Sneaky Sugar, Longevity Key, and Sleep's Lighting Link

Lightbulbs & Pearls | 002

Feb 07, 2023

Hidden Sugars Galore

A while back I was listening to The Genius Life with Max Lugavere, episode 248: The Best and Worst Foods to Eat for Mental Health. He was interviewing Harvard-trained Dr. Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist, chef, and nutritionist. It was an enlightening hour and I enjoyed Dr. Naidoo so much that I purchased her book, This is Your Brain on Food. Aside from all the terrific practical nuggets of information I gleaned, there was something she said rather off the cuff that caught my attention and stuck with me: There are over 250 names for sugar on nutritional labeling.

I think I’ll repeat that. There are over 250 names for sugar on nutritional labeling. In other words, some form of sugar is most likely lurking in nearly all packaged foods, including unlikely items such as beef jerky, salad dressing, pasta sauce, and even salsa. That’s staggering! Why is that and what does that mean?

One answer may be found in sugar’s influence on behavior. While there is no irrefutable scientific evidence that sugar is addictive, sugar does release opioids and dopamine in our bodies, which have addictive qualities, and it impacts the brain 20 times faster than nicotine. This got me thinking about the role of food engineering… I believe there is a reason we can’t eat just one Oreo.

Unbeknownst to most consumers, food manufacturers utilize food scientists to make food more than just highly palatable. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat and Hooked, processed food is “engineered to be "craveable," not unlike a cigarette or a hit of cocaine.”

This is not good news for consumers in light of excess sugar’s far-reaching impact. There are literally hundreds of studies establishing sugar’s deleterious effects. For instance, in a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Frank Hu and his colleagues found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. With sugar hiding in nearly all packaged foods, many people don’t even realize they are consuming a high-sugar diet.

Unfortunately, sugar—in one of those 250 forms—is an integral ingredient in the recipe to keep consumers coming back for more. It’s time to pass on the invite.

Number One Factor for Longevity

On episode 651 of the Model Health show, Dr. Robert Waldinger, who is the fourth director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development—the world’s longest-running longitudinal study on happiness, which began in 1938 with 724 men—said that the number one factor that determines happiness and longevity is having strong, enduring personal relationships and connections. Interestingly, this is in line with the same conclusions found in Blue Zones: the common thread that runs through very diverse communities of centenarians is having a tight, supportive, web of friends and family. Anecdotally, if you read Lessons From a Great Lady, I believe that these personal bonds were essential for my dear friend, Lucille, who—despite precarious heath—lived to 96.

In his 2015 TED talk, Dr. Waldinger illuminated the three top takeaways from the ongoing study:

Loneliness kills. Happiness associated with good relationships equated to physically healthier people, and higher brain function. Loneliness corresponds to overall poorer health, earlier mental decline, and even early death.
Quality matters. People who were in fulfilling, satisfying relationships in their 50s were healthy and thriving in their 80s.
Support is supreme. In particular, the ability to count on people is of paramount importance. Those who felt secure enough to lean on and trust in their partners and close friends had sharper brain functions and better overall health well into their 80s.

This is not to say that healthy habits don’t matter—they do and are the number two factor in the study—but interpersonal relationships pave the way to good health and well-being.

Design Your Lighting for Better Sleep

Sleep has a far-reaching impact on overall health and well-being including brain functioning, hormones, and immunity—which are all foundational tools for our longevity. Experts across the internet are telling us to get morning light in our eyes to support our natural circadian rhythms, and blue-blocking glasses are everywhere we turn. But that’s just the tip of the light iceberg. Dr. Andrew Huberman of the Huberman Lab podcast takes it a giant step further in the Perfect Your Sleep episode with the many tools in the “Sleep Toolkit.”

One tool, in particular, perked up my designer’s ears: modulate your light exposure throughout the day to optimize sleep. My (fellow designer) husband and I already light our home in a similar manner for aesthetic (perhaps instinctual) and experiential reasons; however, it was gratifying to realize there is a physiological rationale as well. In a nutshell, you can help your body wake and wind down with light. In the morning, as you wake up, in addition to getting natural light in your eyes, turn on—and up—lights where you live and work and maintain that level throughout the day. But as the late afternoon approaches and the sun goes down, tone down your lighting accordingly.

We’ve long had the lighting in our home on dimmers and mixed dimmed ceiling light with accent lighting for an evening glow, but now I’m even more mindful to switch from full strength to low lighting in the early evening to reinforce our natural cadence. Conversely, during the day, even though I tend to favor dimly lit, cozy environments, I’m opening drapes and pulling up shades to get in as much daylight as possible, as well as turning on lights in the room where we work.

It’s a simple, logical approach but if it’s not on our radar, we may not give it much thought.

Get Moving at Home

Movement is a key tool in my longevity arsenal. One reason is that the lymphatic system needs movement to prime its ability to remove waste and toxins (which gives our immunity a boost)… so if for no other goal than to give the lymphatic system a helping hand, move!

If I’m running tight on time on the three mornings a week that I typically hike or tackle the neighborhood stairs but still want to get a smidgen of movement in, I’ll follow a Leslie Sansone fast walking video. There are oodles to choose from on YouTube, as well as her websites and DVDs. I’ve exercised along with her for close to 20 years and, honestly, I can’t say enough nice things about her and her videos... hence, she is a pearl for me.

Leslie has been an author and leader in the fitness industry for nearly 30 years, and produced over a hundred DVDs. She created the Walk at Home program, which has walking programs for both men and women at absolutely every level of fitness, from super easy 20-minute walks, to an amped-up 12-minute mile, to long 5-mile walks. Her totally relatable, easygoing manner and enthusiasm make the videos feel like exercising with a really encouraging, knowledgeable friend.

While I often weave in my own variations to push the intensity, I really enjoy following the basic routine, and I am always glad I carved out the 12-20 minutes to walk with Leslie and her group. I suggest searching on YouTube for her videos and watching a couple to find the ones that suit you before trying to follow along for the first time.

However you can fit it in, get moving!

Do You Have a Question for Ask Ageosophy?

I’m here to help! Please feel free to leave a question in the comments below or send me an email. I look forward to sharing any thoughts and insights that may be helpful and if I don’t have an answer, I will hunt one down. Thank you!