Promoting Longevity Living a Long and Healthy Life

John Hibbs N.D. Bastyr University

May 2011

I. First, some clinical physiology -- Its mostly about inflammation, cortisol and energy supply!

A. Cells in all tissue live longer in the brain, muscles, kidneys, liver, pancreas, etc. if
inflammation is minimal and cellular energy is plentiful.

B. And guess what depletes cellular energy supply the quickest? You guessed it inflammation!
This is why long-term ongoing inflammation is being shown to increase the likelihood of developing
nearly every significant chronic illness heart attack and stroke, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure,
Alzheimers and Parkinsons Diseases, chronic fatigue, arthritis, asthma..

Activities that reduce cortisol & inflammation: Inflammation promoters include:

1. sleep 1. anything that increases cortisol
2. eating vegetables and high-fiber fruit 2. sleep deprivation
3. eating less 3. insulin resistance
3. unstressed exercise 4. metabolic, dietary, and environmental
4. laughter, love toxins
5. maintaining healthy digestion 5. stress
6. breathing 6. extra body fat
7. reducing tissue toxic burden 7. sedentary habits
8. lots of nutrients, from food and 8. weak digestion
supplements 9. tobacco
10. fried or deep-fried food

C. Inflammation involves oxidation. When it comes to longevity, oxidation is bad,

anti-oxidation is good.

D. Cells (brain, liver, muscle) are programmed to die eventually they are not made to last
forever. This is called apoptosis. This is natural, normal. Its actually not good for cells to live
indefinitely thats what makes a cell malignant (cancer), in fact.

E. When our cells last an extra long time, we call that longevity. The way our bodies manage
the aging process and slow the process down is a marvel! On the other hand, too much
inflammation and oxidation, and not enough cellular energy leads to early apoptosis, or early
cell death.

F. Back to the beginning excluding acute trauma or poisoning, its fair to say that cells die
early when they can no longer make enough energy to keep up with cleaning and repairing
themselves. And again, for the most part its chronic inflammatory and oxidative challenges
inside the cells that drain the energy supply.

G. Limiting inflammatory processes extends the life of cells. And helping cells make more
energy extends their lives, too.

H. Genetics do play a role. Some peoples cells are extra good at coping with all this, so they
last a decade or two longer. Their genes help them make antioxidants more easily, plentifully,
or get rid of toxic waste more quickly, effectively.

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Promoting Longevity Living a Long and Healthy Life
John Hibbs N.D. Bastyr University
May 2011

I. We are learning that all of our bodies have genetic messages in storage (in the DNA) that are
optionally expressed messages that will only come out of the DNA and tell the cells what to do if they
are induced to do so if the DNA gets a signal. Some messages are good, some are not. Many of these
optional DNA messages have to do with cells being tougher or weaker, more energetic or less, and
living longer or less long, depending upon the genes message.

J. And it turns out that its most of the factors in the inflammation table above that induce these
genes to express, that trigger the gene into revealing its message to the body! This is amazing! We keep
coming back to lifestyle, and thats so appropriate! As you can imagine, its desirable to maintain a
lifestyle that triggers the expression of a gene that codes for a strong immune system and lots of energy,
and undesirable to maintain a lifestyle that triggers the expression of a gene that codes for, say, cancer.
The study of how our environment and lifestyle causes our genes to share these messages or not is called
epigenetics.

II. The Determinants of Health Habits that promote health and longevity

A. Sleep
a. Most research tells us that the average person needs 8+ hours of sleep each day.
b. The biochemical clock sets the sleep cycle in motion around 9:30-10:00pm.
c. Most of us ignore this! Oops! The signal is that first relaxed yawn.
d. The longer one waits to sleep after this first signal, the more sleep quality is reduced.
e. Lots of other things make it hard to sleep well, of course, including hormonal change,
stress, etc.

Benefits of good quality, adequate sleep The cost of long-term sleep deprivation
a. more energy a. more cortisol and adrenalin secretion
b. better mood b. early apoptotic loss of brain cells
c. better memory and cognitive function c. more inflammation
d. less inflammation d. more pain, heightened pain perception
e. lower blood pressure e. more depression
f. less pain f. decreased memory and cognitive function
g. more growth hormone and testosterone g. reduced muscle mass and more fat tissue
h. lower body mass index (BMI) h. insulin resistance
i. better blood sugar control i. higher blood pressure
j. more efficient tissue recovery from injury j. higher blood sugar
k. less infection k. lower testosterone and loss of nighttime
l. etc. etc. etc. growth hormone peak
l. increasing breakdown of collagen fibers in
skin skin aging
m. etc. etc. etc.

Some sleep aids: light mental activity before bed, relaxing herbs and essential oil, Calcium/Magnesium
beverage, 5-Hydroxy Tryptophan, L-theanine, GABA, melatonin-ER, bio-active milk peptides..

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Promoting Longevity Living a Long and Healthy Life
John Hibbs N.D. Bastyr University
May 2011

B. Exercise
a. Exercise does almost all the same things good sleep does! Our bodies are amazing!
Exercise will:
a. increase cellular energy by making each cells energy-making machinery
more efficient and active.
b. increase the number of muscle-to-nerve cell intersections (receptors)
c. increase sleep quality, normalize sleep chemistry
d. improve mood, happiness
e. increase secretion of endorphin hormones, improving immunity and mood,
reducing inflammation and pain, etc.
f. reduces cortisol and adrenalin outputs, reduces their levels in the blood for
about 6 hours
g. reduce blood pressure and heart rate, helping the heart and vessels last longer
h. increase oxygen delivery to tissue
i. induce sweating, and this improves excretion of all toxins and poisons
including lead, mercury, insecticides, fossil fuel chemicals, etc. in sweat
j. etc., etc., etc.

C. Breathing
1. Relaxed, whole-chest breathing will, even if only done for a few minutes several times
each day:
a. increase oxygen delivery to all tissue, including lining of blood vessels
b. cause vasodilation, increasing blood delivery to all tissue, including brain
c. reduce inflammation, beginning in the blood vessel walls, because research says
better blood flow leads to less inflammation
c. reduce blood pressure
d. alkalinize the blood, instantly reducing adrenalin secretion and anxiety
e. etc.

D. Happiness Brings about most of these same benefits!

1. Happiness has many roots and consequences:
a. meaningful work
b. family time
c. group involvement family, neighborhood, school, work, community, etc
d. friendship
e. being valued, respected
f. loving others
g. communication and connection
h. involvement, making a difference

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Promoting Longevity Living a Long and Healthy Life
John Hibbs N.D. Bastyr University
May 2011

E. Basic Cleansing Diet, the Health and Longevity Promoting Diet, the cancer, dementia, and heart
disease prevention diet, etc. START HERE Eat Less! Consider fasting one day a month or week!

This diet promotes cleansing by minimizing exposure to new toxicants, by keeping the pathways of elimination as free
as possible, and by making abundant detoxifying nutrients available. It reduces inflammatory, destructive processes in
the body. Eat enough, eat regularly, three times daily with snacks as desired.

Eat organic foods if possible, at least in regards to The Dirty Dozen (Peaches, Apples, Sweet bell peppers, Celery,
Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Pears, Grapes (imported), Spinach, Lettuce, Potatoes -- www.ewg.org). Do not eat
products that are canned, packaged, prepared with coloring, preservatives, additives, chemicals, and so on.

Vegetables and fruits: 60-70% of your diet should be vegetables and fruits. Depending upon the size of your appetite,
this will be at least 6-12 ( cup packed) servings each day. Eat them at every meal, getting a variety of colors (green,
red, yellow, orange, purple, blue) and types (leaf, flower, stem, fruit, root). Corn is not a vegetable; its a cereal grain.
And for our purposes here, no potatoes or yams count as vegetables either; they will be on the list of starches.

Cabbage family vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, cauliflower, bok choy, etc.) protect
tissue from the toxicity of many chemicals and improve detoxification and elimination of many chemicals. Eat -1 cup
at every meal, if you are able.

Protein: 15% of your dietary calories should be concentrated protein sources. Animal proteins are allowed, but try to
eat less flesh and dairy and more vegan proteins, such as beans and lentils, raw nuts, raw nutbutters and seed butters,
tofu and tempeh. If you eat fish, stay with low-mercury fish e.g. small salmon, herring, sardines; and include a high-
fiber vegetable, fruit, legume, or seaweed with your meal -- this will reduce mercury absorption further. If you eat
meats, try to eat low-fat meats from free range grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free animals; or better yet -- organic.

Concentrated carbohydrates (starchy foods): 15% of your dietary calories will come from this group, including whole
grains (short-grain brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, wheat berries, barley, whole or rolled oats and rye), all
potatoes, and yams. 15% is not a large quantity for example its about -1/2 cup cooked brown rice. Per meal. Avoid
flour (see below).

Fiber is a great cleanser as it binds fats, hormones, chemicals, metals and other undesirables in the intestines. Fiber is
found in beans/legumes (the best!), apples, peaches and pears, berries, crunchy vegetables, and whole grains. Eat two
to three of these fiber sources at every meal.

Liver cleansing foods: Eat at least once daily foods that are stimulating to liver function and bile flow (lemon/lime,
beet, carrot, nuts/seeds, soybeans, chlorophyll, artichoke, fresh rosemary, burdock and dandelion roots).

Oils: Cook with olive or coconut oil, and use extra-virgin olive, walnut, and flaxseed oils in salad dressings. No frying
or deep frying, and minimize animal fats.

Herbs/spices: Many herbs are detoxifying and anti-inflammatory. These include turmeric, rosemary, ginger, cinnamon,
nettles, and thyme. Garlic and onions are great cleansing promoters.

Purified Water: 2-3 liters/day or more, varying with body size, activity level, and daily sweating.

No-Nos: Have no refined or concentrated sugar/sweets, flour (bread, pasta, pastry), coffee or decaf, tea, caffeine,
alcohol, fried or deep-fried food, trans-fatty acids; and as above no preservatives, coloring, chemical additives, canned
food, boxed meals or mixes, etc. Avoid browned foods meats, breads the yummy outside layer of any food
cooked at high heat these are Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs); and they promote rapid aging of most tissue.

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Promoting Longevity Living a Long and Healthy Life
John Hibbs N.D. Bastyr University
May 2011

Advanced Glycation Endproducts what are they, why do they matter? Browned foods the
yummy outside layer of any food baked, fried, grilled at high heat those delicious meats, breads,
crackers, cakes, custards, fries, chips the brown material represents jillions of Advanced Glycation
Endproducts (AGEs).

From: http://www.aging-no-more.com/advanced-glycation-end-products.html
As you age your structural proteins are damaged by a process known as glycation. This process is a
reaction between proteins and sugars to significantly alter the structure and function of
proteins. Research over the last 20 years has implicated AGEs in most of the diseases associated
with aging like:
Alzheimers Disease, Cancer, Heart Disease, Type II Diabetes, Kidney Disorders,
Atherosclerosis, High blood pressure, Stroke, Visual impairment, Skin disorders

III. Healthy Skin -- AGEs; Essential Fatty Acids, Vits E & C & A, Zinc, dietary fiber, gelatin,
Indian Gooseberry and Ashwaganda (slows Type 1 & 3 collagen breakdown) [hint look at your
fingertips and cuticles if they are cracked, peeling, red, then you likely are low in one of these.]

IV. Cleaning or Depuration Processes Diet, Fiber, Exercise, Sweating Our bodies know how to
cleanse! We need to get out of the way. Everything in this lecture supports this cleansing process!

V. Nutriceuticals supplements that promote longevity

A. Inflammation managers (they are all antioxidants)
1. Curcumin many human studies, antioxidant in all tissue studied including brain, gut,
liver, joints; free radical scavenger and antioxidant, inhibiting lipid peroxidation and
oxidative DNA damage; stimulates new brain cell growth and recovery after stroke;
slows aging of the brain; chelates iron; prevents metastasis of several cancers and brings
about early cancer cell death.[absorbed poorly, get Meriva, 800mg 1-3x/day]

2. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) very similar profile to Curcimin, found in green

tea, but not black tea [standardized extract 45-50% EGCG, 1200mg 1-3x/day]

3. NAC increases cellular Glutathione, potent universal antioxidant [600mg 1-3x/day]

4. Alpha Lipoic Acid/RLA essential cofactor of four mitochondrial enzyme complexes.

Endogenously synthesized RLA is essential for life and aerobic metabolism. The list of
positive health effects is enormous. Benefits are from increasing energy production at
least as from much as its antioxidant effects. [ALA 600mg 1-3x/day, RLA half as much]

5. vitamin E as mixed tocopherols, vitamin C, Selenium, mixed carotenes

6. Probiotics reduce gut permeability and whole body toxicity and inflammation,
autoimmune disease, liver disease, cancer, etc. [fermented foods, or a supplement 1/day]

7. Omega 3 oils fish, walnut, flax, hemp, vegetables (!)

8. Pomegranate juice phenolic anthocyan antioxidant, super for the lining of arteries,
has reversed arteriosclerotic plaque build-up in arteries. [1/2 cup once/day]
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Promoting Longevity Living a Long and Healthy Life
John Hibbs N.D. Bastyr University
May 2011

9. Bilberry/Blueberry proanthocyanidin antioxidants (free radical scavengers), may help

protect against the effects of internal and environmental stresses such as cigarette
smoking and pollution, as well as supporting normal body metabolic processes. The
effects may include depressing blood fat, lowering blood pressure, preventing blood
vessel scleroses, dropping blood viscidity and preventing thrombus formation.

10. Apples! contain pectin, and several phenolic (Quercitin) and proanthocyanidin
antioxidants, far more than red wine, reducing incidence of cancer, allergy, autoimmune
disease, obesity, insulin resistance and Diabetes

B. Cellular Energy Promoters

1. D-Ribose the best Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) promoter to date. Extends life of
injured brain cells, heart cells in Heart Failure, etc. [5 grams 2-3x/day]

2. Ubiquinol newer, highly absorbable and longer-lasting CoQ10 [50-100mg 1-3x/day];

Extends life of injured brain cells, heart cells in Heart Failure

3. Magnesium necessary for normal energy production, many detoxification pathways

4. Carnitine enhances ATP production, testosterone-like effect in older men (women)

5. Whey Protein Branched Chain Amino Acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) and
Pyrroloquinoline Quinine (PQQ) have both increased the number of mitochondria
(the organelle inside all cells where the ATP is made) in rodent studies.

C. Miscellaneous
1. Fiber [Archives of Internal Medicine Feb 14 2011 subjects with high dietary fiber
intake had 22% increased likelihood of survival over a 9-year period.]

2. vitamin D3 has hormone status now, necessary for immune and brain function

3. nattokinase a fibrinolytic (fibrin clot-dissolving) compound from fermented soy; may

prevent clot-related strokes, TIAs, and heart attacks. [100mg 2x/day]Warning: Coumadin

4. vitamin K2 45mg/day reverses arteriosclerotic plaquing and osteoporosis in a

significant number of patients. Warning: Coumadin

5. Resveratrol mimics effects of calorie restriction, numerous positive effects, including

life extension in worms and small vertebrates and cancer prevention, controversial,
necessary doses in humans may be impractical, exciting research

6. Pycnogenol, has been shown to improve microcirculation, retinal edema and visual
acuity in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. Further study has shown that
Pycnogenol maintains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, selectively binds to
collagen and elastin in the body, and aids in the production of endothelial nitric oxide.