Healthy eating, without exceeding in quantity, and physical activity to live long and, above all, healthy. “Living longer and well would seem like a banal concept, but to do so we need to implement strategies and develop a real longevity program. The objective is well-being, not only physical but also mental, with scientifically proven methodologies”, he explains David Della Morte Canosci, associate professor of Neurology at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami and of Internal Medicine at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and director of the Palazzo Fiuggi Medical Center, a Medical Spa on the outskirts of Rome which combines medical examinations , personalized treatments, physical activity, holistic disciplines and thermal treatments are the benefits of Fiuggi water, “which has pharmacological power”.
In the recipe for longevity “the first point is to know who the person is and what the influence of the environment around him is, through genetics and epigenetics. From here we must start to study how to intervene through targeted strategies to reverse the process of aging, or slow it down if it were accelerated, like the Longevity program that we have formulated at Palazzo Fiuggi. The key word is prevention, never take it for granted: a healthy lifestyle and correct nutrition are the pillars to achieve this objective”, he underlines. . To live long and healthy “you need to change your lifestyle, in some cases reset it completely”, remarks the expert, currently engaged in genetic studies aimed at identifying the factors that influence the development of vascular aging and cognition .
Nutrition as a medicine. Let’s start from the table: what are the foods allied to longevity? “Yes to the Mediterranean diet, with lots of fruit and vegetables – he replies – and foods rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins and polyphenols. Also yes to olive oil which contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecules capable of playing an important role in the prevention of chronic-degenerative diseases, such as various forms of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. There is a lot of talk about the vegetarian diet, but what is important is to never let the body lack the right amount of protein to maintain muscle. We have seen that Age-related muscle loss, sarcopenia, is a risk factor for metabolic, cardiovascular and neurovegetative diseases.”
And again, “numerous scientific studies have shown that a diet rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods can prevent and in some cases even determine the remission of diseases such as diabetes”. Quantity matters too. “It is important not to exceed the right calorie intake,” he recommends. And, in addition to nutrition, “physical activity is a pillar” of longevity. “If practiced correctly it can be miraculous – adds Della Morte Canosci – Caloric restriction and physical activity activate sirtuins, a family of proteins that stimulate DNA to produce positive substances, but which tend to decrease with age”.
To live healthy “we must also try to maintain a good mental state, one of the most important factors for not accelerating aging. Today we know the molecular pathways that stimulate it. In order to work, our cells must produce energy and in doing so they produce waste, free radicals. Up to a certain age we have the defense mechanisms to eliminate this waste, but after that the body is no longer able to dispose of it, like an industry that is unable to dispose of its waste they accumulate, cause inflammation and oxidative stress and make us age.” Therefore, if there is no elixir of long life, “a correct lifestyle, a healthy diet and regular physical exercise can make the difference”, remarks Della Morte Canosci. At Palazzo Fiuggi “we have translated the key principles of anti-aging into a food line with more than a thousand recipes. Each ingredient used to compose the dishes has specific nutritional properties. In particular, foods rich in polyphenols and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are used , and low in saturated fats, without however compromising their palatability”. The Food Line is in fact signed by three-starred chef Heinz Beck, who has always paid attention to health and well-being in the creation of his dishes.
The water of well-being. The Water of Fiuggi “draws its properties – says Della Morte Canosci – from ferns: the rainwater, which falls on the vegetation, is enriched with microcomponents and ends up in the soil from which it is then extracted. It has pharmacological powers, we know that it works against kidney stones, thanks to a chemical reaction capable of breaking down calcium. It also eliminates many other residues present in the body”. It has demonstrated a beneficial effect on a variety of chronic disorders and diseases, including urinary tract disorders, cystitis, pyelonephritis, metabolic disorders, gout and arthritis.
The role of genetics. To find out if we will live long, what we will get sick from, but also what the most effective diet could be, the temptation to peek into the big book of DNA is very strong. And it is increasingly within everyone’s reach. “There are thousands of genetic tests available and almost every year new ones arrive on the market. In the last 10 years alone, around 50 thousand have been developed”, explains Giuseppe Novelli, director of the Medical Genetics Unit of the Tor Vergata Polyclinic, who Palazzo Fiuggi is carrying out the ‘Health, prevention and genome’ project, in collaboration with the Medical Genetics Laboratory of the Department of Biomedicine and Prevention of the University of Tor Vergata. The risk is that too often this offer leads to inappropriate use of genetic tests. To trivialize them, like a sort of horoscope.
“We say no to the ‘genoscope’ – underlines Novelli – genetic tests are not a horoscope, but a precious tool for predictive medicine on healthy people. Once upon a time, undergoing a complete analysis of one’s genome cost around 100 thousand euros, today we are around to 300-400 euros. This has certainly favored the market: there are around 35 million people in the world who have deciphered their DNA. One might say that everyone does it now. And this also raises an ethical and privacy issue “. The expert is keen to remember that “it is not a banal blood test, it is a delicate analysis, which concerns the person, his family, his children, the group to which he belongs. Genetic tests must be carried out with precise criteria and it is essential that they are interpreted in an appropriate and serious manner, otherwise we risk doing great damage”, comments Novelli, renewing the invitation not to trivialize: “Our DNA does not say how many coffees we can drink a day, or which dish is better to eat for lunch or dinner”.
#recipe #longevity