The famous scientist wrote a book about what will help people to be cheerful and active up to 120 years old. And he told about his rules of longevity.
Alexey, let's start with the main thing: why are you sure that aging can be defeated? Isn't this a natural process, conceived by nature?
- This is one of the most widespread myths: they say, aging and death are predetermined in our genes, because they are needed to free up living space for new generations. In fact, it is important for evolution that an organism (animal, human) reaches sexual maturity and gives birth to offspring. And then the "post-warranty" period of life begins. By and large, nature does not care how long the parents live after raising the heirs. Therefore, from the point of view of evolution, there are no barriers to a significant extension of life.
Why are we getting old?
- After a person has passed the age when he is able to have children, he becomes "indifferent" to evolution. Nature no longer protects it, and failures of the body's defense systems begin. This is aging and related ailments: diabetes, cancer, heart disease, blood vessels, Alzheimer's disease, etc. That is, aging itself is not a norm, but a side effect due to nature's indifference to the "post-warranty" period of life. A disease to be prevented.
- And yet, most people are sure: to live for 100 years, and even in health and a bright mind, is from the realm of fantasy
- Progress has brought us very close to solving the puzzle of aging. Experiments show that life can be significantly prolonged by simple enough interventions in the work of genes. Researchers have already managed to extend the life of laboratory nematode worms by 10 times, fruit flies by 2 times, and mice by 1.7 times. And there are other technologies. Cell therapy or the creation of artificial organs to replace worn out ones.
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When else will it be! Will we live to see the "pills for old age"?
- All this is a matter of the near future. For example, there is already evidence that some drugs that are prescribed to people for certain diseases, at the same time, slow down aging. But serious clinical studies are needed (tests on animals and then on humans. - Ed.). They are already coming, but time is against us. So I wrote a book about what each of us can do to slow our own aging.
- In 1935, Cornell University researcher Clive McKay published an article about his scientific discovery: laboratory rats, which were kept on a strict diet, with a cut in feeding, lived almost twice as long. Since then, this phenomenon has been confirmed for many living things: from yeast cells to human relatives - primates. Calorie content should be reduced by about 30-40% of the usual. That is, if for a person the usual rate is about 2000 kcal per day, then on a restrictive diet you will get about 1400 kcal.
But you haven't experienced it in public, have you?
- A man, unlike experimental animals, lives much longer, and it is, in principle, difficult to conduct such an experiment. But primate organisms are similar to ours, and this suggests a similar effect of diet. In addition, there is evidence that a restrictive diet has at least a therapeutic effect in people: it reduces the risk of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, with a rigid diet, reproductive function often suffers (the ability to bear children. - Ed.).
Instead of cutting everything, you can go the other way: cut back on certain foods in your diet that accelerate aging. And lean on anti-aging benefits. For example, monounsaturated fatty acids. They reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and certain types of cancer.
And where to get them?
- Most of them, as you know, are in vegetable oils - olive, for example, or avocado. There is a widespread point of view about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. We really need them, they slow down the development of depression, Alzheimer's disease. There are many of them in fatty varieties of northern marine fish: halibut, mackerel, herring, tuna, trout, salmon. If you eat this fish 2 - 3 times a week, you will get the required amount.
At the same time, it should be borne in mind that omega-3s belong to polyunsaturated oils and therefore are quickly oxidized in our cells. As a result, damage occurs, including at the DNA level, which creates the prerequisites for the development of cancer and aging. Therefore, you should not abuse it.
They say protein is good for the body …
- A diet rich in complete protein is essential for successful growth and puberty. And in adulthood, when the body is formed, further growth only accelerates aging. And if you cut back on protein in the diet, cells will spend fewer resources on growth, but they will concentrate on protecting the body, resisting stress and infections. Aging will slow down.
In the United States, a long-term study was conducted under the guidance of Professor Walter Longo: how people's dietary habits affect life expectancy. It was found that in the 50-65 age group, daily consumption of large amounts of protein (meat and dairy products) increases the risk of developing cancer by 4 times and increases overall mortality by 75%.
Several other studies have shown that excess of an amino acid called methionine is most harmful to our body. It is abundant in red meat, tuna, eggs, milk and rice. Therefore, personally, for example, I eat meat no more than once a week, and from dairy products - only cheese, and then on holidays.
What other rules do you follow?
- I try to observe the daily routine: eat and rest at a certain time. Each cell in our body has its own internal clock, which is synchronized with the central clock - they are located in the central nervous system. And the work of such a clock depends just on the mode of eating and sleeping. If there is no consistency, the aging process goes much faster.
Or maybe you lean on some kind of "rejuvenating" products?
- Many vitamins, biologically active substances and trace elements also slow down aging. For example, alpha lipoic acid, which is found in spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and peas. Magnesium helps to preserve the youthfulness of our nervous system. Vitamins - such as pantothenic acid and D3 - extended the life of animals by 20 - 40%. But this does not mean that you need to eat dietary supplements and vitamins in tablets. I try to get all the nutrients I need from food.
IMPORTANT
What's in my index …
“Another important indicator is the glycemic index of foods,” explains Alexey Moskalev. - He talks about how quickly the level of sugar in our blood rises after eating a particular food. Foods with a high GI rapidly increase the amount of glucose in the blood, and then sharply reduce it, which is why such foods are also called "fast" carbohydrates.
The higher the peak in glucose growth after a meal, the more likely an adverse reaction is glycation. It is the chemical interaction of excess glucose with the proteins that make up our body. Glycation is dangerous because it contributes to the development of atherosclerosis, diabetes, and renal failure. It also accelerates the formation of wrinkles.
MYTHS OFF
Antioxidants are failing
For many years, it was believed that one of the main levers that trigger aging are the so-called free radicals. These are molecules that are formed in our body as a result of oxygen processing. And antioxidant substances were considered useful. Many manufacturers of dietary supplements are now actively claiming that antioxidants are an invaluable source of youth, inhibiting aging. Aleksey Moskalev refutes: "Danish scientists have found that people who took three antioxidants - beta-carotene, vitamin E and a high dose of vitamin A - not only did not increase their life expectancy, but, on the contrary, were at increased risk of death."
And recently, researchers at the Canadian McGill University made an unexpected discovery: free radicals (oxidants) contribute to the self-destruction of damaged human cells: cancer cells, as well as those affected by viruses. Thus, a small amount of oxidants does not harm us so much as it helps by strengthening the body's defenses.
FROM THE DOSSIER
Alexey MOSKALEV (born November 5, 1976) - Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Genetics of Life Expectancy and Aging at the Moscow Phystech, Head of the Laboratory of the Institute of Biology of Komi, Head Department of Ecology, Syktyvkar State University. Author of over 80 scientific articles and books on the genetics of aging and longevity
