The Science of "Youngevity"

I recently finished recording a new course called "The Seven Pillars of Youngevity" which will be available later this year on DVD. I'm also scheduled to write a book on the subject of healthy aging for 2010. And I'm turning 62 this month, so I have more than a little interest in how to stay vital, healthy, sharp and happy no matter what the calendar says!

There's a ton of stuff to say about the subject of "youngevity" but here are two simple things that seem to work consistently to extend life, at least in every species studied so far:

1. Calorie restriction
2. Resveratrol

Scientists aren't 100 percent sure what the life-extending mechanism involved in calorie restriction is, but several are suspected. One has to do with insulin- when you eat less, you produce less insulin (low fasting insulin has been a feature of the blood tests of healthy centurians). A second theory has to do with oxidative stress (the damage to cells and DNA by rogue molecules known as free radicals).

The last theory got some backing recently when researchers tested two types of calorie-restricted diets on mice. Two groups of mice got a calorie-restricted diet, but one group's diet was high in compounds known as "AGEs" (advanced glycolated end products) which are known to be associated with oxidative stress, organ dysfunction and decreased life span.

If it was just the calorie restriction that works to extends life, both groups of mice should have done equally well, but that's not what happened. The mice fed the diet laced with AGEs developed insulin resistance, heart and kidney damage and died earlier. So the benefit of a calorie-restricted diet may be partly contingent on what's in those calories- you want them to come from good stuff, not junk! (You'd still probably be better off eating 1200-1800 calories of junk than 7,000 calories of junk, but better still if you ate 1200-1800 calories of actual real whole food!)

Resveratrol- found in red wine, the skins of dark grapes and to some extent peanuts- has also been found to extend life in the lab. It appears to give many of the same benefits of calorie restricted diets.

A recent study treated mice with three kinds of diets: high calorie, standard or calorie restricted. Each group of mice got their diet with or without resveratrol supplementation (creating six subgroups). Regardless of the diet, the mice given resveratrol supplementation for one year had significantly less symptoms of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cataracts, and decline in motor coordination. The resveratrol-treated mice also had liver and muscle tissues resembling much younger animals.

Researchers are still sorting out the mechanisms by which resveratrol works, but one theory has to do with its significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

While they're figuring it all out, I'm taking resveratrol every day and also eating less calories than the average American. (Some research shows that just reducing calories by 1/3 can be really beneficial. How hard can that be? Divide everything you eat into thirds, and put one of those thirds away for later).

As my grandmother used to say, "Couldn't hurt!"