Ikaria Experiment - Greek for a week!

The following series of posts are based on a personal experiment I conducted a few years ago for another blog. Since then, I like to "go Greek" at least once a year :) Enjoy!....

 
For a few months now I've been reading in depth about the dietary habits of the world's oldest living people- the Ikarians of the eastern Greek Islands. It all started when I read an article by Dan Buettner in the New York Times about his observations of this unique culture that seems to contribute to Ikarian longevity. (Dan's article HERE.)

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        I have since read several other articles, books and websites about Ikaria and my fascination is quickly becoming obsession. I've had fatigued and lazy days in my 20s that Ive claimed to feel 80 years old. Meanwhile, in, Ikaria, citizens into their 80s and 90s are consistently social, physically active, and even intimate. Throughout my research this is what has sparked my obsession; if an 85 year old Ikarian man can dance with his peers after a long day of scaling mountains and picking grapes, why am I so completely devoid of energy after a sedentary day in the office? What am I doing wrong? Or perhaps more importantly,

what are they doing RIGHT in Ikaria?

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     Though diet is not the only factor contributing to the island's health and wellness, I believe it is what facilitates each and every other healthy habit they have. Simply put- it all starts with food... food that gives energy, releases endorphins, is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, promotes relaxation and healthy sleep cycles and reduces stress. This is breakfast, lunch and dinner, respectively. This is how our bodies want to eat and this is a lifestyle I plan to emulate for a month.

     Thanks to this article over at Traditionally Me, Dan Buettner's findings about the traditional Ikarian diet have been summarized. 

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     As I mentioned above, the day begins with food that gives energy and releases endorphins. Breakfast is a meal that is rich in protein and carbohydrates:

"A typical day might begin with a spoonful of honey. It is seen as a tonic. After that comes a breakfast of one optional glass of wine, goat’s milk or goat yogurt, sage tea or coffee, honey, and heavy naturally-soured sourdough bread made with whole grains."

A plant based lunch is stocked full of antioxidants and polyphenols:

"A late afternoon lunch is usually a large meal consisting of perhaps another glass of wine, some kalamata olives, wild greens, plenty of potatoes, beans, or lentils, more heavy sourdough bread, and perhaps some hummus. A sunset snack with friends for Ikarians is a cup of herbal tea and one glass of wine."

Finally, the day ends lightly with a small meal which promotes relaxation and healthy sleep cycles and reduces stress. 

"Dinners consist primarily of only whole grain sourdough bread, goat’s milk, and a glass of wine. If they add anything else to this meal, it is merely some fish twice a week, or a bit of goat or pork five times a month. After a dinner with friends, a dance to traditional Greek music is not uncommon."

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Some important lifestyle factors that are important to consider and take part in include:

• Exercise, walking or hiking for at least an hour per day
• Spending time outside
• Napping and getting enough rest
• Laid back approach to time (Ikarians rarely wear watches)
• Community and Family Values
• Gardening

 Tomorrow I will post a grocery list, meal plan and daily schedule for my transition to a more "Ikarian" lifestyle. 

Keep in mind that I work a 9-5, just like many of you, and my job is very demanding. I was encouraged when I read that many Ikarians also have full time jobs unrelated to farming, cooking or gardening as well. If they can do it...I can do it!

Join me this week on my lifestyle journey to Ikaria! Stay tuned for more tomorrow ;)

13 Proven Health Benefits of Coffee

There are a lot of infographics and lists floating around the internet with some pretty interesting facts about coffee. 99% of them, however, do not have any source to back it up and as you know I won't share anything with you that appeared out of thin air! The wonderful article below comes with references linked to the information it presents. My kind of article :) Grab a cup of joe and enjoy! 

13 Proven Health Benefits of Coffee (No. 1 is My Favorite)

By Kris Gunnars |

 

Coffee is actually very healthy. It is loaded with antioxidants and beneficial nutrients that can improve your health. The studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of several serious diseases.

Here are the top 13 evidence-based health benefits of coffee, that have been confirmed in actual human studies.

1. Coffee Can Improve Energy Levels and Make You Smarter

Coffee can help people feel less tired and increase energy levels (1, 2).

This is because it contains a stimulant called caffeine, which is actually the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world (3).

After you drink coffee, the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, it travels into the brain (4).

In the brain, caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine.

When that happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine actually increases, leading to enhanced firing of neurons (5, 6).

Many controlled trials in humans show that coffee improves various aspects of brain function. This includes memory, mood, vigilance, energy levels, reaction times and general cognitive function (7, 8, 9).

Bottom Line: Caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which leads to a stimulant effect. This improves energy levels, mood and various aspects of brain function.

2. Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat

Did you know that caffeine is found in almost every commercial fat burning supplement?

There’s a good reason for that… caffeine is one of the very few natural substances that have actually been proven to aid fat burning.

Several studies show that caffeine can boost the metabolic rate by 3-11% (10, 11).

Other studies show that caffeine can specifically increase the burning of fat, by as much as 10% in obese individuals and 29% in lean people (12).

However, it is possible that these effects will diminish in long-term coffee drinkers.

Bottom Line: Several studies show that caffeine can increase fat burning in the body and boost the metabolic rate.

3. The Caffeine Can Drastically Improve Physical Performance

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, causing it to send signals to the fat cells to break down body fat (13, 14).

But caffeine also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in the blood (15, 16).

This is the “fight or flight” hormone, designed to make our bodies ready for intense physical exertion.

Caffeine makes the fat cells break down body fat, releasing them into the blood as free fatty acids and making them available as fuel (17, 18).

Given these effects, it is not surprising to see that caffeine can improve physical performance by 11-12%, on average (29, 20).

Because of this, it makes sense to have a strong cup of coffee about a half an hour before you head to the gym.

Bottom Line: Caffeine can increase adrenaline levels and release fatty acids from the fat tissues. It also leads to significant improvements in physical performance.

4. There Are Essential Nutrients in Coffee

Coffee is more than just black water. Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink.

A single cup of coffee contains (21):

• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA.
• Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
• Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
• Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.

Although this may not seem like a big deal, most people are drinking more than one cup per day. If you drink 3-4, then these amounts quickly add up.

Bottom Line: Coffee contains several important nutrients, including Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.

5. Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Type II Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a gigantic health problem, currently afflicting about 300 million people worldwide.

It is characterized by elevated blood sugars in the context of insulin resistance or an inability to secrete insulin.

For some reason, coffee drinkers have a significantly reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The studies show that people who drink the most coffee have a 23-50% lower risk of getting this disease, one study showing a reduction as high as 67% (22, 23, 24, 25, 26).

According to a massive review that looked at data from 18 studies with a total of 457,922 individuals, each daily cup of coffee was associated with a 7% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes (27).

Bottom Line: Several observational studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of getting type II diabetes, a serious disease that currently afflicts about 300 million people worldwide.

6. Coffee May Protect You From Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease and the leading cause of dementia worldwide.

This disease usually affects people over 65 years of age.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s.

However, there are several things you can do to prevent the disease from showing up in the first place.

This includes the usual suspects like eating healthy and exercising, but drinking coffee may be incredibly effective as well.

Several studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease (28, 29, 30).

Bottom Line: Coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, which is a leading cause of dementia worldwide.

7. Caffeine May Lower The Risk of Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, right after Alzheimer’s.

It is caused by death of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain.

Same as with Alzheimer’s, there is no known cure, which makes it that much more important to focus on prevention.

In studies, coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, with a reduction in risk ranging from 32-60% (31, 32, 33, 34).

In this case, it appears to be the caffeine itself that is causing the effect. People who drink decaf don’t have a lower risk of Parkinson’s (35, 36).

Bottom Line: Coffee drinkers have up to a 60% lower risk of getting Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder.

8. Coffee Appears to Have Protective Effects on The Liver

The liver is an amazing organ that carries out hundreds of important functions in the body.

Several common diseases primarily affect the liver, including hepatitis, fatty liver disease and others.

Many of these diseases can lead to a condition called cirrhosis, in which the liver has been largely replaced by scar tissue.

It turns out that coffee may protect against cirrhosis. People who drink 4 or more cups per day have up to an 80% lower risk (37, 38, 39).

Bottom Line: Coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of developing cirrhosis, which can be caused by several diseases that affect the liver.

9. Coffee Can Fight Depression and Make You Happier

Depression is a serious mental disorder that causes a significantly reduced quality of life.

It is incredibly common and about 4.1% of people in the U.S. currently meet the criteria for clinical depression.

In a Harvard study published in 2011, women who drank 4 or more cups per day had a 20% lower risk of becoming depressed (40).

Another study with 208,424 individuals found that those who drank 4 or more cups per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide (41).

Bottom Line: Coffee appears to lower the risk of developing depression and may dramatically reduce the risk of suicide.

10. Coffee Drinkers Have a Lower Risk of Some Types of Cancer

Cancer is one of the world’s leading causes of death and is characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the body.

Coffee appears to be protective against two types of cancer… liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the world, while colorectal cancer ranks fourth (42).

Studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 40% lower risk of liver cancer (43, 44).

One study of 489,706 individuals found that those who drank 4-5 cups of coffee per day had a 15% lower risk of colorectal cancer (45).

Bottom Line: Liver and colorectal cancer are the 3rd and 4th leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of both.

11. Coffee Does Not Cause Heart Disease and May Lower The Risk of Stroke

It is often claimed that caffeine can increase blood pressure.

This is true, but the effect is small (3-4 mm/Hg) and usually goes away if you drink coffee regularly (46, 47).

However, the effect may persist in some people, so keep that in mind if you have elevated blood pressure (48, 49).

That being said, the studies do NOT support the myth that coffee raises the risk of heart disease (50, 51).

In fact, there is some evidence that women who drink coffee have a reduced risk of heart disease (52).

Some studies also show that coffee drinkers have a 20% lower risk of stroke (53, 54).

Bottom Line: Coffee may cause mild increases in blood pressure, which usually diminish over time. Coffee drinkers do not have an increased risk of heart disease, but a slightly lower risk of stroke.

12. Coffee May Help You Live Longer

Given that coffee drinkers are less likely to get many diseases, it makes sense that coffee could help you live longer.

There are actually several observational studies showing that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death.

In two very large studies, drinking coffee was associated with a 20% lower risk of death in men and a 26% lower risk of death in women, over a period of 18-24 years (55).

This effect appears to be particularly strong in type II diabetics. In one study, diabetics who drank coffee had a 30% lower risk of death during a 20 year study period (56).

Bottom Line: Several studies show that coffee drinkers live longer and have a lower risk of premature death.

13. Coffee is The Biggest Source of Antioxidants in The Western Diet

For people who eat a standard Western diet, coffee may actually be the healthiest aspect of the diet.

That’s because coffee contains a massive amount of antioxidants.

In fact, studies show that most people get more antioxidants from coffee than both fruits and vegetables… combined (57, 58, 59).

Coffee is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. Period.

 

 

 

Full article link HERE. 

Two Favorite Take Home Points After Saturday's TED Talk

1. Daf 2 Mutations
2. Beans



1. It's alwas interesting to me that we publicly put so much money into cancer research when cancer prevention seems just as important. Perhaps this is an emotional attention to the matter as cancer doesn't really affect people until they or a loved one already has it. Then it's time to fight. But before that, prevention isn't as sought after. Can you imagine if we spent millions and billions of dollars on curing the measles when preventing it is clearly the best way to avoid it? What if we could prevent genes from even being inclined to get the diseases of aging, the C word included.
Daf 2 mutations are incredible. I was especially shocked at the study with Ashkenazi Jews. The ones who lived into their 90s and 100s all had daf 2 mutations. This works people! I can't wait to see how this manifests in in-vivo studies.
Just from reading some study abstracts, it appears that Daf 2 may have a metabolic effect similar to slowing down the metabolism which we've also discussed as being a by product of fasting... interesting.

2. Beans are more than just a musical fruit. The are a fat free, high protein, anti-oxidant rich, cleansing fiber loaded, healthy. affordable carbohydrate that you should eat on a regular basis.  Dan Beutener's statistics on them were fascinating. I would bet, that ones the gut has restored health, thanks to the role of beans in it, they are no longer a musical fruit. One thing that Dan didn't mention about beans is that they are packed with  folate. Folate is an essential vitamin for the body, often known for its importance during pregnancy to support a developing fetus. In synthetic vitamin form folate (B9) is folic acid. I could bore you with endless folate facts, but instead I'll leave you with this little nugget: a common and powerful chemotherapy agent called Leucovorin is used to successfully treat many different cancers, including colon cancer. It is technically a chemoprotectant used to increase efficacy of other treatments. What is Leucovorin derived from? You guessed it- folic acid.. Talk about preventative medicine. Kind of makes you want to eat your beans at every meal!

TED Talk - The Fountain of Youth

 

The Fountain Of Youth

Aging is inevitable. We can slow it down a little, but could we ever bring it to a grinding halt? In this episode, TED speakers explore how we all might live longer and even better lives.

1. Dan Buettner: What Are The Secrets of Centenarians?

2.  Aubrey de Grey: Can Aging Be Cured? 

3. Cynthia Kenyon: How Do You Make An Elderly Worm Feel Young Again?

4. Harvey Fineberg: How Could Technology Change The Way We Evolve?

5. Isabel Allende: Is Aging Really So Bad?

Listen to the full talk HERE.

Dr. Kempner's Healing Fruit and Rice Diet from Duke

A wonderful book on the subject can be found here. The description is as follows:

“In 1934, a brilliant young scientist, Walter Kempner (1903-1997), was brought as a refugee from Nazi Germany to join the faculty of Duke Hospital s department of medicine. The first AMA presentation, in 1944, of his unconventional research in the origins and treatment of metabolic diseases provoked wide attention and considerable controversy, but the results of his strict diet regimen were undeniable. Patients flocking to Durham for the famous Rice Diet found their diabetes, kidney and cardiovascular diseases once considered fatal cured or greatly improved. The headline-grabbing success of Dr. Kempner's diet contributed significantly over the years to Durham's economic growth and Duke's transformation into a world-famous center for medical research and care. From his arrival at Duke, Kempner worked to help friends get out of Germany. For several who had been scholars in pre-war Germany he found positions here. They and a few others associated with the Rice Diet became a close-knit community in exile around the central figure of Dr. Kempner. One, author Barbara Newborg, worked with him for 40 years, much of that time as his chief medical associate. This first-hand account of Kempner's life and of his work comprises two dramatic interrelated narratives. The story of a charismatic but always controversial personality and his circle of accomplished followers, and their wartime experience as refugees and exiles, will interest general readers, including thousands of ''Ricers.'' For medical professionals and scholars, the book documents historic research that elucidated underlying principles of kidney, diabetic and cardiovascular disorders, and their successful treatment without drugs. The book includes many rare personal photographs (which Kempner suppressed during his life) and clinical images including graphs, x-rays, eye-grounds, and photos.”

I was sure to mention Duke in the title of this post since "Fruit and Rice" diet initially sounds like a quack prescription. Duke was not only shocked by the curative results taken from Dr. Kempner’s research but they went on to run a clinic featuring this “diet” for the next several decades. 

See more about this amazing cure (not band-aid!) here:

Intermittent Fasting Boosts The Immune System

One of the most fascinating thing about the way little kids eat is that they eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. Before they are fully functioning social creatures, kids are still guided by their instinctive bodily needs. Every parent I know will tell me how their child goes through phases of barely touching their food and then suddenly eating everything in sight. 

 Eating when your body doesn't really need or want food is a bad thing. When you are not hungry, your digestive system is giving you the red light on anything else passing your lips. It has enough to do. It might still be working on your previous meal, it might be working with your immune system to battle a cold or it might be in stressed out fight or flight mode. 

Your gut knows what you need! Now all we need to do is listen to it. Have you ever heard the saying that your gut is your second brain? I think this is right on. While our brains can tell us what we want, our gut is constantly trying to tell us what we need. 
Stomach not rumbling with hunger? Don't eat! There is no need to force it upon yourself. The 4 year old you certainly wouldn't.

Now when I talk about fasting, I'm talking about the kind that emulates the natural habits of kids- who are as in tuned with their natural needs more than adults. That means a fast lasting for hours or days, not weeks.

A new study from the June 5th edition of Cell Stem Cell found that intermittent fasting boosted the immune system by inducing "immune system regeneration, shifting stem cells from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal". See article HERE.

This could possibly explain why we lose our appetites when we're sick. Our bodies are trying to push us into a fast in order to revamp the disease fighting leukocytes that are suddenly needed in overdrive. 

The subjects in this study fasted for two to four days for periods of 6 months. 

Another study found that for chemo patients, 3 days was the magic number. In a small phase 1 trial, patients who fasted for 72 hours prior to receiving chemo had higher overall white cell counts after their first dose.  Read this fascinating article HERE.

The explanation for how fasting "weakens cancer" and effects the immune system, in a nutshell, is as such:

"During each cycle of fasting, this depletion of white blood cells induces changes that trigger stem cell-based regeneration of new immune system cells. In particular, prolonged fasting reduced the enzyme PKA, an effect previously discovered by the Longo team to extend longevity in simple organisms and which has been linked in other research to the regulation of stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency — that is, the potential for one cell to develop into many different cell types. Prolonged fasting also lowered levels of IGF-1, a growth-factor hormone that Longo and others have linked to aging, tumor progression and cancer risk."

 Amazing stuff! Kids get sick a lot and are constantly fighting off pathogens to which they have not yet developed antibodies. Perhaps this sheds some light on why their eating habits are so inconsistent?

The moral here is this: don't worry about your kid who doesn't want dinner for the fourth night in a row. His or her gut knows exactly what it's doing. In fact, take a tip from it. Stop listening to your brain, which is listening to that Arby's commercial, and have a heart to heart with your gut. Are you really hungry? Maybe you're just thirsty.  Try an intermittent fast to reset your gut brain

 

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There are many ways to fast. You can start with a full day, or knock two days out per week. If this seems impossible, try a 16-8 fast, where you don't eat for 16 hours of the day and eat as you desire for 8. Don't stuff yourself, just eat until you're full. If you know any really healthy seniors, I'd be willing to bet this is how they naturally eat. It's known as fasting to those of us who have to eat 6 meals a day PLUS dessert, but in reality it is a very common way of eating.

Before starting any kind of fasting plan, check with your doctor.

Below is an infographic from Dr. Mercola to give you an idea of how to properly do a 16-8 fast. If it's challenging at first, perhaps try fasting only one or two days a week. On days when I am not fasting, I still try to have an easy to digest breakfast like fruit or a smoothie.

Tell me again why we're not supposed to drink fruit juice?

In a study completed in 2014 to examine how telomere length is affected by diet, researchers looked at participants who drank sugary soda/beverages, diet soda and 100% fruit juice. The study objective clearly leaned towards finding a link between sugary drinks and degenerative health. Time and time again, increased consumption of soda has been linked to age related diseases. (If you're unfamiliar with telomeres, see my post here!).

"Given that oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance are also associated with telomere shortening, impaired telomere length maintenance is a potential mechanism that may help to explain the association between SSB consumption and accelerated metabolic disease"

By including 100% fruit juice, however, an accidental and unexpected finding occurred.

"Consumption of 100% fruit juice was marginally associated with longer telomeres (b = 0.016; 95% CI = -0.000, 0.033; P = .05)."

Keep in mind, like all studies, this provides evidence, not proof. The 100% fruit juice drinking cohort drank far fewer ounces of fruit juice than did the soda drinking cohort. The study ultimately advises reaching for whole fruit rather that fruit juice due to the beneficial effects of fiber and other nutrients extracted during the juicing process.
None-the-less, interesting stuff! 

                   *Believe in the power of fruits and veggies*!