Longevity & Quality of Life

 

You ask the question, “Why should I try to live longer if I can’t enjoy the extra years?”

 

The answer is that if you have a diet that includes plenty of fruits and treat your body right by not eating foods full of chemicals and indulging in other harmful habits, it will still be in great shape in those extra years.  The real secret is to provide the body with the nutrients that will keep the body in good shape.  Then when the other people who didn’t care about how they treated their body are having the aches and pains (and death) associated with aging, you will still be going strong and enjoying life.

 

Can aging really be reversed, stopped, or slowed?

Yes, according to biomedical gerontologist Dr. Aubrey de Grey.

 

Dr. de Grey proposes that scientists currently know more than enough to begin development of anti-aging medicine.  Dr. de Grey believes that current medicine could formulate therapies to halt or reverse cell degeneration that causes aging.

 

Essentially, we are able to stay alive as long as we have plenty of living, healthy cells.  Up until now, human cells have not had the ability to last indefinitely.

 

According to Dr. de Gray there are proposed processes for repairing cell damage caused by seven contributors of senescence (cell death) and for rejuvenating cells, reverting them back to their original healthy state.

 

These processes would be performed at the molecular and DNA levels.

 

Until such time that science is able to master these processes, we must use the current tools and knowledge on hand to make our cells last as long as possible with good health.  This is called longevity.  Each of us has the ability to make our own cells healthier and last longer.  Three things that help to maintain healthy cells are:

Antioxidants.  Most of the potent antioxidants are found in certain fruits and vegetables.

 

Enzymes.  Enzymes, vital to human health, are abundant in raw, fresh fruits and vegetables.  Cooking, freezing, and most drying destroy enzymes.  Enzymes begin to die at 106 degrees Fahrenheit.  According to Yoshihide Hagiwara, M.D., our bodies use enzymes for everything ranging from digestion to regulating hormone production.  When we obtain enzymes from raw, fresh vegetables and fruits, our bodies function more efficiently, causing improvement in health and longevity.  Antioxidants cannot be digested, absorbed, or used by the body without enzymes.  Attempting to get the necessary antioxidants in supplements will usually not give the body the enzymes that are also necessary.

 

Prevent Buildup of Cellular Waste.  According to the Division of Experimental Pathology II Faculty of Health Sciences and the Department of Pharmacology at Linköping University in Sweden, a plant-based diet can slow down the degeneration of human cells.  A heavy diet of animal-based foods accelerates the buildup of metabolic byproducts (cellular waste) that accumulates in and around our cells, thus shortening life.  In addition to extending cell life, a balanced diet of animal-based foods and plant-based foods would cause heart disease to cease being the number one killer and cancer to cease being the number two killer of the Western World as well as a host of other conditions that shorten life span.  Also, being overweight contributes to the acceleration of this toxic cellular buildup, since it is a byproduct of metabolism.

 

Since longevity is only 30% genetics and 70% lifestyle, everyone who does not have a life-altering illness or injury has a chance to achieve longevity.  70% of our longevity is in our hands.  70% of our longevity depends upon how we live and eat.  There are civilizations that are known for their extreme longevity with good health.  We can extend our own life span and life expectancy by mimicking the lifestyle of those civilizations that enjoy lengthy, healthy life spans.

 

The three (3) leading causes of death in the United States are:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Hospital-related errors and infections and side effects of drugs

 

The positive side of these statistics is that we currently have the knowledge and tools at our fingertips to avoid death by the above-described three (3) leading causes of death.  This will automatically result in our longevity, slowing down the aging process.  Self-discipline is required to maintain a lifestyle that leads to longevity.

 

Some people attest that they prefer a short life to a long life with good health.  The reason being that responsibility for health and longevity requires discipline.  A disciplined lifestyle involving proper diet and exercise is not fun for those living for instant gratification.  Changing one's focus from self-destruction toward enjoyment of good health and good quality of life automatically inspires longevity, as a one of life's many goals.

 

How Can We Avoid Death by the Three Leading Causes?

Death by Heart Disease.  We can avoid heart disease death (the #1 killer of Westerners) by adhering to a nonfat plant-based diet will reverse arterial plaque that has built up from years of high cholesterol (cholesterol over 150).  This arterial buildup narrows arteries, causing strokes, heart attacks, senility, and life-threatening conditions resulting from poor circulation.

 

Death by Cancer. We can reduce or eliminate our risk of cancer (the #2 killer of meat- and dairy-consuming civilizations) by adhering to a lifestyle followed by civilizations known for their extreme longevity and good health.  In a nutshell, eat a plant-based diet of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds (also referred to as a "vegan" diet).

 

Death by Hospital-related Errors & infections and side effects of drugs*. Since the vast majority of individuals requiring hospitals and drugs are those who are in the process of being killed by the #1 and #2 killers above, the #3 killer then becomes null and void for those individuals avoiding the above-described #1 and #2 deaths.

 

*According to Dr. Barbara Starfield of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the #3 killer of Westerners is the combined total of death by hospital-related errors & infections and side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.

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