But for the vast majority of people regardless of their genes, leading a poor lifestyle including eating a poor diet leads to premature death from diseases such as heart disease, cancer or stroke. Clearly genes do play a role in our health and longevity, but genes are not set in stone, they are more “plastic” and have the ability to be switched on or off depending on how those genes interact with our environment (including what we eat and drink). Expose your genes to a poor environment and they may mutate and cause breast or lung cancer. Expose your genes to a poor diet and they may cause heart disease. However expose your genes to a clean and healthy environment and you may expect to live long and healthy.
The term “genes load the gun and environment pulls the trigger” is a nice analogy to explain how our genes affect the way, and how long we live. One set of genes that has been identified to improve longevity are the SIRT1 genes, we are all born with these genes (genes load the gun) however whether we express these genes and do actually live longer is down to how we live our lives (environment pulls the trigger). When you increase the activity of the SIRT1 genes in animals it slows down the aging process! This has been shown to be true in over 2000 scientific studies from yeast cells, to fruit flies, from mice and rats to monkeys. Sometimes the life extension has been up to 50% longer! Now because of ethical reasons there are not any human trials yet, but by simply adopting a few simple behaviours you can “turn on” or “turn up” the activity of the SIRT1 genes and expect to reap the rewards.
Researchers have shown that reducing calories by about 30% can activate the SIRT1 gene. My interpretation of this would be that we eat way too many calories per day anyway. The Department of Health recommends a calorie intake of 1940 calories per day for women and 2550 for men and there have been calls to increase these guidelines by another 400-500 calories – I believe these guidelines are perhaps a little high for many people and that the majority of people are actually eating way more calories than they should be. By simply reducing the number of calories consumed to slightly less than what The Department of Health recommends say 1500 calories for women and 1800-2000 calories for men you may well “turn up” the activity of the SIRT1 genes, you’ll certainly lose some weight and you’ll most probably improve your longevity.
Now there are exceptions to this rule, if you are younger and more active, or you are a body builder or sportsman you are going to need extra calories so this information needs to be individualised to what you want to achieve in life. However as you age, let’s say into your 50’s or 60’s your health and longevity may become more of a concern than trekking to Antarctica or being 200 pounds of lean muscle. This is when calorie restriction would become much more of a sensible thing to do.
Another thing that has been shown to “turn up” the expression of the SIRT1 genes are compounds in plants known as polyphenols. One of the polyphenols believed to be responsible is resveratrol which is found in grapes, red wine and peanuts. Some scientists are suggesting that the lack of heart disease and longevity experienced by people who live in the Mediterranean (sometimes called The French Paradox) may be down to resveratrol consumed in red wine. There is now a lot of money being pumped in to researching resveratrol and its effects on extending life, but simply drinking red wine in moderation and or taking 250mg per day of resveratrol may well be an elixir of long life.
Summary
• Eat less calorie dense junk food and as you age aim to start eating a little less – but make sure what you so eat is packed with nutrients
• Consume red wine (and even white wine) in moderation – this may be 1-2 glasses per day for men and ½-1 glass a day for women
• Take 250mg of resveratrol a day along with a multivitamin and mineral and some fish oil
