What Are The Factors That Affect A Person’s Life Expectancy?
Integrative oncology and metabolic medicine expert Dr. Thomas Lodi tackles this in his latest video, where he talks about longevity. According to Dr. Lodi, longevity “directly relates to the body’s ability to hold a charge.” Why do some animals live longer than others? We are going to answer these questions for you in this article.
“We are talking about the quality of your membranes. Longevity is inversely proportional to the peroxidizability of the mitochondrial membrane,” he said. “It is the quality of those membranes and their resistance to being oxidized. This means they are not polyunsaturated. They must be either monounsaturated or saturated.”
One study found that “manipulating mitochondrial networks inside cells” can help increase life span and promote health. This can be done through genetic manipulation or dietary restriction.
The mitochondria’s capacity to “dynamically change shape” according to energy demand declines with age but the study found that there is a causal link between these dynamic changes and longevity. This supports previously found scientific evidence showing that “low-energy conditions” like intermittent fasting and dietary restriction can help promote healthy aging.
Mitochondrial health has also been linked to chronic inflammation and heart health. If a person constantly eats unhealthy food, the mitochondria—which creates the body’s most basic fuel from oxygen and the food we consume—will become overstressed, rendering it unable to break down cellular waste.
The body will then become vulnerable as it is regularly exposed to toxins. And because the heart muscles have more mitochondria than any other body organ, it is important to keep the mitochondria healthy.
Dr. Lodi added, “It comes down to the quality of their mitochondrial membranes. It’s the rate of metabolism. So, a dog is living seven times faster. Then look at cats, why don’t cats make it past 15 years of age? Because they eat meat. Animals that eat plants live longer.”
He further cited that horses live between 25 to 40 years, while chimps live to an average of 55 years. Elephants also reap the benefits of a plant-based diet as they live between 60 to 90 years. Conversely, lions, tigers, hyenas, and wolves all live to an average of 15 years.
Nutrition Is A Factor That Affects Longevity
A whole-food, plant-based diet is “associated with lower mortality.” An article in the Journal of Nutrition noted that a diet rich in plant foods helps lower the risk of death from heart disease and cancer, as supported by extensive scientific evidence.
Other studies suggest that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can help slow down or prevent cognitive decline. This is because plant-based diets have a higher number of plant compounds and antioxidants which slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
A plant-based eating pattern can also be an effective tool in managing and reducing the risk of diabetes. For people with diabetes, it significantly helps in improving blood sugar control.
As Dr. Lodi puts it, “Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels! Eat a whole food plant-based diet and expand your life expectancy.”
Nutrition is a core aspect of Dr. Lodi’s renowned comprehensive cancer care program. Visit our 8-hr online video series course that provides all of the basic, fundamental knowledge and tools to stop making cancer, you can find it here.
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