Friday 22 January 2016

Does an Anti Aging Diet Impact How Long I Live?


How can we be certain that an anti aging diet works? The answer to this question will involve quite a bit of discussion and thought; we will attempt to keep it simple and concise. In brief, the truth that an anti aging diet works involves the following 4 considerations:
1. Determining what is an "anti aging" diet is.
2. Understanding the difference between anecdotal and scientific data and how this relates to the question.
3. Considering the additional factors.
4. Understanding what the data really tell us.
What is an "anti aging diet?"
For purposes of our discussion, we will define an anti aging diet as one that, over time, ameliorates the negative effects of aging. Thus we would expect an anti aging diet to affect, at least in a limited sense, the underlying aging processes and outcome.
What is the difference between anecdotal and scientific data and how does this relate to the question?
We live in a society that generally confuses anecdotal and scientific data. "It works for me," "When I eat this I feel better," and "I ate that and had a bad reaction" are all anecdotal statements. Anecdotal data are information that is gathered on a catch-as-catch-can basis. They are highly subjective data based on our day-to-day observations and experience. The problem is that a) anecdotal data may not be true and b) anecdotal data from one person may not be relevant or true for another person.
Anecdotal data may not be true. Anyone can say, "It works for me," when it doesn't, or "When I eat this I feel better," when they don't, or "I ate that and had a bad reaction," when they didn't. If a person really desires to make a certain point, he or she may well fabricate the anecdote to support their preconception. Whenever someone makes a claim, we should ask, "How do we know that this is a true statement?" In the case of anti aging diets, just because someone supports the claim or declares that the diet has helped them, these claims, in and of themselves, do not establish veracity.
Anecdotal data from one person may not be relevant or true for another person. Even when anecdotal data are true, the generalizations that they support, or attempt to support, may not be relevant. "It works for me, so it will work for you" or "I ate that and had a bad reaction so you shouldn't eat it" are each statements that draw generalizations from the anecdotes. Even if the specific statements are true, the generalization may or may not be; stated differently, the anecdote in and of itself does not prove the generalization (that it will truly impact everyone because it impacted some specific individual).
In contrast to anecdotal data, scientific data are gathered in a planned and appropriate fashion. Planned, in that we have established the experimental plan before hand; scientific data are not gathered in a catch-as-catch-can fashion. Appropriate, in that the data collected are sufficient to substantiate the claim; scientific data, unlike anecdotal data, can be generalized if the foundation of the scientific study is appropriate. Stated another way, scientific data are rigorously planned and statistically appropriate to answer the question at hand. Here are some considerations on using the scientific method to determine if anti aging diets work:
1. People generally (and hopefully, I might add) live so long that it is difficult to plan and execute a prospective study to determine if anti aging diets work. Thus the bulk of data on anti aging diets have been obtained with mice or rats, based on the measurement of factors that are believed to be related to a longer life (eg., better blood pressure, lower cholesterol), or done retrospectively using population statistics to determine if a given factor is important for longevity.
2. The experiment to establish the veracity of an anti aging diet needs to be well controlled, meaning that one set (or cohort) of individuals would be on the anti aging diet while the other cohort would not be on the diet. Again, it is easier to do this using a model animal, such as mice.
3. In the experiment, additional factors that might have an impact on longevity also need to be controlled. The study population needs to be selected or controlled in some fashion such that the data are not confounded by other factors. Again, mice are far easier to control than humans. More on this below.
The Confounding Factors:
Aging is a complex affair and an anti aging diet is only a part of the story in longevity. Other factors, as mentioned below, influence aging and well being. In total, these factors, along with a healthy anti aging diet, should result in a longer life. Here is a condensed list of additional factors:
1. Genetics. Some families are comprised of progeny that live long; others of those that tend to die at a younger age. Other families tend to be composed of overweight individuals, still others of those who are prone to disease, such as heart disease or diabetes. Diet and exercise can influence "bad genes" but these things may not totally eliminate genetic issues.
2. Risk Taking. Some people seem to be driven to take risks and do things that may result in an early death. It is important to have a life that adequately challenges you, but there is a point at which taking risks may not be healthy.
3. Supplement use. There are many vitamins, supplements, and micro nutrients that may well impact how a person ages and even how long that person lives. Many of these may be a part of any well balanced diet but it might be prudent to supplement your diet with supplements.
4. Exercise. Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise tend to live longer and more healthy lives.
5. Relationships. Other studies have shown that people who are involved in daily, meaningful relationships tend to live longer and more healthy lives.
6. Spiritual Life. The items above can be controlled in a study that utilizes mice. It is not possible to do this, however, with regard to spiritual life. Nevertheless, there are retrospective data that support the hypothesis that a person's spiritual life, in general, does impact his or her health and longevity.
What Do the Data Really Tell Us?
For the above reasons, there are few direct, solid, prospective experimental data showing that anti aging diets extend lifespan in humans. Virtually all of the prospective data that directly measures longevity comes from animal models, and animal model data may or may not apply to humans. There are prospective data in humans measuring factors that are believed to be related to longevity and there are much retrospective data from large human populations that seem to indicate that diet, along with the additional factors listed above, do influence longevity. But the statistics and population selection are complex and sometimes difficult to understand for these retrospective studies. Thus, it is easy to rely on anecdotes in our quest to determine if anti aging diets work. This is something that we must resist if we desire to understand what is known regarding anti aging diets and what is mere speculation. Unfortunately, speculation tends to be rampant and truth elusive.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Douglas_R_Brandt,_Ph.D./373842
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Wednesday 20 January 2016

Eternal Quest For Youth - 10 Best Anti-Aging Foods


There are some hard-fast rules to looking, staying, and feeling young. First on the list is maintaining a good diet by keeping caloric intake low, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, minimize salt, sugar, saturated fat intake and eat ample amount of oily fish.
In the pursuit of eternal youth, eating well has become a national obsession. The search for anti-aging foods is on, and luckily, there are quite a few foods known to be anti-aging foods.
Avocados make the top of every list. It's a healthy source of monounsaturated fats and reduces bad cholesterol when eaten moderately. Avocados have plenty of Vitamin E and prevent skin aging.
All berries are believed to prevent damage caused by free radicals due to containing powerful antioxidants. Included in this category are blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, and black grapes. Blocking damage from free radicals makes this one of the most powerful of foods.
Cruciferous vegetables include basically all vegetables that children normally hate, but enjoy much more as adults. These are cabbage, broccoli, kale, turnip, the much adored brussel sprouts, radishes, and cauliflower, to list a few that qualify. These vegetables help the body to fight toxins and even help to prevent cancer. It's highly recommended to eat these vegetables raw or very lightly cooked in order to keep the good enzymes intact.
While stinky, garlic's beneficial effects are touted worldwide. Raw or cooked, garlic is perhaps one of the ultimate foods available in the world. Statistics indicate that women between the ages of 55 and 69 were 50 percent more likely to ward off colon cancer if they ate one clove of garlic just once a week. Garlic provides many more benefits in addition to anti-aging, such as prevention of heart disease and is considered even more effective than taking one aspirin a day.
Not that all anti-aging foods have to be pungent, but ginger is also a classic anti-aging food. This is a root, and boosts your body system, especially your digestive and circulatory systems. As you age, this boost is crucial to remaining healthy, and helps with arthritis relief. As anti-aging foods go, ginger is a must for people trying to eat healthy as they reach 40 or older.
Have we gone nuts for anti-aging foods? They provide excellent minerals, and make for healthy immune and digestive systems, while controlling cholesterol, too. With the exception of rancid nuts, all nuts are good for you, in moderation. Walnuts, while high in calories, provides an intense amount of potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and selenium, You'd be hard-pressed to find anything so small containing as many good minerals in every bite.
Soybeans are credited for keeping many Asian women looking young. They taste good and many benefits. As a person ages, warding off Alzheimer's becomes a concern, and soy is known to do just that. Fermented soy products are considered to be the best anti-aging foods.
While most diets try to avoid pasta and rice, whole meal pasta and rice are great youthful foods. They provide complex carbohydrates and provide endless energy. These should ideally be part of your diet, keeping in mind that whole meal pasta is much better than the regular pasta as it's richer in fiber and carries much more iron. Brown rice has a slew of B vitamins and is a good source of iron.
The last two on the top ten anti-aging foods list are watermelon and water.
Watermelon is easy to eat, consisting mostly of water. But the watermelon seeds contain important nutrients like selenium, essential fats, zinc and even Vitamin E, while fight free radical and aging. Even the flesh of the watermelon makes for good anti-aging food as it contains vitamins A, B, and C.
It cannot be stressed enough how important water is in keeping us looking and feeling young. The daily recommended amount of water is 8 glasses, and it's important that you build the habit of drinking this much water early on in your life. While it's listed last, it should perhaps be #1 on the list of anti-aging foods. Water rids the body of built-up toxins, and help your body to rid itself of waste quicker and more effectively. As people tend to get less thirsty with age, you should just habitually drink 8 glasses of water instead of drinking if and when you get thirsty. Water is found in all kinds of food items, so including water in your anti-aging foods diet should be relatively simple. You can drink juices, milk, or all kinds of broths, or eat yogurt, pickles, oranges and even lettuce, which is mainly water.
While there is a lot more involved in keeping yourself feeling young, good health starts from the inside out. This list of anti-aging foods puts you on a head start, and should be followed religiously. Moderation is key, and the occasional cheating on this regimen won't kill you. But with these anti-aging foods consistently in your diet, you will be sure to stay young for as long as possible.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nazima_Golamaully/36558
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Monday 18 January 2016

Anti Aging Vitamins



Anti aging vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are crucial for maintaining health, wellness and longevity. As we age, our bodies produce and/or absorb lesser amounts of nutrients needed to combat the signs and symptoms of aging. Damage to our cells from oxidation, pollution, stress and free radicals accumulates and affects our cell's abilities to repair and regenerate. When we are young, our bodies can keep up with the task of repair and growth. As we age past 25 years old, our bodies ability to keep up gradually fades and the effects of aging start to show.
Our cells mitochondria - the engine of the cell, becomes damaged and less efficient at producing energy. The ability to absorb nutrients and discard cellular waste adversely affects the cells function and repair. Our bodies chemical and electrical signals become delayed and do not react timely to free radicals, parasites, stress and inflammation. Chronic inflammation is the body unable to effectively deal with the condition it is attempting to correct.
Anti Aging Products
Anti aging products, anti aging skin cream and anti wrinkle products all contain anti aging nutrients. Vitamins, minerals, Omega 3 EFA - essential fatty acids, carotenoids, antioxidants, phyto-nutrients, CoQ10 - coenzyme Q10, growth hormone, resveratrol and green tea are some of the nutrients that protect our cells. Free radicals and oxidation are two of the main culprits involved in the aging process. These nutrients mentioned all help fight oxidation and free radical damage - especially DNA damage and repair.
These anti aging supplements slow and reverse aging in two ways. The first is prevention of cellular damage by free radicals by their antioxidant properties. The second way is by the activation of the telomerase enzyme which protects and extends the length of telomeres. Telomeres are on the ends of DNA strands and determine the number of times a cell can divide. By extending the telomeres, you are extending a healthy lifespan or longevity of the cells hence the longevity of the body.
The Main Anti Aging Vitamins
  • Vitamin B12
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D (actually a hormone)
  • Vitamin E
Just about every vitamin and mineral either directly or indirectly has a part in an anti aging process. A deficiency can cause aging or the inability to combat the effects of aging. The hormonal and immune systems play a major role in the rate of aging. The body is a symphony of chemical and electrical signals and actions and reactions. Just one nutrient, hormone, toxin or signal can cause a cascading effect throughout the body affecting it's ability to repair itself.
Men and women's growth, repair and decline are driven by hormone levels. The main hormones that effect us as we age are; testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, insulin, DHEA, growth hormone... As we age, our hormones decline and become unbalanced - this contributes to the signs of aging:
  • Weight gain
  • Muscle loss
  • Hair loss
  • Wrinkles and age spots
There are many more "symptoms of aging" that in reality are nutritional deficiencies, hormone level related and lack of exercise. These are all under our control if we wish to take action. Eating right, exercising and supplementing with anti aging vitamins, minerals and other anti-aging supplements will go far in extending a healthy and younger looking appearance.
Investigating health, wellness and anti aging products for over 30 years. Anti Aging Vitamins are the starting point for healthy longevity and looking younger.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tony_Saldin/762992
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