Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity

by Eric Topol

this group of people, with an average age of eighty-four years, were obviously thinner, by almost thirty pounds, exercised more, and had more education than the general population of advanced-aged Americans.

First, these foods and beverages contain additives and industrial ingredients. It’s a long list, but here are some of the chemicals you should avoid or limit: coloring agents, sweeteners such as maltodextrin, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, dextrose, lactose, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, palm oil, calcium propionate, soy protein isolate, modified starches such as maltitol, calcium caseinate, hydrolyzed beef gelatin, and emulsifiers such as soy lecithin, xanthan gum, guar gum, and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides.

In recent years, we’ve seen more evidence that autoimmunity is linked to nutrition. Caloric restriction leads to reprogramming of T cells to be anti-inflammatory and promotes the gut microbiome’s production of anti-inflammatory metabolites. Fasting activates neurons in the brainstem, with a fortuitous redistribution of T cells to the bone marrow and reduction of cytokine production. That inhibits autoimmunity, while obesity promotes it via adipose tissue, which releases cytokines that cause an overproduction of pro-inflammatory T cells and a decline in protective Tregs. Obesity is a known risk factor for several autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.