Epigenetics, Interpersonal Connections, and Salad Dressing in a Snap

Lightbulbs & Pearls | 001

Jan 10, 2023

Epigenetics and Aging

You may not have even heard of this word—epigenetics—but it’s one you may want to get to know. I recently read a real eye-opener that has made a significant impact on my Ageosophy, Younger You by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, which centers on the power of epigenetics—diet and lifestyle choices—to literally change the way your genes work and lower your biological age (which is different from chronological age). I know this may sound too good to be true, but the concept is backed up by her own research and a clinical trial that showed through common sense diet and lifestyle practices, participants were able to lower their biological age by three years in just 8 weeks. This is further bolstered by two new studies that have recently come out (PMID 35895062, PMID 36202132), which demonstrate a correlation between a lower biological age as measured with 4 epigenetic clocks and higher odds of reaching 90 with mobility and cognitive functioning still intact.

This is huge. Read that again. That means extending our healthspan—not just lifespan— simply with the choices we make.

Another enormous “a-ha” for me was the realization that age opens the door to most diseases—80% of adults over sixty-five have one chronic disease, and 77% have two including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. Most significant is 95% of Alzheimer’s patients have the non-genetic form. That means epigenetics dictate the vast majority of cases…in essence, 95% of the cases could likely have been be avoided.

This book, along with Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Dr. Cate Shanahan, changed the way I eat (look for an upcoming story post, Eating Epiphanies) and reinforced my practice of clean living with plenty of exercise and sleep. Everything we consume and do has a function, which can be for our benefit or detriment. We are the sum of our choices and we have the power to choose. This is the core of Ageosophy.

Move for Memory and More

There is emerging evidence of the critical role of exercise and varied movement in our cognitive function, especially for memory. These are a whole variety of physical activities including strength training and simply taking more daily steps. This brain-body movement connection is well documented and a hot topic of discussion in the health and wellness sphere.

Max Lugavere weaves the importance of movement for optimum brain function throughout his book, The Genius Life. There are proven connections between moderate 20-30 minute exercise and activating regions of the brain involved in executive functioning and memory processing. Exercise also enhances the neurotransmitters that are responsible for the plasticity of our brains—if our brains are more flexible, they are more resilient. Aside from memory, a study of one million people demonstrated low cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a 75% higher risk of depression. Finally, moving your body has also been shown to promote a healthy brain volume (the sheer size) when typically it is declining as we age.

However, cardiorespiratory fitness is not the only exercise that is important. Our muscles may matter even more. The connection between age-related neurodegenerative disease and the fact that we lose 3 to 5 percent of muscle each decade after 30, cannot be ignored. Sal Di Stefano cites a study in his book, The Resistance Training Revolution, from the University of Sydney “that showed 6 months of resistance training slowed and even halted, the degeneration in the hippocampus and its associated regions a year after the exercise trial.” After the study, the people involved in the study (who were at high risk of Alzheimer’s) showed significant improvements in their cognitive deficits. One of the study’s senior researchers said this was the first documented intervention that slowed or halted brain deterioration.

Tribal Triumphs

I had so many lightbulbs go off when I was reading The Blue Zones, 9 Lessons for Living Longer by Dan Buettner, that I’ve gone around in circles trying to choose one to start with… but I’ve settled on the importance of interpersonal connections to the quality and length of our lives.

In the book it is categorized as “Lesson Nine: Right Tribe,” and Mr. Buettner considers it “the most powerful thing you can do to change your lifestyle.” Social connectedness is ingrained in all longevity cultures in many forms, whether it is a specifically organized club, simply daily coffee klatsches with friends, or a community festival—it is the power of a social, face-to-face, person-to-person network. Meaningful, supportive connections.

Cited in the book is a study by Professor Lisa Berkman of Harvard University who investigates social connectedness and longevity. Over a nine-year period, she looked at the impact of marital status, ties with friends and relatives, club memberships, and the level of volunteerism. She concluded those with higher social connections lived longer; in fact, those people with the least connections were between two and three times more likely to die during the study period. Simply put, maintaining strong support systems that foster basic human needs such as helpfulness and emotional intimacy, leads to greater longevity.

Salad Dressing in a Snap

When making a salad for either myself or a group, I use the salad bowl to make the dressing. I never, ever use bottled dressing. Ever. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which are all the faux food additives, sugars, and chemical preservatives in most store-bought varieties, but I also started to notice the first or second ingredient is usually water. Water! I’ve never seen water as an ingredient in a good vinaigrette recipe. If these aren’t reasons enough, a processed salad dressing never tastes as good as homemade.

I learned this little pearl eons ago from the owner of a small restaurant in Pietrasanta, Italy on the picturesque coastal region of Versilia.

We ordered an Insalata Mista (simple green salad) as a starter and she brought a beautiful bowl to the table, sprinkled salt and pepper in the bottom and poured in about a tablespoon of vinegar. (By the way—pearl 1.1—this allows the salt to dissolve.) Then she whisked in approximately 2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and placed the fresh greens on top of the dressing, gave them a thorough tossing and that was that. Could not be easier! Depending on the salad, I sometimes mix in a spoonful of dijon mustard with the vinegar or sprinkle dried herbs (I use an Italian blend for pizza night salad) in with the salt and pepper. It takes so little time and I have fresh dressing for those simple, high-fiber salads we all should be eating, without the cleanup of an extra dish.

By the way, I don’t do any paid sponsorships and I only recommend books or products that I use and believe in.