What is a longevity lifestyle?

We live in a time when there has been more and more focus on living a long time. Perhaps as a result of our basic needs in the Western world being surpassed a long time ago. Humans have always found new goals and ambitions, for better or worse. There is particular focus on quantitative life (long life) before death lurks just around the corner. Although it is inevitable, we would like to postpone both the thought and the reality of it, but is it possible to live longer, and what is actually meant by Longevity and living a long time? This is what we will look at in this article.

What is meant by Longevity?

Most people believe that the Longevity lifestyle is primarily about living long,

But it’s really more about how much of your life you function without illness and have a high quality of life.

That is, how long you spend being sick before you put away your clogs, which is what we want to minimize as much as possible. Living long and living well often go hand in hand, because there is not much point in living to be 120 if the last 30 years are spent in illness and inadequacy. A better scenario would be to die of a blood clot at 90 while you are out cycling in nature or swimming in the sea, if you ask me. Longevity is therefore your ability to function optimally for as much of your life as possible.

So you might think: “It is largely the genes that determine my fate”, and if you want to have that explained in more detail, you can read more in this article. Because the genes have something to say, but the environment you choose, and do not choose, has much more to say. Because there are genes where you do not have a chance, no matter how you behave, but these are fortunately found in far less than 1 percent of the population, and that is why I do not think we should focus on them. Longevity is your ability to avoid the diseases that kill the vast majority of us in the Western world.

If we ignore smokers, who have an enormous risk of dying from lung cancer and other diseases, then we die from circulatory diseases, certain types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases (especially Alzheimer’s) and metabolic diseases, which include diabetes II, fatty liver, etc. The latter is believed, among some researchers, to be the foundation for the development of a large part of the first three.

The risk of contracting one of these above categories of diseases can be minimized to a great extent through lifestyle, which we will look at in more detail later in the article. This is what I am referring to when I have chosen to use the word Longevity. Quality and quantity of life often go hand in hand.

What can we measure?

Technology and research have given us the opportunity to look into our organism and measure parameters that are correlated with a long life. Through biomarkers, we can get an idea of ​​whether our biological body matches our real age. There are watches and devices that can continuously give us a clue about our condition, and research has also found some clear indications of which abilities are correlated with a long life. One of the best markers for a healthy and long life is a high V02-max, which is also called your fitness number. (Netdoktor).

There are several different ways to estimate your fitness level, with some methods being more accurate than others. In addition, grip strength has a strong correlation with Longevity. Possibly because high grip strength is achieved by lifting heavy objects, thereby strengthening muscles, joints and bones, and not so much because good grip strength is directly a survival mechanism. However, high grip strength can be an advantage if you are about to fall and need to grab hold, which is why it may reduce the risk of fall injuries and fractures in the elderly.

A generally high muscle mass and an optimal fat percentage also have a lot to say in terms of living well.

Not necessarily because being overweight in itself is the problem, but more the lifestyle that has often led to being overweight in itself. A personal and societal responsibility.

Among the more technical measurements, there is DNA methylation, but this must always be seen in light of all the data and should not be assessed alone, just as some genetic variations can increase the risk of disease in individual individuals, without it being a direct death sentence. I use these test markers in our Longevity course, in addition to all the basic factors such as sleep, diet, exercise, alcohol, smoking and emotional stress, which should of course also be included in the equation.

Longevity & Functional Medicine

Functional Medicine incorporates all my knowledge from my formal education, but also everything that research has to offer when it comes to living a long life. Therefore, scientific subjects such as physiology, biochemistry, immunology, etc. are used to look at the areas where you are challenged. We take as our starting point both tests and very basic markers such as blood pressure, Vo2max and the tests you may have from your doctor.

It is important that the initiatives we initiate make sense for the individual, as we have different areas where we should focus. No one is the same, although there are recurring trends, and this is where Functional Medicine really “shines”. The starting point is always the individual circumstances, both in relation to test results, but also in relation to what we uncover through conversations.

I see it as my most important task to support and help people achieve the quality of life they want, regardless of their starting point.

References:
Book: Outlive – The Science and Art and Longevity by Peter Attia
DNA METHYLATION
Forskel i livslængde
Brca 1 & Brca 2
PSEN1/2 & APP
Kondital
DNA Methylation
DNA Methylation