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.
