Longevity | Aging | Intermittent Fasting
IF Insider — №8
“Longevity” Edition — June 9, 2020
In this week’s IF Insider:
The informational theory of aging, how to switch on your longevity genes and resources to do just that, what we are reading, and how to become a member of our exclusive Fast Factor Circle Community.
What is the IF Insider?
This is your briefing on the week’s most compelling developments in intermittent fasting as well as innovation in practices that can be stacked with IF, such as plant-based eating, sleep hacks, natural nootropics, brain training and more, all curated by our team of entrepreneurs and ‘future-think’ scouts.
Our Mission is to introduce the power of Intermittent Fasting to entrepreneurs worldwide so they can exponentially improve their lives and businesses and the lives of the people they impact every day.
P.S. Please send your tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and colleagues to this link to subscribe to IF Insider.
P.P.S. Join our FREE Facebook group of like-minded entrepreneurs who are interested in intermittent fasting by going to this link.
Longevity vs Aging
What’s this?
In our last IF Insider (IF Insider — №7–05/26/20), we took a deep dive into meditation, and just like so many other topics we cover, we emphasized “stacking” your meditation practice on top of the basics. For us, those basics are daily intermittent fasting combined with healthy eating. We took a look last time at exactly what meditation is, outlined its many benefits, and highlighted some fascinating current studies with findings as diverse as how meditation can make your brain younger and actually change the physical structure of your brain for the better. If you haven’t had a chance to begin or get your meditation practice fine-tuned, we invite you to do so!
Our focus in this issue is longevity, which is, after all, one of the main reasons we practice intermittent fasting. But getting older in and of itself is probably something that is not aspired to by most people. And who can blame them?
After all, who among us has been spared witnessing the painful decline of friends and family members into a senescent old age, filled not with joy, energy and a zest for life, but with a progressive loss of mobility, cognitive function and an array of diseases ranging from high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
But there is increasing evidence that longevity is quite different from aging and doesn’t have to mean simply living longer in a state of ill health. Longevity means living longer and at the same time remaining vital, healthy productive members of society. This concept is what we address in this issue.
Longevity — The Informational Theory of Aging
We planned our Longevity Issue weeks ago, so were pleasantly surprised to see that Peter Diamandis, the founder of the XPRIZE Foundation as well as Singularity University, addressed the aging issue in his latest blog post.
Peter is all about cutting edge technology and in his blog post reviews four new technologies he is tracking and is very excited about, including CRISPR and Gene Therapy, Stell Cell Therapy, Wnt Pathway Manipulation and Senolytic Medicines. And while these technologies hold great promise, here at the IF Insider, we concentrate on practical, proven, effective things you can do right now, to help you increase your longevity.
One of today’s pioneers in the longevity field is Dr. David Sinclair, an Australian born biologist, and professor of genetics, who is the Founding Director of the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging at Harvard.
Sinclair’s thesis, in a nutshell, is this: aging is a disease, in that it is the primary risk factor for the development of the chronic diseases that plague us as we grow older. He has articulated the “informational theory of aging” proposing that DNA breakages, which occur in everyone and are usually repaired by our bodies almost as fast as they occur, accumulate over time as errors in the repair mechanism accumulate.
This results in genes that are supposed to remain silent switching on, and ones that are supposed to remain active switching off. As these errors accumulate the patterns of gene expression become more and more abnormal. Cells begin to malfunction and lose their identities. Once a certain level of malfunctioning cells is reached, the whole organism fails and death is the result.
So while we are waiting for the technologies that Peter Diamandis is tracking and which might benefit our grandchildren, what can you do right now to increase your lifespan and do it in a way that is likely to help you grow older and remain healthy, vibrant and energetic for as long as possible? We are taking our cues from the work Dr. Sinclair is doing in his lab and also looking at what he is doing in his own life to increase his longevity.
Longevity — Engaging Your Longevity Genes
Caloric Restriction — Eating less food daily than is normally prescribed is a scientifically proven way to increase lifespan and at the same time, lessen the risk of developing that list of chronic age-related diseases that stalk so many of us. The downside to this is that for most people, chronically eating fewer calories than is “normal” for your age, gender, and activity level is just not sustainable.
But of course, there is a sustainable way to get the benefits of caloric restriction without having to deprive yourself and that is daily intermittent fasting (see IF Insider — №6, our Back To Basics edition, for more information on both intermittent fasting and eating healthily).
Healthy Plant-Based Eating — You have likely heard about the benefits of eating less meat or even entirely giving it up in favor of a plant-based diet. And despite what you may have heard, there is not a single amino acid (the building blocks of protein) that you can’t get from plant-based sources.
However, if you compare meat-based protein with plant-based protein (weight for weight) any particular plant-based protein source is going to give you limited amounts of amino acids. But before you go running off to throw that steak on the grill, consider this…
…ironically perhaps, it’s this very limitation that is the good news! It’s precisely because your body is in a chronic state of short supply of amino acids that subjects you to a low level of metabolic stress that in turn maximizes your longevity genes.
Exercise On The Cellular Level — According to Dr. David Sinclair, our longevity genes are kicked into gear by activating ancient survival circuits. This is why limiting food intake and also limiting our load of amino acids work, but those are not the only ways. By definition, when you exercise you are placing stress on your body, and when you do, a whole host of mechanisms come into place to switch on your longevity genes.
But it turns out that while yes, a brisk walk is good for your cardiovascular system, it’s something known as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that works at the cellular level to really kick your longevity genes into high gear. HIIT training is short multiple bursts of intense physical activity that significantly raise your heart and breathing rates.
The good news is you don’t have to exercise for hours at a time to get the longevity benefits. In fact, we are going to outline in our resources section below, a research-backed breakthrough in technology that can get you astounding results in just a few minutes a day.
Consider An NAD+ Booster — NAD+ stands for nicotinamide mononucleotide, and it functions as a coenzyme. A coenzyme is a compound that is necessary for enzymes to do their work in your cells, which is to regulate the rate at which chemical reactions within the cell proceed. Without coenzymes, many necessary biochemical reactions would progress at such a slow rate they would be rendered useless.
As you get older, your levels of NAD+ decline, and because NAD+ is essential for cellular function and repair, it’s this decline that contributes to many of the troublesome changes you are apt to experience as you age, such as loss of muscular strength and a decrease in cognitive functioning. Most people who take a supplement to boost NAD+ levels take NMN, a precursor to NAD+ which is able to get into the cells better. Dr. Sinclair personally uses a gram of NMN daily,
Consider Taking Resveratrol — This is the compound in red wine that got so much attention a few years ago and had wine lovers rejoicing. While red wine does have some resveratrol (say “res-VER-ah-trahl”) the content is really not all that high and you’d have to drink a lot of wine to reap any significant effect.
The most interesting mouse studies have shown that resveratrol supplementation when combined with intermittent fasting, greatly extended “both average and maximum lifespan even beyond what fasting alone accomplishes. Out of fifty mice, one lived more than 3 years…in human terms, that would amount to about 115 years.”
Dr. Sinclair looks at resveratrol as the “accelerator pedal” for some of these longevity genes and the NMN supplement as fuel to make sure the genes have enough energy to do their work.
Consider Taking A Vitamin D Supplement — Vitamin D is made naturally in human skin on exposure to sunlight. Perhaps now, more than ever before, people are not getting enough sun exposure to make optimal levels of Vitamin D and Vitamin D production in the skin slows as you age. Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with a wide variety of diseases related to human aging. This 2016 study showed that Vitamin D promoted the ability of proteins to maintain their function and shape over time.
With aging, proteins lose this ability and this can result in the build-up of toxic proteins that have been implicated in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, some forms of heart disease, and other conditions. 800 to 1000 I.U. of Vitamin D3 is considered completely safe. You may want to have your physician do a Vitamin D blood level which will tell you if supplementation with higher doses is warranted.
Resources
AI-Powered Exercise — We mentioned above in the section on exercise, a new technology that uses artificial intelligence to assist you in getting a high-intensity workout in the shortest amount of time, one that is completely tailored to your individual level of fitness. This is the CAR.O.L exercise bike, which is the world’s first AI-powered exercise bike.
We read about them over a year ago and were intrigued by their science-based design. Ellen was so impressed she recommended a CAR.O.L bike to one of her private intermittent fasting clients, a chiropractor, who purchased the bike and has seen astounding personal results in her cardiovascular fitness and endurance over a very short time frame.
These bikes are not inexpensive, but there is nothing else like them on the market today. When Ellen was writing the section on high-intensity exercise training and its effect on longevity, she picked up the phone and spoke with someone there to see if she could arrange a special deal just for our IF Insider readers…and she succeeded!
Here’s the deal: When you purchase a CAR.OL bike using our exclusive coupon code INSIDER at checkout, you will immediately receive $200 off the purchase price of the bike, plus, your monthly software subscription fee of $12 is waived for an entire year. That adds up to $344 in savings just for being an IF Insider!
Resveratrol — You want to look for resveratrol that is a trans-resveratrol, not cis-resveratrol, as in studies the cis form did not activate the longevity genes, but the trans form did. Also, purity is important and you want a trans-resveratrol that is 98%+. There are also studies that stress the importance of getting resveratrol that has been “micronized” to increase its bioavailability.
Be sure to mix the resveratrol powder in some sort of fat, such as full-fat yogurt or olive oil, to increase its absorbability into your G.I. tract. The powder should be stored in the refrigerator away from light and tightly sealed. Dr. Sinclair uses one gram of the powder a day.
NMN — You want to make sure the product you are getting is actually NMN, that it is pure and does not contain any contaminants (such as heavy metals) or fillers. This one from Genex meets those standards and is the same company that produces the resveratrol above. Again, the powder should be stored in the refrigerator away from light. It can be taken in water or mixed in a smoothie or other drink.
“In my mind, there are few sins so egregious as extending life without health. This is important. It does not matter if we can extend lifespans if we cannot extend healthspans to an equal extent. And so if we’re going to do the former, we have an absolute moral obligation to do the latter.”
~ David A. Sinclair, Ph.D.
Each issue, both Denise Wakeman and I bring you a short blurb on what we are currently reading, listening to, or watching, including books, articles, videos, movies and research papers of value. This week:
What We Are Reading
Ellen and Denise — Both of us have been taking a deep dive into the work of Dr. David Sinclair in preparation for this issue. His 2019 New York Times bestseller, Lifespan — Why We Age And Why We Don’t Have To, is a deep dive into the research behind Dr. Sinclair’s work on aging. He makes reading science fun!
Also watch this great November 2019 interview of Dr. Sinclair by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, who can hold her own in any scientific conversation! He speaks on the Informational Theory of Aging, Nicotinamide Mononucleotide, Resveratrol and More.
Want Even More Conversations Like This?
As a Fast Factor Circle member you get exclusive member-only content not available in the public IF Insider newsletter with in-depth monthly instructional workshops on topics ranging from nootropics to how to use traditional Japanese matcha to increase focus and productivity, three opportunities a month to meet via a live Zoom call with Ellen and Denise and other community members to get your questions answered, three nutritionally dense plant-based recipes and instructions a month, plus a private member’s only group for discussion and networking.
All Circle members get priority notification and first chance to secure a place at our annual Inner Fire Experience at beautiful Serenbe Farms and Inn here south of Atlanta, Georgia. This will take place next year, in 2021, most likely in the spring.
Simply click here for more information and to become a member. Membership is just $47 a month with no ongoing commitment. Why not give us a try as we’d love to have you join us?
Our Mission: We bring together entrepreneurs to learn how to combine the extraordinary power of intermittent fasting with research-based practices both ancient and modern so that as we support, encourage and inspire one another, we can each expand our focus, confidence and productivity as well as exponentially increase our well being, and through us, the well being of our families, friends, colleagues, and communities.
###
Know someone who would benefit from getting access to the IF Factor Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Published by Dr. Ellen Britt & Denise Wakeman, Fast Factor Community
