schools with the aim of teaching them proper nutrition. We are convinced that, if children are more aware of what foods they consume, they can be the ones to set the example for health and longevity, and even motivate adults to change their own lifestyle to live better and longer lives.  If you want to organize a free webinar for your school, please send an email to [email protected]

The survey also revealed some of the unhealthiest habits among children:

skipping breakfast (8.7%) or consuming breakfast incorrectly (35.6%), which often leads to consuming a large snack (55.5%),
low daily consumption of fruits and vegetables (24.3%), seldom intake of legumes (38.4% less than once per week),
daily intake of sugary or carbonated beverages (25.4%), although the latter decreased compared to the latest data.
consumption of sweet snack more than 3 times per week (48.3%),
consumption of salty snack more than 3 times per week (9,4%).

It is no coincidence that in the countries bordering the Mediterranean, cradle of the famous Mediterranean diet, there are more overweigh children. In fact, this phenomenon is due to a poor interpretation of the Mediterranean diet itself. In the Okkio alla Salute survey, there is no available data about the consumption of foods that are healthy but can lose their benefits when consumed too frequently. Among these are pasta, bread, potatoes, and pizza.
Previous studies such as the 2005-2006 INRAN-SCAI study done in Italy showed that children consume about 700 grams of foods that cause elevated glucose levels. Of these, approximately 75% (520 grams) come from bread, pasta, pizza, rice, potatoes, and fruit juices, while 25% come from sweets, pastries, cooking sugar, ice cream, and sugary drinks. Foods rich in starch quickly elevate blood glucose levels, even more than junk food and carbonated drinks, which Italian children consume less and less. More specifically, bread, pasta, pizza, rice, potatoes, fruit, and fruit juices consumed daily by many Italian children produce a glucose levels equivalent to 5 cans of sugar carbonated drinks daily, both in quantity and the release of glucose into the blood.
Another important aspect is to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. In 2019, 20.3% of children did not engage in any form of physical activity the day before the survey was given. The 2020 results don’t look promising either.

What is the solution? First of all, we need to recognize the problem: only 59.7% of parents are aware that their child is overweight; only 40.9% are aware that their child is not physically active; and only 30.1% are aware that their child eats too much.
To offer our support and useful advice for children and their families, the nutritionists of the Valter Longo Onlus Foundation have created a list of indications in order to avoid overweight and improve the health of children: longevity begins in childhood.

Sources
1. OKkio alla SALUTE, 6th Edition, 2019.
2. The Italian National Food Consumption Survey INRAN-SCAI 2005-06: Main Results in Terms of Food Consumption. 2009, “Public Health Nutrition”
3. Longo, Valter. La longevità inizia da bambini (The Seeds of Longevity Are Planted in Childhood). Milano: Vallardi, 2019.

Spending at least 2 hours per week in nature is the minimum “does” to ensure health benefits and psycho-physical well-being. This was demonstrated by a large study carried out by the European Center for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK. The results of this survey were published in Scientific Reports (June 2019).

EVERYONE CAN BENEFIT FROM THE OUTDOORS
This Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) research was commissioned by the British government, which surveyed 20,000 Anglo-Saxon individuals during the two-year period 2014-2016. The sample included English residents from different social groups: young and old, male and female, high and low income, etc.

The participants answered questionnaires about their relationship with the outdoors and how often they visit parks, woods, fields, hills, mountains, rivers, beaches, etc. In addition, they were asked questions about their health and their satisfaction regarding their overall well-being. The results show that all the participants involved benefit from spending time outdoors, regardless of age, sex, health status, disability, socioeconomic factors, place of residence, or lifestyle.

THE MORE TIME SPENT OUTDOORS, THE MORE BENEFITS
The questionnaires reveal that 23% of participants who had spent at least 2 hours in the outdoors (during the week prior to the survey) reported being in a great state of well-being, and 59% reported being in good health compared to those who had spent little or no time in nature. Furthermore, the beneficial effects increased as time outdoors increases: a weekly high of 3 hours for health, and 5 hours for overall well-being.

Experts concluded that it takes at least 2 hours spent outdoors to see positive effects regarding personal mental and physical health. This can either be 2 hours at once or split up into smaller sessions that add up to 2 hours per week. These were their observations, after analyzing the effects of practicing physical activity versus sitting on a bench and contemplating nature,. In fact, they concluded that nature is the key factor in beneficial and relaxing effects on the psyche.

Experts suggest that these 2 hours could thus be included in the Health Guidelines and targeted interventions that promote well-being.

Sources
White et al. – “Spending at Least 120 minutes a Week in Nature is Associated with Good Health and Well-being” – Scientific Reports (June 2019)

The Shock of the Pandemic

The experiences the whole globe faced in 2020 as a result of the pandemic have made everyone understand how health should be a human right, both personally and globally. Our health is at risk here and now. The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken everyone to the core, affecting over 66 million individuals and causing approximately 1.5 million deaths worldwide to date, according to the most recent data by the World Health Organization on December 7th, 2020. Italy, unfortunately, ranks #6 of the most affected countries with 1,728,878 confirmed cases, and 60,078 deaths (only behind the US, Brazil, India, the Russian Federation, and France).

If we analyze the “Report on the Characteristics of Individuals who Suffered and Died From COVID-19 in Italy” published by the Istituto superior di Sanità on December 2nd, 2020, we can see that individuals suffering from diseases and the elderly population were the most affected. In fact, the average age for individuals who died from Covid-19 was 80 years. In addition, it was possible to analyze the medical records of 5,726 deceased individuals and it was observed that 65.9% suffered from 3 or more diseases. Among the most common ones were hypertension (66%), Type 2 diabetes (29.2%), Ischemic heart disease (27.8%), chronic renal failure (21.1%), active cancer in the last 5 years (17%), obesity (10.3%), among many other diseases.

What do these data demonstrate? That age is the main risk factor for both Covid-19 and for many other chronic disease (cancer, diabetes, CVD, autoimmune disease like Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases with Alzheimer’s). The latter being yet another risk factor for Covid-19.

Questions and Concerns

The obvious question is, “What can we do to avoid getting sick and protect ourselves as much as possible from unexpected events like the pandemic?” It is clear that it is vital to slow down the aging process and thus prevent the onset of many chronic diseases. But how? Scientific research shows how lifestyle and food choices can decrease our risk of developing many diseases as well as slow down the aging process.

As a result, we can conclude that eating well and living a healthy lifestyle can slow down aging and help us live longer and healthier lives. However, on our quest for the elixir of life we may ask ourselves what we mean exactly when we talk about proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

The Valter Longo Onlus Foundation and the search for health and longevity

We often find too many hands in the pot and are exposed to conflicting information. However, the nutritional biologists of the Valter Longo Onlus Foundation created a reference point, nutrition assistance programs, and practical advice regarding health and lifestyle, based on over 30 years of research of Dr. Valter Longo.

The doors are open to everyone at our Longevity Point in Milan: those who want to achieve healthy longevity and live higher quality lives, as well as individuals suffering from various diseases and need support for common treatments. Children, teens, adults, and elderly alike come to our Longevity Point in hopes to live healthier lives.

We want to provide a place in which we can guarantee that health is a human right, and where anyone can find support from experts and professional. At our longevity point you will find an environment that provides a real culture of longevity, that values health, mental and physical well-being, solidarity, inclusivity, sociality, human and familial relationships, and a constructive, positive, proactive, and creative attitude toward life.

In our Longevity Point we create project that reach schools, students, families, teachers, centers for the physically disabled, the elderly, nursing homes, shelters for women victims of abuse and their families, as well as homeless shelters. In addition, we provide free programs for those in difficult economic situations, and so are always on the look out for funds to be able to implement these projects. We constantly train more nutritional biologists who can collaborate with us and help contribute to the health and betterment of the community.

It is worth mentioning again that in our Longevity Point we really hope you understand the importance of this longevity project and remember on this World Human Rights Day our mission to guarantee health as a human right, as well as longevity, to all.

Health shouldn’t be a privilege for the wealthy, especially during these hard times. For this reason, we have created a Solidarity Christmas Present where you can gift a valuable gift or free visit to our Longevity Point in Milan to someone who needs it. You can help make someone’s life better! We sincerely thank you!

Sources:
World Health Organization. “Who Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard”. December, 7 2020. https://covid19.who.int/
Istituto Superiore della Sanità- Epicentro. “Rapporto sulle caratteristiche dei pazienti deceduti positivi al COVID-19 in Italia”. 2 dicembre 2020. https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/Report-COVID-2019_2_dicembre.pdf

Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients for health. These are found in various foods and participate in several physiological processes that are essential for the proper function of the body.

WHY DO WE NEED VITAMINS?
Vitamins are essential for well-being because they are involved in vital biological processes. They intervene in some metabolic functions, and often act as co-enzymes, helping enzymes function properly. Their positive effect on health goes as far as preventing some chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and other various diseases, including cancer. The human body only requires vitamins in small amounts, but they need to be consumed through the diet because the human body is not able to synthesize them.

Vitamins are divided into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins rarely accumulate in the body and thus should be consumed every day through the diet. The deficiency of water-soluble vitamins is detected quickly as they can be excreted rapidly in urine. These vitamins include the B Vitamins, Vitamin H, Vitamin PP, and Vitamin C.

On the other hand, fat-soluble vitamins can easily accumulate in the body, especially in the liver. They are absorbed together with fat sources from the diet. This group includes Vitamin A, D, E, and K.

WHY DO WE NEED MINERALS?
Mineral salts are organic substances essential for our body. They make up approximately 6% of body weight and are involved in several vital functions. Mineral do not provide energy, but they are required for reactions that release energy to all parts of our body. They contribute to the activation of metabolic processed of cells, tissues, and organs, and regulate water and salt balance, and are part of the musculoskeletal system. Mineral salts are absorbed through food, condiments, and water.

They are further divided into macro elements or trace elements (micro elements). Macro elements are present in the body in discrete quantities and are required only in grams or tenths of grams. A few examples are calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorous, chlorine, and sulfur. Trace elements (microelements) are present in smaller quantities and required only in micrograms and/or milligrams. These include iron, copper, zinc, selenium, fluorine, iodine, chromium, cobalt, manganese, and molybdenum. Other minerals are also present in trace amounts because the body only requires small quantities: silicon, cadmium, nickel, and vanadium.

Minerals and vitamins are found mainly in fresh fruit and vegetables. A balanced and varied diet ensure our daily needs for these important nutrients. In the case of vitamin deficiency, nutritionists recommend making nutritional adjustments, as well as taking multivitamins or specific vitamin supplements. It is also advised to get regular checkups to monitor vitamin and mineral levels.

Sources:
1. Vitamine – Informazioni generali – EPICENTRO (data ultimo accesso 30.05.2019)
2. Sali minerali – Informazioni generali – EPICENTRO (data ultimo accesso 30.05.2019)
3. Sali minerali – Oligoelementi o micronutrienti – EPICENTRO (data ultimo accesso 30.05.2019)
4. Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Fact Sheets – NIH National Institute of Health (data ultimo accesso 31.05.2019)
5. Vitamins & Minerals – CDC (data ultimo accesso 31.05.2019)
6. Investing in the Future: A United Call to Action on Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies. Global Report 2009

Half a serving of dried nuts daily can help prevent weight gain and reduce the risk of obesity. These were the results from a large survey conducted in the US on health professionals, which aimed to find the association between changes in dried nuts consumption (including peanuts) and long-term weight changes. The study was published in the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health (2019).

A 20+ YEAR STUDY
It was a large observational study with data from over a 20-year period on different groups of health professionals, from three independent cohorts: 28,000 men (Follow-up Health Study of Health Professionals, 1986-2010), 62,000 women (Nurse’s Health Study, 1986-2010), and nearly 56,000 young women (Nurse’s Health Study II, 1991-2011). All participants were from high SES backgrounds, healthy, and free of chronic diseases at baseline. Researchers followed the three groups for 20-24 years, monitoring health status, nutrition, and weight changes every 4 years. It was found that a 14g increase of dried nuts per day may be associated with a lower risk of weight gain by 2kg or more, and a 15% lower risk of obesity. It is also been recorded that adults gain approximately 0.5kg every year, on average.

DRY NUTS INSTEAD OF JUNK FOOD
As a result, experts recommend replacing half a portion of “junk food” (French fries, red and processed meats, snacks, sweets, etc.) with 14g of dried nuts per day: a simple trick to prevent long-term weight gain and reduce the risk of obesity. In fact, the regular consumption of dried nuts, in addition to its positive health benefits due to their vitamin and mineral content, help increase the sense of fullness because of their fiber content and “good” fats.

Sources:
Liu, X., Li, Y. Et al. – Changes in Nut Consumption Influence Long-Term Weight Change in US Men and Women – BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health (2019)

Many believe that when you reach a “certain” age it is necessary to decrease physical activity, especially if it involves heavy or demanding exercises, in order to avoid negative health consequences. Science, on the other hand, shows that physical activity is in fact what can extend the life expectancy of women over 70. This was shown by an American survey published in Circulation in January 2018.

DETAILS OF THE AMERICAN STUDY
This analysis was included in The Women’s Healthy Study that was approved by the IRB of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at the Longwood Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. It was carried out by a group of researchers who followed over 18,000 women 72 years old on average from 2011 to 2015. During the study period, the intensity and duration of physical activity was measured via a triaxial accelerometer that was given to participants. The device was sent to the research center for data analysis and then crossed with medical records, including death certificates, and the National Death Index, and compared with life expectancy. The study examined how women over the age of 70 who practice moderate to intense physical activity live longer than their sedentary counterparts or those who simply walk/do low intensity exercises. In fact, the mortality rate reduced by 60-70%.

TRY TO EXERCISE 150 MINUTES PER WEEK
The experts recommend approaching physical activity gradually and consistently, even and especially in old age. The international guidelines indicate 2.5 hours of physical activity per week divided into two days per week. Simply exercising one day isn’t enough to improve performance. The intensity of training must increase gradually, and be combined with body weight exercises and weight-lifting. If you are not experienced enough when you start, it is better to get help from a personal trainer, as well as have your doctor’s approval, especially if you suffer from certain diseases.

SOURCES

Lee IM et Al – Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Relation to All-Cause Mortality -The Women’s Health Study – Circulation (2018 Jan)

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by bad eating habits and a poor lifestyle, which can result in hyperglycemia and ultimately in a chronic disease that requires insulin therapy. Is it possible to treat it at the dinner table?

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH EXPLAINS HOW TO MAKE DIABETES REGRESS WITH DIET
A clinical study published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology in March 2019 showed that the disease can be reversed with changes to eating habits. 300 patients were examined and followed up for two years. They were either obese or overweight, with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis of <6 years and not on insulin therapy. The participants were then divided into two groups: the first one received standard of care, with insulin, and the second received no drug therapy, but underwent nutritional changes instead. Specifically, a low-calorie diet was provided for a period of 12-20 weeks. At the end of the first cycle, various foods were gradually reintroduced back to the diet. Clinical data for this group of patients undergoing calorie restriction showed a total remission of diabetes. This was sustained in 1 in 3 subjects even in the two years post-study. In practice, 11% of the individuals who had followed the low-calorie nutritional intervention maintained a reduction in body weight of at least 15kg, and as many as 36% benefited from a complete remission of disease without having to take insulin therapy. Further analyses revealed that the percentage of remission increased to 64% in subjects who had maintained a >10kg weight loss. This underlines how important it is to maintain a healthy body weight to have long lasting results.

THE SOLUTION TO CURE DIABETES IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE
This study highlights how important it is to follow a healthy and balanced diet, both for the prevention of diseases and for their treatment (when pharmacological therapies are not needed and/or to support them and keep them from getting worse). As far as type 2 diabetes, the indications are to make simple changes to your diet. The following are a couple of rules that are easy to follow and implement: reduce or eliminate simple sugars, consume whole grains, meet protein requitements for your age, and consume vegetables daily (avoiding those with a high glycemic value). However, the best recommendation for diabetic patients is to get professional help from a doctor or nutritionist who can create an individualized diet plan, and to exercise daily.

SOURCES
Lean MEJ, Leslie WS, Barnes AC et Al. – Durability of a Primary Care-Led Weight-Management Intervention for Remission of Type 2 Diabetes: 2-Year Results of the Direct Open-Label, Cluster-Randomised Trial – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinol. 2019 Mar. 5

Romina Inès Cervigni, Scientific Coordinator of the Valter Longo Onlus Foundation, explains the mechanisms to extend life for another 14 years and prevent diseases.

Offering everyone the opportunity to live a longer and healthy life is the goal of the Valter Longo Foundation, founded by the internationally renowned scientist and bio gerontologist, Dr. Valter Longo. We asked Dr. Romina Inès Cervigni, nutritional biologist and Scientific Coordinator of the Foundation, to tell us about the best foods to eat to live a long and healthy life and prevent age-related diseases.

WHEN WAS THE VALTER LONGO FOUNDATION BORN AND WHAT ARE ITS OBJECTIVES?
The Valter Longo Foundation is a non-profit association founded in 2017 by Professor Valter Longo. Its goal is to give everyone the opportunity to achieve a healthy longevity, that is to reach a considerable age but in perfect health, disease-free, especially from age-related diseases: cancer, metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity, CVD, autoimmune diseases like Chron’s disease, and neurogenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The Foundation’s mission is divided into two sub-categories. The first one is health care via nutritional assistance which is one of my main responsibilities. We are nutritional biologists who base our advice on reliable scientific data and support patients suffering from various diseases, particularly from a nutritional point of view, and an established drug treatment. We try to improve their quality of life with nutrition. The second aspect of the mission is dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public on issues related to nutrition, healthy lifestyle, and overall wellbeing.

HOW MUCH DOES DIET AFFECT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE?
Many studies show that nutrition, physical activity, abstinence from smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption can make a quantitative difference. In fact, this can add 12 and 14 years of life for men and women, respectively. What we are referring to is healthy years that allow anyone to have a better quality of life even in old age.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF A HEALTHY DIET?
We are based on the Longevity Diet that was developed by Professor Valter Longo and taking advantage of the so-called 5 pillars of longevity: a multidisciplinary approach that included basic research from the laboratory, epidemiology, studies with large samples, clinical trials with an intervention and control group, and the examples of centenarians. By putting together the results of these different kinds of studies, it was possible to create the Longevity Diet.

In practice, it is a pLant-based diet, but not exclusively plant-based. It includes the consumption of fish two to three times per week, while keeping other protein sources from legumes, and consuming good fats derived from fish, such as mackerel, anchovies, olive oil, nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts.
Although carbohydrates are often frowned upon, they are very important and therefore part of the Longevity Diet. It is recommended to consume whole grains and complex carbohydrates and to limit sugar intake as much as possible, especially jams for breakfast or high quantities of fruit.

Foods rich in starch, such as pasta, bread, potatoes, and rice, should be limited, and combined with other foods rich in fiber. With the Longevity Diet, we are not saying eat less, on the contrary, we invite you to eat more, but transforming your habits. For example, instead of filling a plate with pasta only, add legumes and vegetables and reduce the amount of pasta. That way it looks like a plentiful dish that is both filling and satisfying.

Of course, these are general rules that should be adapted to every individual based on weight and age. For example, protein intake should be increased for individual over 75 to take into account physiological changes that require a higher protein intake.

WHAT ROLE DOES FASTING HAVE IN NUTRITION?
Fasting has always been part of life. From a nutritional point of view, it is potentially very important because it allows out bodies to take a break and activate all those survival mechanisms that are present in our cells in response to periods of fasting. In particular, fasting triggers autophagy, a process in which cells eat themselves and get rid of old and damaged parts. In this way, cells clean themselves inside out, and when fasting periods are over, they simply begin to rebuild. Fasting is thus important when it is associated with the practice of refeeding. As described earlier, there are general mechanisms of fasting. Timing should be clear and defined, which can range from a few hours to a few days. It is also necessary to take into account the age of the individual and the presence of any diseases.

WHAT IS DAILY FASTING?
Daily fasting is important both in the Longevity Diet and in fasting. Anyone can do it, even children because it concerns the 12 hours that pass between dinner and breakfast. A good habit, for example, is to have dinner at 8pm and have breakfast at 8am. Many people already follow this habit because it is quite simple and easy to implement. However, it is not always possible to train regularly, just think of the months spent in quarantine. Therefore, I always suggest to be active, and insert a routine into your daily life that includes physical activity: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or walking places instead of driving. This can potentially help you reach 100.

It is also important to abstain from smoking. In regard to alcohol, there are recent studies that show negative health effects both in those who do not drink at all, and those who drink too much. The moderate consumption of alcohol is equivalent to five 125ml glasses per week and is associated with an extended life. However, it is always better to drink slowly and during meals.

HOW MUCH DOES NUTRITION PLAY A ROLE IN THE TREATMENT OF ALZHEMIER’S?
It Is enough to say that Alzheimer’s is often referred to as “Type 3 Diabetes.” Type 1 diabetes is autoimmune; Type 2 diabetes often develops in adulthood as a result of weight gain; and then there is Type 3 diabetes. Although not properly recognized as such, Alzheimer’s is associated with increase in blood glucose and a daily and constant excess of sugar and starch. Pasta, bread, and fruit are healthy options in themselves, but no longer healthy when they are consumed in excess and without fiber. Amount other things, the issue is not only related to hyperglycemia. In fact, Alzheimer’s has been described as a room with 36 holes. These holes stand for 36 different mechanisms that can affect the onset of Alzheimer’s, of which only 6 mechanisms or holes are known. Another risk factor is the intake of heavy metals such as mercury found in tuna and swordfish, especially because it can accumulate in late fish that often live for along time. My advice is to not consume these regularly, at most once every two weeks or once a month.

Article published in DiLei.

Individuals who practice high levels of physical activity have a lower risk of developing lung and colorectal cancer, as well as being more likely to survive if they do get sick, when compared to sedentary individuals. This study was conducted by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA, and it was published in the journal “Cancer” in May 2019.

THE LARGEST STUDY CONDUCTED TODAY
The research involved a large sample of 49,143 cancer-free adults aged 40-70 and that underwent stress tests for an average of 7.7 years, from 1991 to 2009. This Henry Ford Exercise Texting cohort was treated at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit in Michigan, USA, and it was composed of 46% female, 64% Caucasian, 29% Black, and 1% Hispanic, 46-61 years, on average.

Participants performed physical tests classified into two categories: 1) the Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF), which indicates cardiorespiratory fitness; 2) the MET, the unit of measurement of physical exertion equivalent to the consumption of O2 at rest. The collected data was analyzed against outcomes of lung and colorectal cancer from a register of the National Death Index regarding cancer and all-cause mortality.

The data revealed that individuals who practiced high levels of physical exercise at the beginning of the survey had a significantly lower risk of developing lung or colorectal cancer than sedentary patients: 77% less for lung cancer and 61% less for colorectal cancer, respectively. In addition, individuals, who exercised but developed lung cancer, had a 44% lower risk of dying from the disease. Those who developed colorectal cancer and exercised had an 89% lower risk of dying from the disease.

Nevertheless, further studies with larger samples are needed. In fact, researchers state that further research is essential to confirm the validity of the results and to determine whether exercise can influence cancer risk and mortality.

FONTI


Catherine Handy Marshall MD et Al. – Cardiorespiratory fitness and incident lung and colorectal cancer in men and women: Results from the Henry Ford Exercise Testing (FIT) cohort – Cancer (May 2019)