You might have heard about the longevity diet, and its promise of an prolonged life span — however what precisely is it and is it any completely different to different diets selling good well being?
The longevity food regimen is a set of consuming suggestions compiled by a biochemist referred to as Valter Longo, director of the University of Southern California’s Longevity Institute. He is understood for his analysis on the function of fasting, the results of vitamins in your genes and how these might influence ageing and the danger of ailments.
While the longevity food regimen has been focused to older adults, it can be advisable for youthful folks. Longo has said he plans to live to 120 by following this food regimen.
So, what does the food regimen appear to be?
Foods on this food regimen are greens, together with leafy greens, fruit, nuts, beans, olive oil, and seafood that is low in mercury.
So most meals in the longevity food regimen are plant based mostly. Plant-based diets are generally higher in vitamins and minerals, dietary fibre, antioxidants and decrease in saturated fats and salt, which result in well being advantages.
Foods which might be discouraged are an extra of meat and dairy, and these excessive in processed sugar and saturated fat.
For individuals who do not wish to go with out dairy, the longevity food regimen recommends switching from cow’s milk to both goat’s or sheep’s milk, which have a barely completely different nutrient profile. But there may be little proof sheep’s and goat’s milk present extra well being advantages.
Including fermented dairy (corresponding to cheese and yoghurt) in your food regimen, as advisable in the longevity food regimen, is helpful as it offers a extra extensive microbiome (good micro organism) than any milk.
Have you seen this food regimen earlier than?
Many of you might recognise this as a well-known dietary sample. It is much like the Mediterranean diet, particularly as each characteristic olive oil as the oil of alternative. The Mediterranean food regimen is promoted and backed by a substantial body of evidence to be well being selling, lowering the danger of illness, and selling longevity.
The longevity food regimen can be much like many nationwide, evidence-based dietary tips, together with Australia’s.
Two-thirds of the advisable meals in the Australian dietary tips come from plant-based meals (cereals, grains, legumes, beans, fruits, greens). The tips additionally present plant-based alternate options for protein (corresponding to dried beans, lentils and tofu) and dairy (corresponding to soy-based milks, yoghurts and cheeses, as long as they’re supplemented with calcium).
Intermittent fasting
Another facet of the longevity food regimen is the specified intervals of fasting, referred to as intermittent fasting. The food regimen advocates consuming in a 12-hour timeframe, and not consuming for 3 to 4 hours earlier than mattress time.
Typically with intermittent fasting folks quick for 16–20 hours with a 4 to eight hour window of consuming. Another intermittent fasting choice is the 5:2 food regimen, through which consuming is restricted to about 2,000–3,000 kilojoules for 2 days of the week and for the different 5 days, consuming usually.
The evidence signifies intermittent fasting might result in enhancements in insulin resistance, which ends up in higher blood glucose management. This can cut back your danger of sort 2 diabetes and different continual ailments, corresponding to coronary heart illness and weight problems.
Maintain a wholesome weight
The longevity food regimen recommends that people who find themselves obese eat solely two meals a day — breakfast and both a noon or night meal — plus simply two low-sugar snacks. This is to attempt to cut back kilojoule consumption for weight reduction.
Another necessary facet of this advice is to scale back snacking, significantly of meals excessive in saturated fats, salt or sugar. These are the meals we usually seek advice from as discretionary/generally meals, or ultra-processed meals. These provide little dietary worth, and in some instances are linked to worse health outcomes.
Eat a rainbow of colors
The longevity food regimen recommends consuming meals wealthy in vitamins, which most nationwide dietary tips additionally advocate. This means consuming a food regimen wealthy in plant meals, and quite a lot of meals inside every meals group.
Each color fruit and vegetable comprises completely different vitamins, so consuming a variety of colored fruit and greens is advisable. The advice to pick a variety of wholegrains over refined cereals, breads, pasta and rice additionally displays the finest dietary proof.
Restrict protein consumption
This food regimen recommends a limiting protein consumption to 0.68-0.80g per kilogram of physique weight per day. This is 47-56g of protein a day for a 70kg particular person. For reference every of those meals comprises about 10g of protein: two small eggs, 30g cheese, 40g lean rooster, 250mL dairy milk, 3/4 cup lentils, 120g tofu, 60g nuts or 300mL soy milk. This is in step with government recommendations.
Most Australians easily consume this stage of protein of their food regimen. However it is the aged inhabitants, to whom the longevity food regimen is focused, who’re much less more likely to meet their protein necessities.
In the longevity food regimen it is advisable most of the protein comes from plant sources or fish. This might require particular planning to make sure an entire vary of all the vitamins wanted if the food regimen is missing red meat.
Are there any issues with this food regimen?
This food regimen recommends taking a multivitamin and mineral dietary supplements each three to 4 days. Longo says this prevents malnourishment and will not trigger any dietary issues.
However, many well being our bodies together with the World Cancer Research Fund, the British Heart Foundation and the American Heart Association don’t suggest taking dietary supplements to stop most cancers or coronary heart illness.
Supplements ought to solely be taken in your physician’s recommendation, following a blood take a look at displaying a deficiency in a selected nutrient. This is as a result of some nutritional vitamins and minerals could also be dangerous in excessive portions.
If you are consuming quite a lot of meals throughout all meals teams, you are assembly all of your nutrient necessities and should not want dietary supplements.
The verdict?
This longevity food regimen is a compilation of many facets of evidence-based wholesome consuming patterns. We already promote these as they enhance our well being and cut back the danger of growing continual ailments. All of those facets of wholesome consuming may result in elevated longevity.
What’s not talked about in the longevity food regimen is the importance of exercise for good well being and a protracted life.
Evangeline Mantzioris is program director of diet and meals sciences and an accredited practising dietitian at the University of South Australia. This piece first appeared on The Conversation.
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