Interesting facts about longevity

 Longevity has at least two components: genetic and environmental factors (life habits, diet, stress). You can interfere with the latter.

• A few years ago, gerontologists revealed that the residents of the island of Okinawa, in southern Japan, lived longer than the inhabitants of any other country. Your secret diet? Variety of cereals, vegetables, soy and fish; little meat and poultry, and less dairy. Currently, life expectancy in Okinawa is decreasing because young people on the island have an abound diet. Longevity in fast foods, which cause high levels of obesity.
• Several studies on Mormons, Adventists and Trapan monks - who have a vegetarian diet and follow a quiet lifestyle - show that their life expectancy is also higher.
• A Spanish study conducted in people between 65 and 80 years old showed that those who followed a Mediterranean diet were 31 percent less likely to die in the next nine years than those who did not. This type of food includes whole-grain breads, fish, vegetables and fruits and olive oil; little red meat and processed and refined foods such as ice cream and pastry kneading.

Eat less to live longer?

Since 1930, it has been experimented with laboratory rats and mice and it has been discovered that limiting calories not only delays aging, but even reverses some of its consequences.By feeding these rodents with a very low-calorie diet - 30 to 50 percent of what they normally eat - scientists have been able to extend the lives of both mice and fruit flies.

On the other hand, studies have been designed to see if monkeys, fed on a diet that included all the required nutrients, but with two-thirds of normal calories, lived longer than usual. The data indicated that primates who had a lean diet, compared to their peers who ate all the food they wanted, showed a lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

A theory about the connection between eating less and living more explains that the metabolism of food produces free radicals, therefore, the less food is consumed, the less harmful free radicals are generated. It is risky, however, to try to restrict energy on our own since low-calorie diets usually have deficiencies in some nutrients. While it is known that older people need fewer calories, it must also be borne in mind that the aging body is less efficient to absorb and use some nutrients.