Mary Ní Lochlainn is a research scientist in geriatric medicine at King’s College London. She investigates the lifestyle habits that can help to lead to better health in older age (healthspan). A good deal of her work is associated with nutrition and the prevention of age-related frailty, which is a condition of muscle loss/weakness that affects over 10% of those aged 80+.
Ni Lochlainn has been applying much of what she has learned through her research to create a longevity promoting lifestyle with healthful daily routines. Her daily routines include but are not limited to regular resistance training, cardio exercise, taking vitamin D supplements, and intermittent fasting.
According to this health enthusiast, developing certain healthy habits when you are younger can help you maintain your health and strength into your older years because people are more likely to maintain healthy behaviors throughout their lives if they begin early.
Exercise and Resistance Training
- She rides her bike to and from work each day, cycling about 6.2 miles.
- She takes tennis lessons.
- She does resistance training for about an hour a week with a personal trainer.
Cardio exercises do positively influence cardiovascular health, but Ni Lochlainn believes that resistance training is one of the best things you can do to promote healthy aging and longevity. She explains that we begin to lose muscle mass in our 30s (sarcopenia), and resistance training helps to maintain muscle health. Building muscle mass when you are younger means that as you lose some with age there will be plenty left to maintain physical mobility, as well as prevent frailty and falls.
To add to this, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that those who did resistance training and cardio exercises once or twice a week had a 41% lower mortality rate after 7-10 years, which suggests that exercise reduces the risk of dying.
Vitamin D Supplements
Ni Lochlainn takes daily vitamin D supplements because where she lives in the UK 57% of people tend not to get enough sun. This is also the case in America as well, with the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements stating that 1 in 4 Americans don’t get enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D is important for bone health and preventing osteoporosis, but it is one of those things that most people don’t think about until they get older. Vitamin D has also recently been found to help regulate the immune system in a study published in Science Advances, and a deficiency during childhood development is associated with a higher risk of autoimmune diseases.
Intermittent Fasting
Ni Lochlainn does not eat after her dinner in the evening until her breakfast late in the next morning. She practices intermittent fasting because she believes that the evidence for it helping to promote longevity is “fairly convincing.”
While most of the research is in animal studies, the results suggest that it may help with longevity by reducing oxidative stress, optimizing circadian rhythms, triggering a metabolic switch to use ketones rather than glucose, inducing autophagy, and protecting against age-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Longevity Promoting Lifestyle Backed By Anti-Aging Research
The quest to live healthier and longer is going mainstream and many people are now looking for ways to slow or reverse the aging process to extend longevity. People are turning to IV treatments, taking cold plunges, sauna bathing, undergoing plasma exchange procedures, and visiting luxury longevity clinics. While some of the top trends will come and go, others are inexpensive and sustainable.
In an attempt to prolong her health and lifespan, Ni Lochlainn has created a routine of health habits that includes regular cardio exercise, resistance training, vitamin D supplements, and intermittent fasting, all of which incorporate research into her lifestyle.
The benefits of regular exercise are backed by numerous studies which show that against aging these benefits can far exceed those of any other known intervention.
Targeting vitamin deficiencies with supplements is also supported by evidence suggesting that it is a good place to start to promote healthy aging.
Intermittent fasting has been shown to be an effective way to extend animal lives, and now human trials such as the CALERIE Legacy Study are also beginning to show positive effects in humans.
While Ni Lochlainn suggests that starting earlier is best, other research shows that it is never too late to adopt simple healthful lifestyle changes to help keep you healthy and slow down the aging process.
The bottom line is that by making some simple and sustainable lifestyle changes you can improve your quality of life, happiness, healthspan, and longevity for the better, and you are worth it. Eat smart, move more, feel better, and be well.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4098658
https://www.womenshealth.gov/sarcopenia
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/22/1277
https://www.forthwithlife.co.uk/blog/uk-vitamin-d-statistics/
https://worldhealth.net/news/vitamin-d-deficiency-autoimmune-diseases/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568163724000928.
https://www.ncoa.org/article/how-exercise-helps-you-age-well
https://worldhealth.net/news/plasma-exchange-for-enhanced-longevity/
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05651620?term=calerie&rank=1
Read More: Gerontologist Applies Research To Longevity Promoting Lifestyle – WorldHealth.net
