We’re back! We love the summer but are keen to get cracking with autumn projects – researching a new book on post-menopausal health for me, a book on the less-known benefits of walking for Annabel. But just because we haven’t been posting, it doesn’t mean we haven’t been keeping up with our usual trawl of academic papers and the latest research into the science of longevity.
There’s been so much of interest in recent months – lots of new research into the power of omega 3s to improve longevity; how berries and red wine work with our gut bacteria to lower blood pressure and what we need to nourish our brains. All subjects for future posts here or on our social media channels. But this week I want to focus on a research paper which reflects so many of the core tenets of The Age-Well Project, and gives more credible academic backing to simple lifestyle changes to help us age well. The paper goes even further, suggesting that it’s possible to reverse the ageing process without heavy-duty medical intervention. Sounds too good to be true? Read on.
TURNING BACK THE CLOCK
The study in question found that the subjects (men aged between 50 and 72) ‘turned back the clock’ on ageing by more than three years in just eight weeks following a healthy lifestyle regime. The lifestyle interventions prescribed were specifically chosen to target a biological mechanism called DNA methylation, which predicts biological age (the age of our bodies health-wise, as opposed to chronological age).
DNA methylation is the process that switches genes on and off, and controls the ageing process. When the system is working well, our epigenome, the ‘instruction manual’ for our DNA, tags genes to give them tasks to perform. But as we age, oxidation and other stressors cause damage in our bodies, leading to loss of cell function and failures in methylation. In 2013, a UCLA professor called Steve Horvath revealed how changes in patterns of methylation can predict biological age extremely accurately. This system is known as the Horvath clock and was used assess how the health interventions used in the study impacted the health of participants.
SO WHAT’S THE SECRET?
The study participants were prescribed a detailed lifestyle programme covering diet, exercise, stress management and supplements for eight weeks:
SLEEP
An average minimum of seven hours sleep a night. We’ve written here and here about what we do to try to get a good night’s sleep.
EXERCISE
Minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day for at least 5 days per week, at an intensity of 60-80% of maximum perceived exertion. This means you’re breathing heavily and feeling challenged by the exercise, but can still speak. We’ve written about the importance of getting breathless here
SUPPLEMENTS
Participants took two specific supplements to boost intake of phytonutrients, prebiotics and probiotics:
PhytoGanix, a combination of organic vegetables, fruits, seeds, herbs, plant enzymes, prebiotics and probiotics at a dose of 2 servings daily, divided. It doesn’t seem to be available in the UK, but it’s a powdered multi-vitamin supplement.
UltraFlora Intensive Care, containing Lactobacillus plantarum 299v at a dose of 2 capsules daily, divided. Again, not available in the UK but it looks like a fairly standard probiotic supplement.
STRESS REDUCTION
The study participants followed breathing exercises from the book Steps to Elicit the Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson MD, twice daily. The Relaxation Response is a simple meditation technique: once or twice a day for 10 to 20 minutes, find a quiet environment, sit in a relaxed position, eyes closed, and repeat a mantra – a word or sound – as you breathe.
DIET
The nutritional guidelines the study participants followed were very low in carbohydrate, and even beans/legumes were off the menu, which surprised us. We’re big fans of fibre-and-nutrient-packed beans/pulses and have always considered them integral to our age-well diets. Something to ponder.
Annabel also pointed out to me that there’s no mention of alcohol on this list! We’ve both cut our alcohol intake down to almost nothing recently anyway.
The dietary list also includes ‘methylation adaptogens’ such as rosemary and tea – anti-oxidant-rich plants which are particularly supportive of healthy methylation. I’ve linked to some of our favourite recipes incorporating the ingredients below where I can.
Each week:
3 servings of liver – 1 serving = 3 oz/75g. Preferably organic. Try our warm chicken liver salad
5-10 eggs Ideally free-range, organic, omega-3 enriched. We love our recipe for kale and salmon frittata
Each day:
2 cups of dark leafy greens. •Measured raw, chopped, and packed. (I’m assuming that doesn’t mean eaten raw)
•Including kale, Swiss chard, spring greens, spinach, dandelion, mustard greens. This tamarind and lime green veggies recipe perks up green leaves no end.
•Does not include salad greens such as romaine, iceberg
2 cups cruciferous vegetables
•Measured raw, chopped, and packed
•Includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, rocket, kale, mustard greens, watercress, swede, kohlrabi, radish, Swiss chard, turnip.
3 additional cups colourful vegetables of your choosing (excluding white potatoes, sweetcorn).
1-2 medium beetroots.
4 tbsp (1/4 cup) pumpkin seeds (or pumpkin seed butter)
4 tbsp (1/4 cup) sunflower seeds (or sunflower seed butter)
1+ serving methylation adaptogens, choose from:
•1/2 cup berries (wild preferred)
•1/2 tsp rosemary
•1/2 tsp turmeric – turmeric fish curry recipe here
•2 medium cloves garlic
•2 cups green tea (brewed 10 minutes). How to brew green tea, here
•3 cups oolong tea (brewed 10 minutes)
6 oz animal protein
•Grass-fed, pastured, organic and hormone/antibiotic-free
2 servings of low glycemic fruit eg berries, apples, pears
General guidance:
Organic preferred over conventional
Stay hydrated
Don’t eat between 7pm and 7am. We’ve written about intermittent fasting here
Include “healthy” oils – Balance types of fat e.g. coconut, olive, flaxseed and pumpkin seed oil. There’s more on fats and oils here
Avoid added sugar/sweets, dairy, grains, legumes/beans
Minimise plastic food containers – this is interesting, but the study doesn’t say why.
The end result was “statistically significant” reductions in the biological ageing of cells of over eight weeks for the 18 participants in the treatment group, equating to being three years ‘younger’ by the end of the study.
Lead researcher Kara Fitzgerald says the study “ is unique in its use of a safe, non-pharmaceutical dietary and lifestyle program, control group, and the extent of the age reduction.” You can read the whole study here, and find out more about Dr Fitzgerald and her work on her website. She’s got a book out in the new year which I’ll order and review in a blog post.
What I can’t uncover is how close to this kind of lifestyle the participants were when they started. Were they following a mainly healthy lifestyle and just tweaked it a bit to get these results? Or were they Big Mac-scoffing couch potatoes for whom this regime was a huge lifestyle overhaul? Surely that would impact the results? But we do know they were generally in good health before they started. Another point to consider is that the study subjects were all men. We know women’s bodies (and brains) are very different – would the protocol be different for us? There’s a lot that’s still unclear, but a lot that’s fascinating too. We’ll keep you posted on the planned larger trial.
What do you think? Would you be prepared to put this protocol into practice? Do you follow something very similar already? Let us know in the comments below!
Susan
That is indeed fascinating! Thank you so much for all you do to keep us well…..
The issue with plastic food containers – and water bottles – is PFA and the belief that it leaches into food. Article here:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/09/toxic-forever-chemicals-plastic-food-containers
Yes – I would be interested to understand the specifics around how that leaching impacts the DNA clock though
Definitely won’t be adding liver to my diet, nor avoiding grains, legumes and beans, everything else yes.
Absolutely – I think we all have to work out what’s best for our bodies and we feel comfortable with!
I was under the impression that you think beans and legumes are good to eat. So what did you think of the recommendation against them in this study?
That’s a really interesting one for Annabel and I. We love beans/legumes for their fibre, vitamins/minerals and protein content. They’re so good for gut health (although some people can’t digest them and don’t do well eating them, of course). I think it’s a very personal choice – this piece of research is one of so many into how to age well. Keeping carbohydrate intake low was obviously a part of this study, but was cutting out beans the key protocol that led to the reversal of cellular ageing? Possibly not.
Hiya – lovely to have you both back – hope you enjoyed your break?
My husband and I have followed a loosely similar diet and lifestyle for 18+ months – but we do eat beans and legumes and don’t exercise as much (yoga and dog walk most days) and hiit training x2 week for 15 mins. Feel great and arthritis and menopause symptoms pretty much eradicated. Wouldn’t change back now – maybe need even more veg, eggs & liver! X
This is so good to hear Pippa! Thanks so much for letting us know about your success on this kind of diet. What do you think has made the biggest difference for you both? Susan x
It doesn’t seem too far away from the recommendations of Steven Gundry in his book ‘The Longevity Paradox’.
Thanks Ian. Does Gundry have quite specific recommendations about the type of veg that can be consumed? I know he’s no fan of beans and grains. It’s certainly a low carb diet like his, but perhaps not as rigid?
I think it’s too limited on the social side of things.
Not convinced about need for pre and probiotics if eating suggested amounts of veggie.
Liver, eggs questionable in my view.
You’re so right – they don’t mention social or mental engagement at all. Both liver and eggs are good sources of choline – an essential nutrient which plays a role in DNA synthesis and the production of a neurotransmitter involved in memory, cell structure and cholesterol transportation. And the study was funded by the makers of the supplements, I now realise!
Hello, it’s so refreshing to hear your information from Uk as so often I’m on American sites. I love the way you present your messages and welcome your research. I too subscribe to Dr Kara Fitzgerald. I do already follow much of this lifestyle but have a problem with the no grains and legumes as I have a fast metabolism and need to keep weight on! I believe we all have different metabolisms and some of us require more starchy carbs than others. I’ve had extensive testing re genetics etc and the conclusion for me has been that a good balanced diet is preferable but the general protocol of organic and carefully sourced quality food is prudent. I do follow the blood type diet to an extent that I do see a big difference between blood type O needing red meat over blood type A who are happier with less.
My goal has always been to try and defy the ageing process as being inevitable! It’s my hobby 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words Lalu, I’m so pleased you like our blog! Being underweight can be as detrimental to ageing well as being overweight, so it’s great that you understand your body and can adapt your diet accordingly. We all have different metabolisms and needs. Susan x
Fascinating to read about this new study and the key points to take away from it. Thank you for keeping us all up to date on these new developments and the reminders on what we should be doing to age well, it is much appreciated.
So pleased you like the post Catherine, thanks so much for letting us know!
Project was funded by Metagenics and the premise is “natural health”
Yes the study was funded by the company that makes the supplements used. But it’s very hard for researchers to get funding for studies which are purely lifestyle related because who’s got an interest in paying for them? It’s not like a drugs trial that will be funded by a pharmaceutical company. I interviewed Prof Meir Stampfer of Harvard for our book The Age-Well Project, and he explained that although we should always ask questions about who funds a study, ultimately there’s a finite amount of funding out there and researchers often have to turn to those with vested interests for support.
Honestly, that’s a lot of work (given the things not even available here in the UK) – so maybe not! On the other hand, it’s only for 8 weeks and you get a further 3 years’ life out of it. Maybe not such a bad bargain! I really don’t know. I’ll be thinking about what I can include easily from this list. My budget affects my ability to take part, unfortunately, but I’ll do what I can, as I always do. Thank you both so much for keeping us informed. I won’t always be this broke, I earnestly hope, and I’d be willing to do most of it, if not all, given funds and at least 8 weeks to slow things down a bit!
Exactly, Amanda. I think we have to do what we can from a long list. We all want to slow down the ageing bit when we can!
Most interesting. One concern I have is the idea of ‘reversing ageing’. In some ways, I suspect seeking to ‘reverse ageing’ is akin to stopping time. Human time on earth!
An example of the notion I’m writing about is the recent book by Andrew Steele titled, ‘Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old’. However well intentioned Steele was in writing, and researching, this book, it is, in many ways a manifesto on transhumanism. Using technology (incluing gene therapy) to halt the ‘disease’ of ageing. One of his early references (of many) is a document based on the WHO describing ageing as ‘disease’. I could not truly recommend anyone reaading Steele’s book, but is good to know about it.
Rather than seeking to see ageing as a ‘disease’ or even ‘reversing ageing’ perhaps we can think in terms of what Colin Rose offers as ‘Delay Ageing’.
One example of my own delaying my ageing is the past weekend. At 67 years of age, on Saturday, I cycled 65km with a local cycling club (where 3-4 of the 9 cyclists were older than me); on Sunday, I cycled 20km to a local town for a 5km run; ran the 5km run in just over 25 minutes; and then cycled the 20km home.
I do not see this as exceptional, but rather, my personal attempt (based on readings like ‘The Age-Well Project’) to expand my ‘healthspan.’ A real challenge is how to start using ‘healthspan’ rather than ‘lifespan’ and to introduce ‘compression of morbidity’ into our daily lives.
Many thanks for this posting, Susan,
brian
‘Delay ageing’ is a great term – and a little less sci-fi! We’re in awe of your achievements, Brian, particularly the cycling!
No fish or seafood mentioned? That’s unusual.
The daily protein allowance can be fish or meat according to Dr Fitzgerald