Glycation is a process which makes you age faster. Simple fact – which nobody disagrees with.

So how can you avoid it?

Fairly simple: the main way is to avoid eating food cooked at high temperatures.

So instead of having your food fried, grilled, oven cooked – favour food which is cooked at the temperature of boiling water – stews, casseroles, soups and sautes.

In this way you avoid the dangerous glycated food – the crispy bits – which just promote aging.

Now and again if you must! But basically, avoid ‘crispy’ food.

Salmon – Simple Sautéed Salmon Recipe

Salmon is a great fish to work in to your diet and it’s good for you too. Full of Omega 3, a “good fat” that may reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and more. Salmon is also a good source of B12, Niacin and vitamin D. In this simple salmon rec…

Longevity Solutions: Breaking the Glycation Connection

Longevity Solutions: Breaking the Glycation Connect. A step by step guide to prevention, detection, treatment, and reversal of sugar related disease.

Related articles for Glycation and Anti-aging

• 20 Ways To Look & Feel Younger (mygloss.com)
• Change diet and lower risk of heart disease by over eighty percent (gracemedeirosmj.wordpress.com)
• HbA1c – All Information (umm.edu)

Glycation – Best Avoided if You Want To Live a Long Time is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

A method of ridding future generations of some serious inherited disease will soon be used on humans, scientists predict.

This method, called germline therapy, has been used successfully on monkeys. The work, carried out by the Oregan Health and Science University, has been published in the journal Nature. The method can be used for mothers undergoing IVF treatment. It involves a change in the DHA existing in the mitochondria – the energy production units of the cell. Being outside of the chromosomes, this therapy is permitted without the need for new legislation.

The types of diseases germline therapy could avoid include terribly debilitating diseases such as some cancer, nerve diseases, muscle diseases and diabetes.

The method involves ‘splicing’ mitochondrial DNA from two female donors, fertilizing the resulting egg, and implanting it into the womb. The resulting child would no longer have the genetic material which caused the identified disease.

Of course this procedure raises ethical questions; however, the option of avoiding future serious disease for an individual makes it a procedure worthy of serious consideration and study.

Method to Combat Genetic Disease is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

Continuing a review of the lifestyle changes I made after last year’s blood tests in Fort Lauderdale (April 2008), I will sumarize the changes I made.

They were, basically:

1. Avoiding glycation.

2. Reducing sugar – of all types – in my diet

3. Increasing exercise

In this entry I look briefly at:

2. Reducing the amount of sugar in my diet

After my last blood tests it became clearer to me just how much of my diet consisted of sugar. Bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fruit, sweet vegetables – all had a high proportion of sugar. Juiced fruit is as sugar rich as soda (eg cola) without having the natural fruit fibre to slow absorption down. And a high level of sugar in the diet correlates with Metabolic Syndrome, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

So I did the following:

1.  Virtually cut out potatoes, rice, pasta and bread in daily use.

2. Cut out fruit juices and smoothies with fruit.

3. Chose my cooked vegetables to reduce sweet ones – carrots, peas, sweet corn, swwet peppers, parsnips; and focus on none-sweet – greens, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans.

4. When eating the sweet vegetables, I tried to eat them raw, eg with humus.

This had the effect of my eating fish and salad or chicken and salad for many meals.

Next I look at My Lifestyle Change – Exercise

——————–

Question: What do you think about cutting down all starchy food in your diet? Potatoes, pasta, even rice? Post a comment

My Lifestyle Changes – Sugar is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

In the last post, I said that generalised inflammation is heavily implicated in causing or worsening the main degenerative diseases – cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

After cutting down on Omega-6 in the diet, omega-3 supplementation is the top way for most people to reduce their level of generalised inflammation.

The reason for this is that nearly everyone has too many Omega-6 fatty acids in their diet, and too few Omega-3 fatty acids.

If you are taking a 3-6-9 fatty acid supplement: stop now! Why take extra Omega-6 fats when you are already taking too many in your diet? This is a marketing ruse.

Avoid Omega-6

I haven’t found anyone who can tell me why we should need to have extra Omega-6. Omega-6 is the enemy. I really don’t understand why companies sell it as a supplement. We have loads of it in meat, milk, cheese and the common oils – sunflower, safflower and soy.

If I have missed something – tell me in the comments.

Get More Omega-3

Omega-3 is only found in quantity in oily fish and walnuts. Green vegetables have a tiny amount: hemp seeds and linseeds have fair amounts – but it is nothing as accessible as that from oily fish or walnuts.

HOW TO DO IT

To counteract generalised inflammation, which accompanies cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, do the following to cut down on Omega-6 and increase Omega-3:

• Reduce fatty meat. Focus on low fat meat – chicken and turkey breast are good.
• Avoid or minimise sunflower, safflower and soy oils. (Use olive oil – which has little Omega-6 or Omega-3 – it contains mainly ‘monosaturated’ fats. )
• Eat plenty of oily fish – sardines, mackerel, north pacific salmon (this type has less chance of heavy metal contamination)
• Eat moderate amounts of walnuts.
• Supplement with a top quality Omega-3 supplement. Add up the EPA + DHA delivered  it should preferably be 100mg, or at least 500mg. Many health-shop brands deliver much less.

And do get your blood checked for C-Reactive Protein (CRP). (Hopefully you can persuade your doctor to do it – and save £75 or £100 in the UK – half that in the states!) Then you will know how much of a challenge you are facing – if any. After 6 months, retest the CRP to check how you are doing.

 Book on C-Reactive Protein

Supplementing with Omega-3 Fatty Acids is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

Over the years there have been many changes of recommendation as to what types of fats are healthy for us. There is particular confusion over whether we need Omega-3 or Omega-6 fatty acids.

The truth is: we need Omega-3s.

We should generally shoot for a 1:1 balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 in the diet. The problem is, our diets generally contain much too much Omega-6. Thus we need to reduce Omega-6 fats and increase Omega-3 fats.

Inflammation Kills

The main reason to increase Omega-3 fats is: Omega-3 reduces inflammation. Omega-6 fats increase inflammation – it is ‘pro-inflammatory’.

What is wrong with inflammation? ‘Good inflammation’ is designed to help the body to repair damage or counteract infection. It causes redness, pain and heat.

The ‘bad’ sort is generalised inflammation. This type does not cause pain or discomfort. It is insidious: it can be detected by a blood test, but is not felt. This generalised inflammation has been linked to all major degenerative diseases: cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

A good test for generalised inflammation is to test the blood for c-reactive protein (CRP). Some UK doctors will test for CRP. They might tell you that 2-4 times normal CRP is acceptable: but check for yourself what you levels should – don’t trust the doctor’s view. Just twice the normal CRP level can double your chance of a heart attack.

Book on C-Reactive Protein

The top ways to reduce generalised inflammation are by:

1. Reducing intake of food high in Omega-6 – such as milk, cheese, and common vegetable oils, including sunflower (stick to cold-pressed olive oil), and
2. Supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acid; which means – fish oils.  Cod liver oil is fine; and eating oily fish – such as sardines, mackerel and salmon.

CRP is one proven measure of your propensity to develop all major degenerative diseases. You cannot be properly pro-active in safeguarding your own health if you do not know it.

Inflammation article

Take Your Omega 3′s is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

Patrick Holford – one of the UK’s foremost publicists for natural healthcare – has started a bandwagon rolling to make the population aware of metabolic syndrome. This is the syndrome focused around excessive sugar consumption which produces ‘insulin resistance’ of cells. Metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance probably kills most people in this country.

So it’s good that Holford is shouting about it.

Insulin Resistance of the Cells

In insulin resistance, our cells become more or less immune to the effects of insulin.

The insulin is produced to make the cells take sugar out of the blood. The result is that the sugar remains in the blood, causing increased inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, is linked to serious disease.

Which Diseases are Caused?

Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance have been closely linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.

All the ‘biggies’, really. This is a vital syndrome to know about. And the crucial point of understanding the symdrome is CUT DOWN ON SUGAR. That means all sugar; and you need to know that pasta, potatoes, bread (of all kinds – even wholemeal) and rice is nearly all sugar.

Holford says Metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance is worse for our health than excessive salt or fat in the diet.

He has a point.

How to Combat Metabolic Sydrome

His answer is to eat ‘Low GL’, or low glycaemic load. This is pretty much the same as low GI – low glycaemic index - which you might have already heard of.

It means that when you eat starchy food – oats, wheat, rice, pasta, bread – make sure it passes into the blood slowly. Eg wholemeal rather than white; porridge rather than popular cereals.

Vegetables, Fats, Protein Way to Go

Certainly – focus on low GI (I mean GL) when you do eat starchy food.

But fundamentally, think ‘low sugar’ with your diet. Eat starchy food rarely. This means cut down dramatically on rice, bread, pasta, potatoes. And sugary food itself, of course.

Pile on the vegetables and salads.

Focus on fish and lean meat – eg turkey and chicken breast.

Minimise sweet fruit, eg apples and mangoes, which are high in sugar; and fruit juices – which are very high in sugar. Do eat berries, though, which are lower in sugar and highly nutritious.

This is probably a very new approach to your diet; but it is essential if you are to avoid the ‘insulin resistance’ epidemic which is hitting us now. Crazy as it may sound, it will greatly help you to avoid the major degenerative diseases.

• More about Metabolic Syndrome
• Article about inflammation
• Patrick Holford’s GL Revolution Tour of 11 UK cities

Metabolic Syndrome Kills is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

While smallpox, measles and HIV recede in many areas of the world, the diseases of Western society – including diabetes – are about to hit them hard.

Thanks to the arrival of of fast food culture in these countries many of the poor can now afford MacDonald’s and other similar high calorie, low nutrition, food. They are feeding themselves up – and making themselves ill. This insidious process is one of the unfortunate by-products of modernisation.

First comes obesity; then diabetes follows in its wake – typically with about a 10 year time lag. Following that comes Metabolic Syndrome – that insidious combination of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure caused by insulin resistance of the cells.

Diabetes is set to achieve epidemic proportions in developing countries including India and China. India now is estimated to have 32 million diabetics – many of them don’t even know they have the disease. China has around 40 million diabetics.

The people in developing countries tend to see Western ideas as sophisticated. For them, it is cool to eat MacDonalds‘ low quality food. They just don’t realize what problems they are storing up for themselves.

(Just as fast-food-eating Westerners don’t realise – or perhaps don’t care enough.)

Diabetes Epidemics Hitting China and India is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

The latest “Statins Beat Heart Attack” headlines would be wryly funny if they weren’t so tragic.

Short sighted journalists are fooled by profit-hungry drug companies who, as often seems to be the case, are driving partisan research chemists.

“Statins Reduce Heart Attacks”

This is not news, and it is not even surprising. Anything which reduces general inflammation in the body will reduce heart attacks. This includes Omega 3 fatty acids, and any number of herbs including nettles, ginger and turmeric. The problem with using statins instead is the many side-effects users have reported.

The New Trial

The new trial is clearly partisan. For a start, it is called ‘Jupiter’, which stands for Justify the Use of Statins… Hmmmh – little doubt about the results they are looking for, then.

The particular brand of statins it ‘justifies’ is Crestor, made by AstraZeneca which costs around £26 a month. As the predominant statins used in the UK are the generic Simvastatin which cost £1.42 a month, the trial results are great for AstraZeneca. No doubt certain sectors of the community will be calling for the replacement of Simvastatin with Crestor (is it me – or isn’t that also a toothpaste?).

Drug Company Strategy

Statins are the best thing that have happened to drug companies for a long time. They are turning into a license to print money. One prime benefit of selling statins is that they are being used by younger and younger people – and they ‘need’ them for life.

As the drug companies see their profits slashed by cheap generic replacements – they simply come up with a new twist – as in this case – to show, by a flawed study, the superiority of their new, replacement product. Then they get to milk it drug until the patent runs out.

This is exactly what they did with HRT (ERT); each time the evidence showed that HRT damaged health, new research unearthed a new supposed benefit of HRT so they could persuade doctors to keep prescribing it and journalists to keep writing about how good it was.

What To Do Instead Of Taking Statins

This trial was carried out by selecting people with a high level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood. They were then given statins.

Agreed – CRP does indicate general inflammation in the body which gives a raised chance of heart and artery disease as well as of diabetes, various cancers and Alzheimers’ disease.

Where I don’t agree is the treatment. Drugs are not usually necessary.

To treat raised CRP a combination of herbal treatment and fish oils will usually bring it down. Take these, then recheck CRP in 2-3 months.

Ideally, CRP should be less than 0.5 mg/L (milligrams per litre) in men and less than 1.5 mg/L in women.

Avoiding Statins – or Coming Off Them

Don’t just stop statins if you are taking them. Come off them with professional guidance. Most certainly involve your doctor in this process. Similarly if you have been told that you need to take statins. Be cautious. Around 50% of people come off statins because of the side-effects; but don’t put yourself at risk by just not taking them – you need an alternative strategy.

1. The following link leads to an article which contains a list of 8 natural alternatives to lower cholesterol, based on sound science:
Natural ways to cut cholesterol

Extract from this article about avoiding statins:

“HOW TO AVOID STARTING STATINS
If your doctor advises you to begin taking a statin drug, suggest a lower dose or a delay in initiation of the drug until you have had two to three months to try natural cholesterol- and LDL-lowering agents. Patient involvement in treatment decisions is commonplace today, and most physicians will work with you. A rough rule of thumb: adherence to a low-fat, high-fiber diet (that eliminates processed foods), along with some of the nutritional supplements discussed in this article, will lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 30%. Keep this in mind when starting your program. ……..”

See the article for more detail.

2. This article covers the role of general inflammation in generating disease
Aging and Longevity – 4. Inflammation

Also, read Life Extension Revolution, by Miller, Chapter 7:  Cooling Inflammation: Disease-Proofing Your Body

Above all, don’t fall for the drug-company hype; because that’s what it is. In 2004 the pharmaceutical industry was estimated to be receiving $22 billion (£14 billion) from statin drugs.

Do your research and make your own mind up. And it’s not easy to get your CRP checked regularly – but is very, very useful to do so as it gives an early warning of problems to come.

Statins – Don’t Be Fooled By The Research is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

The Mercola Newsletter is subscribed to by over a million people. You might like to think about subscribing.

At Dr Joseph Mercola’ site, there is also a blog and information on a range of health products. There is also a link to details of the clinic he runs.

Here is a video produced by Dr Mercola’s team himself which contains some disturbing facts and figures about conventional medicine in America. These include: 

• Sloppy handwriting causes 7000 deaths a year
• Only 6% of adverse drug reactions are correctly identified
• The drug industry makes most money if millions on people get sick, and then stay sick (think diabetes, high cholesterol – both great for drug companies – both unnecessary treatments if those companies were genuinely looking to treat the cause, rather than symptoms)
• The deaths caused by conventional medicine in just one decade total up to around 8 million.

The picture is very similar in the UK.

You can’t help thinking: "When are we going to wake up?"

Natural Health Newsletter is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

Inflammation is shown, in this image, affecting some of the major joints. We all know and understand this type.

But Generalised Inflammation is something that we all need to be aware of – whether or not we have aches and pains.

Generalised Inflammation is present in many people – and they rarely know about it.

This insidious type of inflammation is implicated in all major degenerative diseases:

• Heart disease
• Artery disease
• Some cancers
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Diabetes

In other words, many studies have shown that a significant number of the people suffering from these diseases

have generalised inflammation, demonstrated by blood tests.

As these diseases occur more as we age, I think we can usefully add:

• Aging

to the list of diseases which inflammation causes.

Measuring Inflammation

Inflammation can be detected by testing the blood for c-reactive protein (molecule pictured left) and fibrinogen. If the levels of these two are high, bringing them down can usually be fairly easily achieved through the right vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbs.

More Information

As well as my more detailed article on Inflammation, here are links to some books on the topic from Amazon UK:

Stop Inflammation Now!
The Inflammation Syndrome
The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan

Essential To Address If We Are To Get – And Stay – Healthy

Inflammation is a crucial issue to address to slow down aging and the onset of degenerative diseases. I find it fascinating that this issue is:

• Easy to measure (through blood tests)
• Usually easy to treat
• Therefore within our individual control

And also that it is:

• Talked about by hardly anyone who is charged with looking after our health.

Inflammation Kills is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

Researchers in Canada found that orange juice taken alongside a drug for hayfever – fexofenadine – reduced its absorption by half.  It is likely that there would be similar effects on many other drugs.

The researchers suggested that the spike in blood sugar was the mechanism which caused the reduction in drug absorption. In this case, other fruit juices will have a similar effect. (The previously identified interference of grapefruit juice with some drugs involves a different mechanism.)

The researchers advised drinking fruit juices 4 hours away from any drugs being taken.

Fruit Juice And Diabetes

The blood sugar spike caused by drinking fruit juice is also responsible

for the increased risk of diabetes they cause. Sugar is already pouring into the blood stream for most people. This comes from digested starches (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta) as well as from direct sugar sources – eg soft drinks. With extra sugar on top of this from fruit juices, the current dramatic rise in diabetes not surprising.

I advise:

• Avoiding drugs as much as possible, in general, and trying to use natural methods such as nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes
• Avoiding fruit juice – which increases the risk for diabetes. Whole fruit in moderation is fine – because the fibre reduces the spike.

If you take these two actions, then the finding from this study need not be a concern.

Mail Online coverage of the study
Life Extension Foundation comprehensive article on Diabetes

All Fruit Juices Can Interfere With Drugs is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

Oxidation is essential for human life. For example, energy production requires the oxidation of glucose into carbon dioxide, as well as its opposite – the ‘reduction’ of oxygen to water.

However, there are times when we don’t want oxidation to occur.

Essentially, oxidation is the removal of an electron from an atom or molecule. There are times when this electron removal serves to damage the molecule from which it is removed. This can result in damage to proteins, lipids, and the DNA of cells.

Free Radicals And Oxidation

Free radicals are naturally produced by many body processes. They are molecules which are hungry for an extra electron – they are powerful oxidising agents. The body has natural processes to deactivate free radicals. But if they become too numerous, they will oxidize important structures sucha as the brain, removing electrons and causing widespread damage.

As they an essential part of life, free radicals cannot be eliminated completely. However, through dietary and lifestyle changes we can minimize them.

What Problems Does Oxidation Cause?

As with inflammation, oxidation is involved in all major degenerative diseases. These include heart and artery disease, cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

How Can We Avoid Oxidation

There are two approaches to avoiding oxidation:

1. Making changes to reduce free radicals, and
2. Maximising antioxidants.

1. Reducing Free Radicals

We can help to reduce the number of free radicals the body produces by:

• Eating a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and moderate amounts of fruit
• Reduce exposures to toxins. This includes:
  • avoiding cigarette smoke
  • avoiding other chemicals and fumes in the air as far as possible
  • eating organic foods to avoid chemicals added during growing, and
  • removing the chlorine from water before drinking it.
• Avoiding anything but moderate exposure to sun. Direct sunlight on the skin produces large numbers of free radicals.
• Maintaining harmony and balance in our everyday lives, thus reducing stress to a minimum
• Avoiding low-grade inflammation, which generates many free radicals

Two additional things which increase oxidation are the process of aging, and extreme exercise. As we age, we need more antioxidants to mop up free radicals. So older people have more of a need to supplement their antioxidant intake.

Similarly, athletes have an increased need for antioxidants, because of the extra free radicals extreme exercise causes.

2. Maximising antioxidants

Antioxidants are are obtained from food and are made within the body.

Antioxidants From Food

These include vitamin C, vitamin D, beta-carotene and selenium. These are present in vegetables and in fruit. Green tea contains valuable antioxidants called catechins. Green tea is highly recommended as a regular regular drink. (Black tea has antioxidants too, but green tea is better. Take it without sugar or milk.)

By all means, supplement your diet with a top quality multi-mineral vitamin supplement. I recommend Life Extension Foundation’s ‘Life Extension Mix’. A good multi-mineral formula will also contain minerals which catalyse the processes of anti-oxidation; ie, they enable them without being used up themselves.

Antioxidants Made Within The Body

These include coenzyme Q10, alpha-lipoic acid [ALA] and N-acetylcysteine [NAC]. These are available to take in supplement form if desired.

More Antioxidants = Live Longer and Stay Healthier

Oxidation – loss of an electron – is a natural part of life. So are the presence of ‘free radicals’ – those elements which ‘steal’ these electrons. But, however natural it may be, we greatly benefit from keeping oxidation to a minimum.

This is where we can act: to keep to a minimum those situations which cause free radicals to be formed; and to take foods and supplements which maximise our supply of anti-oxidants.

By doing this we will stay healthier for longer and age more healthily.

The 4 ‘-ations’ – Vital Indicators of Health

The 4 ‘-ations’ of which oxidation is one – the others are methylation, glycation and inflammation - are four processes which are very damaging to the cells of our body. We have the power to reduce these processes to a minimum and thus greatly reduce the likelihood of developing diseases such as cancer, heart and artery disease, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.

Aging and Longevity – 2. Oxidation is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

What is Methylation?

Methylation is a process which occurs in every one of our cells. It involves a chemical methyl group (CH3) being passed around a series of molecules in a cycle.

Methylation enables the body to:

• Detoxify toxins within the cell
• Repair damaged DNA
• Create new cells

What Problems Does Defective Methylation Cause?

If the cycle of methylation is not working well a dangerous substance called homocysteine accumulates in the blood. High homocysteine levels cause serious damage to the cells and the DNA. This leads to premature aging – and premature death.

High homocysteine is closely involved in:

• Heart and artery disease
• Diabetes
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Various types of cancer
• Depression
• Parkinson’s disease
• Low thyroid function
• IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome)
• ME (Myalgic encephalitis)

and other serious degenerative diseases.

For example a raised homocysteine level can easily double or even quadruple the chances of atherosclerosis and other artery problems, leading to serious illness or death.

What Causes Poor Methylation?

Poor methylation is due either to an insufficient supply of methyl groups necessary to the process; or a deficiency of the nutrients which facilitate the process. The main nutrients required are; vitamin B12, folic acid, and zinc.

The Heart And Arteries And Homocysteine

It is well known that cholesterol can contribute to heart and artery disease. What is not generally known, is that before cholesterol can accumulate in the arteries damage must already be present. This arterial damage can be caused by a high level of homocysteine in the blood.

In fact, the level of blood homocysteine is a much more accurate indicator of heart and artery disease than cholesterol is. Once this sinks in with the medical establishment measurement of homocysteine will supplement routine measurement of cholesterol.

How Can I Lower Homocysteine?

To improve methylation and thus reduce homocysteine there are two approaches. A combination may be needed. The two approaches are:

To increase the elements in the blood, which supply the necessary methyl groups – primarily TMG (trimethylglycine) and SAM-e (S-adenosyl-methionine), and:

To make sure the nutrients, which enable methylation to take place all present in sufficient quantities – these are primarily vitamin B12, folic acid and zinc.

The amount of these nutrients to be taken is determined by a blood test indicating the level of homocysteine and an assessments of the deficiencies present. Professional help is an advantage, if it can be found.

What Level Should Homocysteine Be?

The target level of homocysteine in the blood is 6.3 µmol per liter of blood or less. If as high as 15 µmol per liter – and this level is not rare – the risk of coronary artery disease is quadrupled. A simple blood test will show the level of homocysteine present.

Your doctor will have heard of homocysteine, and can have it measured. However, he or she will probably not to know why you want to test it and not know the implications of a level above 6.3 µmol per liter. So be prepared to explain your concerns to the doctor and to take in some printed material to back yourself up.

Homocysteine – A Crucial Test

Measuring homocysteine is very important. If it is high it means you have a much higher chance of serious ill health than otherwise. This measure of the effectiveness of methylation in your body should be checked annually.

The 4 ‘-ations’ – Vital Indicators of Health

The 4 ‘-ations’ – methylation, oxidation, glycation and inflammation - are processes which damage and kill our cells. If we act to take control of these processes we will slow the path of aging and reduce greatly our chances of developing 21st century diseases – including cancer, heart and artery disease, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.

Aging and Longevity – 1. Methylation is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

I hate to report this, but a solid study has shown that drinking orange juice once a day increase type II diabetes risk.

The reason I hate to report it, is because many people will be as shocked as I was – or even disbelieving – when first hearing that their morning ‘health’ drink could actually be unhealthy.

But it is true.

The Whole Fruit, Nothing But The Fruit

All fruit juices are similar to sugar water. True, the sugar is not glucose; it’s fructose. But it still spikes up blood sugar after drinking it.

The whole fruit contains fibre which slows sugar absorption down. The juice has most or all of the fibre removed so that the passage of sugar into the blood stream is rapid.

The Path To Diabetes (type II)

The 3-step pattern leading to diabetes can then emerge:

1. Sugar in the blood demands insulin, from the pancreas. Insulin influences ‘receptors’ in the cell walls to allow sugar to pass inside.
2. Over time the cell wall receptors become less responsive to repeated insulin insults. The pancreas has to produce more and more for the same result.
3. The overworked pancreas becomes can’t keep up with the demand for insulin. Blood sugar builds up and diabetes is present.

Avoid Diabetes – And Delay Aging

A feature of diabetes is that sufferers get aging diseases much earlier than the rest of us.

This is why diabetics tend to get problems with heart and arteries, kidneys and eyes at a relatively young age. Control of the diabetes is essential; and for most, perfectly possible.

Control Through Diet

Although input from an experienced practitioner is always helpful, one of the main approaches to dealing with Type II diabetes (also called ‘maturity onset’ diabetes) is through a rigorous diet.

This is the same diet as a ‘healthy aging’ diet, but with more care taken to keep blood sugar low.

This means reducing intake of sugar and starches (mainly potatoes, pasta, rice and bread) dramatically such that your blood sugar remains at a low-normal level – not just a moderate level.

Blood sugar can be monitored through regular blood tests.

A practitioner can advise on supplements to be used. Also see:

• Life Extension Foundation – diabetes for a great article
• Life Extension Magazine August 2008, p67 "Metabolic Disease and Heart Attack, which is very relevant. 
• www.meta-syndrome.com for information on Metabolic Syndrome.

Finally, here is:

• A report of the Orange Juice study

Orange Juice Gives You Diabetes is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

There are blood tests available today which makes regular blood tests from the doctor look just so-o-o-o old fashioned.

The latest research has pinpointed blood markers which can predict such ailments as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, many cancers, and a whole raft of degenerative diseases, a decade or more before they take hold. Preventive methods are available which can help deal with most of these.

Conspiracy by our doctors? No – just that there is little money in preventing disease; but there is lots of money in curing it; i.e. drug treatment. So what research there is, is heavily slanted towards selling drugs.

One company…

…selling the more useful preventive tests – to company executives – is Biophysical Corp in Austin, Texas. For several thousand dollars you can get a whole battery of useful tests here, which will tell you if you are very, moderately, or slightly at risk. They then tell you what to do about the results.

This is the way medicine is going for the discerning consumer.

Most of us would like some cheaper ways to get the same information. They are around: keep reading.

Sophisticated Health Tests Help You Live Longer is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.

Live to 150? What is this guy talking about?

The response of most people is: "I don’t want to be weak, diseased, frail – AND 100…" (let alone 150).

Fair enough.

But this assumes you CAN’T get to that age and still be vibrant, vigorous and healthy. My aim is to prove that that assumption is wrong.

I aim to:

- Get healthy

- Learn what makes us weak, diseased, frail, and…

- Avoid those things.

I intend to get old – and stay healthy and fit.

Yes, the Living To 150 blog looks at the factors that will help Malc live to 150. And be healthy, happy, and still have all his marbles.

150 years old might sound ridiculous. However, stunning discoveries have been made in longevity in the past 10-20 -30 years, and even more startling discoveries will be made in the next 20 years.

If nothing else, being healthy till you die is a great aim for us all. Let’s make use of the wealth of information that is about right now about how we kill ourselves – mainly via cardio-vascular disease, cancer and, too much sugar and carbohydrates in our diets.

There is more information out there to help keep us alive and healthy than most of us realize.

In this blog I will examine this information and try to give the various views which there are. I will be using this info – and I hope you find it interesting.

++++++++++++++++++

Important topics covered – all of which directly affect longevity – will include:

Supplements - to take or not to take? Can they be poisonous? Where to get them?

Diet – is meat good or bad? How does starch makes you fat – rather than fat?

Why is diabetes becoming rampant – and how can most people easily avoid it?

What is more likely to give you a heart attack than cholesterol?

Tag this blog with Delicious or Digg or your favourite service and come back soon.

++++++++++++++++++

Living to 150 – what a lark!

Just don’t tell the poor old actuaries – they’d have a heart attack.

Living to 150 is a post from: Living To 150

No related posts.