The Fountain of Youth Demands Lots of Tending

It turns out that the Fountain of Youth may by flowing right under your skin, but you’ll still need the perseverance of Ponce de Leon to tap into its powers of longevity. Science is finding that the secret to longevity – 120 years and beyond according to the, as yet hopeful, members of the Calorie Restriction Society – lies in the food we eat today and tomorrow, and all of our tomorrows for the next hundred-plus years.

The members of the Calorie Restriction Diet say they are up to the task. These diet warriors are going where no cheeseburger-and-fry-eating American has gone before: deep into the monk-like lifestyle of reduced caloric intake that leaves their body weight at the low end of what experts consider a healthy weight.

But, unlike, Ponce de Leon, followers of the CR diet are not relying on legends and fairy tales. Numerous studies have shown that rats on a low calorie, high nutrient, diet live up to 50% longer than rats on a normal diet. The CR Society, founded in 1994, is relatively new, so no one knows if its most disciplined members will reach the centenarian mark. But tests show that people who follow the CR diet have less of a hormone that increases the risk of cancer in the rest of us.

If obsessive tendencies is not in your list of character strengths, or if you just love your eggs and butter too much, the anti-inflammation approach to longevity may be your ticket to 100 birthday candles. Research indicates that chronic inflammation – in the form of arthritis and other aches – is a precursor to aging and many diseases.

This makes sense when you think about the role of oxygen in the aging process. Oxygen collides with our cells and knocks off electrons at the molecular level. This process creates the high-energy we mammals enjoy, but leaves our cells damaged. This damage results in inflammation. When we eat plenty of antioxidants, our body’y natural answer to inflammation, the damage is repaired.

An anti-inflammation diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. Foods such as butter and eggs are okay in moderation. The big no-nos in the anti-inflammation diet are the processed foods and vegetable oils that are at the heart (disease) of many American diets.

If you find that the anti-inflammation diet is making you feel as youthful and full of well being as its advocates claim, you might want to check out the diet proposed by the father of the anti-inflammation movement, Dr. Perricone, a dermatologist who has authored several books that explain the anti-inflammation diet, supplements, and topical ointments that he claims lead to a youthful longevity.

It seems undeniable that the Fountain of Youth may actually be a body diligently cared for. This may seem disappointing to an American who looks to prescriptions for medicine’s wonders.

But ask any 80-year-old, and you may hear that spinach goes down easier than five pills three times a day.

Picture: © soschoenbistdu – Fotolia.com

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