The Longevity Code by Kris Verburgh M D

The Longevity Code by Kris Verburgh M D

Explains the reasons for the aging and how to delay the process.

One guidelines for biologists to estimate the life span of animals is to multiply by 6 the age at which they sexually mature. Humans on average become sexually mature at around age 13 and live until age 78 (13*6=78). Aldabra turtles sexually mature at the age of 30 and hence the live around 180 years.

There are certain animals they age negatively. Blanding’s turtle ages backwards; meaning they grow younger and younger as times goes by. Year after year, their mortality rate declines and their fertility increases. To date, only few animal species are known to age negatively - certain turtles, some lobsters, rockfish etc. The oldest known animal is in fact a crustacean; a mollusk which was born in 1499 and lived for 507 years.  Turritopsis dohrnii is a tiny jellyfish that floats around large oceans and does not age. When it feels old, and worn down, it can do the reverse. It can magically change its body into that of a young jellyfish

The longer the Longevity Quotient (LQ), the longer the animal’s lives. An LQ of 2 means that the animal lives twice as long as you would expect based on its size. The LQ of elephant is 1, LQ of humans is 4.2 and the animal with the highest LQ is the Brandt’s bat, which has a LQ of 9.

The life of Pacific Salmon is quite interesting. These Salmon born upriver in Canada or in US and when they grow up, they swim downriver to Pacific Ocean. They return to their birth river after many years swimming upwards against the current, where they mate and deposit eggs. Then in the following days, they die. To be able to make this demanding journey, the Salmon pump themselves full of hormones (mainly cortisol). This gives the fish great strength and energy to accomplish the exhausting trip. The larger doses of cortisol are harmful as is the immense effort that they have to make. In the process, Salmon cause so much damage to their body that they die in droves in the river where they have deposited the eggs. Reproduction and some hormones related to it, therefore can shorten the lifespan.

Veterinarians have long known that castrated cats and dogs live longer. It is the same for humans. Evidence of this can be found in old documents about eunuchs, men who were castrated as the court so that they would not be threat to the wives of the emperor. In this procedure, it was often not only the testicles but also the penis that was removed. It shows that eunuchs who were castrated before puberty lived an average of 17 years longer than their counterparts from the same social class.

The role of proteins in aging:

A cell contains millions of proteins and these proteins are continuously built up and broken down by the cell. However, now & then protein escapes the process. It is not broken down but remains in the cell. At first there are only a few proteins, but as the decades pass, more & more proteins linger around in the cell. They also tend to cluster together so that the unbreakable proteins clumps eventually fill up the cell. As time goes by our cells become so filled with aggregated proteins that they no longer function well. For example, heart cells no longer contract properly; nerve cells do not transmit signals efficiently, digestive cells do not absorb food as well they used to be. Finally, they age and finally they die.

Unhealthiest to healthiest proteins are:

Processed red meat

Red meat from grain-fed mega barn animals

Red meat from free-range, grass-fed animals

White meat (chicken, turkey) preferably free-range, grass-fed

Fish - particularly fatty fish that contains high omega 3- (salmon, herring, sardines)

Vegetable protein (nuts, legumes, vegetables (broccoli, spinach, cabbage, brussels sprouts, tofu, mushrooms)

Carbohydrates are also called sugars.

Short, fast or simple carbohydrates are glucose, fructose or sucrose. These are quickly absorbed by the but cells and released into the bloodstream, where they cause very high sugar peaks.

Long slow or complex carbohydrates are starch. It still can cause high and broad sugar peaks: prolonged, elevated blood sugar levels

Fibers are indigestible long carbohydrates. They are not absorbed and released into the bloodstream, but serve as good for our good intestinal bacteria.

Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) :

Increases insulin, IGF, other growth-hormone-like substance that accelerate aging.

Form sugar-cross-links that makes the proteins in our tissues stick together and give us:

Wrinkles, stiffer blood vessels, cataracts, deteriorating kidney function, stiffer bladder, stifler heart.

Laron dwarfs have less IGF and insulin circulating in their blood and are almost immune to cancer and diabetes.

Larger people and animals have a greater risk of cancer and of dying early.

A diet with a log glycemic index (lower sugar peaks) and a low glycemic load (fewer carbohydrates) reduce the risk of all kinds of aging.

Unhealthiest to healthiest carbohydrates are:

White bread, white pasta, white rice, potatoes

Whole grain bread, or pasta, brown rice

Oatmeal. Vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, quinoa. Fruit.

Fats

Saturated (straight) fats are found in:

Animal sources - meat, cheese, butter and milk

vegetable sources (palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter in chocolate)

Unsaturated (bent) fats are found in:

Omega-3 fatty acids: fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseeds

Omega-6 fatty acids: meant, sunflower, corn oil

Other saturated fatty acids: olive oil

Trans fats are found in:

Industrially prepared foods - Processed meats, baked foods, snack bars, fried foods, fast food and some margarines

Various large studies show that there is no relationship between an elevated cholesterol level and the risk of a heart attack. 75% of the people who arrive in the ER with a heart attack actually have normal cholesterol.

Saturated fats and cholesterol are not as unhealthy as previously thought. A diet with healthy fats reduces the risk of aging-related diseases.  Good oil for cooking are:

Olive oil, Avocado oil, Coconut oil, Butter.

Avoid eating foods with trans fats and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Mitochondria are small structures in our cells, without which we would not be able to walk, think, feel or talk. They are the energy generators of our cells and hence intense chemical activities is taking place inside them, including the production of toxic, harmful, waste particles, or free radicals. Those whose ancestors have always lived in warm climates, have differently functioning mitochondria. They produce less heat (because it is already warm enough), so that the production lines of mitochondria more slowly., but also happens to increase the production of free radicals. That can be one reason why people whose ancestors lived in warm countries are more susceptible to all kinds of aging-related diseases. Their mitochondria get damaged faster. This can explain why for example, people of African regions are more likely to have cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure compared to those with European ancestors. Even when African American live in the fast north of US, they have inherited mitochondria from their ancestors who lived in a warm country for 1000s of years.

DNA is a very long molecule that contains building instructions for our proteins, which are the building blocks and workhorses of our cells. Telomeres are the ends of a DNA string. They are the caps that ensure that they DNA string does not unravel. And it also plays in aging.

With each cell division, the telomeres shorten. When it became too short, the DNA is no longer protected (the caps are gone) and the cell functioning declines. This particularly affects stem cells because they must divide frequently.

Good nutrition and sufficient exercise can counteract the shortening of telomeres.

There are four important reasons discussed about the aging factors:

• Protein agglomeration
• Excess of carbohydrates
• Defective mitochondria
• Changes related to DNS, such as the telomeres and epigenetics

The longevity staircase

In the West, millions of people are overweight’s, but also suffer from malnutrition. They are overweight because they consume too much macronutrients and they are malnourished due to lack of micronutrients.

Eating vitamins supplements do not help as it contains very small quantity and hence less effective.

One of the richest source of selenium is Brazil nuts - eating too much of Brazil nut is also not healthy.

There are many foods rich in magnesium - green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce and spinach as well as legumes,

For potassium, try to use potassium salt (potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride). In grocery store, they sell 70% potassium chloride with 30% sodium chloride.

Step 1 - intake of important micronutrients

Ensuring a sufficient intake of important micronutrients can slow down the aging process and reduce the risk of aging related diseases.

Vitamins B related foods:

Seafood: salmon, shrimp, mussels

Oatmeal

Vegetables

Nuts & seeds

Chicken and eggs

Magnesium: good for heart and blood vessels; plays an important role in the sugar and energy metabolism.

Green leafy vegetables: kale, brussels sprouts, spinach

Nuts and seeds

Legumes

Selenium: Components of proteins that neutralizes free radicals or is involved in the immune system.

Nuts - Brazil nuts - no more than a few per week

Seeds and pits

Seafood: salmon, sardines, tuna, crab, oysters, mussels, squid

Mushrooms

Vitamin D is very good for metabolism, cardiovascular health, reduces the risk of osteoporosis

Green leafy vegetables

Fermented foods: natto, miso, tempeh, cheese

Herbs: parsley, basil

Potassium can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke

Green leafy vegetables

Legumes

Fruits: apricots, peaches, plums, raisins, avocados, figs.

Iodine regulates thyroid gland and metabolism

Seafood, shellfish, seaweed

Step 2 - Stimulate Hormesis

Metformin is special because it is one of the few medications that can extend the life span and slow down the aging process in various species of animals.

Harmful things in small does can be healthy. That principle called hormesis.

Exercise is also a form of hormesis. The important reason why exercise is healthy is because it damages the body. However, the damage shakes our cells awake and prompts them to repair and better protect themselves for the next time you for a n exercise.

Temperature is also plays a vital role in hormesis. When you expose fruit flies to a high temperature, for a short period, they live longer. That could be one of the reasons why an occasional sauna or cold shower can have a healthy effect on the body.

Another example of hormesis is vegetables. Take broccoli; it contains mildly toxic substances, such as sulforaphane which activates proteins in the body that protect and detoxify. This can decrease the risk of all kinds of diseases.  Why people doesn’t like vegetables, because it is not tasty as it is having a mild toxic content and hence taste it bad.

A small radio activity presence can also help

Step 3 - reduce growth stimulation

If you want to slow down the aging process, you must also reduce growth stimulation. If you are overweight, the reduction of growth stimulation will also cause you to lose weight.

Regarding overweight, there are two important causes or elephants in the room.

Elephant 1 - an excess of fast sugars - in the form of soft drinks, candy, chips, baked goods, and fast foods

Elephant 2 - an excess of starchy products such as bread potatoes, pasta and rice.

Other elephants are:

Too much animal proteins

Too much unhealthy fats

Recommendations:

Each much less bread, potatoes, pasta and rice

Replace bread with oatmeal or chia seed

Replace animal milk or yogurt with plant based milk (soy, hazelnut, almond, cashew)

Eat little or no red meat

Eat lots of vegetables

Drink lots of water

Eat lots of fiber rich fruits or vegetables

Take smart dietary supplements, such as selenium yeast, vitamin D, K, B, magnesium malate, and iodine.

Growth stimulation can be reduced by:

Eating fewer carbohydrates

Reduce intake of animal proteins

Eat fiber rich fruits and vegetables

Specific substances that reduce growth stimulation: apples, capers, turmeric, blueberries, coffee, tea, broccoli

Exercising

Calorie restrictions

Intermittent fasting

Step 4 - Reverse the aging process

This is a developing field.

Rejuvenating people can be done via

Vaccines

Lysosomal enzymes

Cross-linked breakers

Pieces of mitochondrial DNA

Stem cells

CRISPR proteins

Transfusions with young blood or specific blood substances that can make the body younger

Epigenetically reprogramming cells