One can still imagine the Sardinian hills echoing with the footsteps of shepherds who were, unconsciously, working out one of the greatest recipes for longevity that the world has ever seen. In contrast, USC Longevity Institute Director and renowned gerontologist Dr. Valter Longo finds that this recipe for longevity is threatened as it is not by the effects of genetics, but what the doctor likes to refer to as the “poisonous five P’s” of pizza, pasta, protein, potatoes, and pane (bread).
1. The Poisonous Five P’s and their Impact
Longo speaks of “the poisonous P’s: pasta, pizza, paninoti (sandwiches), pizza al taglio (pizza slice bars), and panineri (hot paninis and panine).” In and of themselves, Longo’s “toxic P’s” are not dangerous in moderation, yet adherence to them means that “the nutritional quality of Italian food has decreased” in favor of nutritional values that are “primarily provided now” by plant-based sources. Italian pasta and pizza are highly glycemic, and overconsuming protein from animals accompanies this dangerous recipe for chronic diseases like obesity.
2. Returning to the Traditional Mediterranean Diet
“La dieta Mediterránea clásica” ha sido probada en ensayos aleatorios realizados en grandes escalas, como PREDIMED, y consta deuna serie de alimentos: “verduras, frutas, legumbres, nueces, granos integrales y abundante uso de aceite de oliva extravirgen.” Esta dieta ha probadoreducir “hasta en un 52%” los riesgos de enfermedades cardiovasculares, “mortalidad total” y, incluso, “deterioro cognoscitivo” y “cancer de seno.” Esto es muy fácil de comer. Esto es muy disfrutable.
3. Lessons from Blue Zones
Sardinia is one of the world’s Blue Zones and provides real-world evidence of the power of food in contributing to healthy longevity. Here, the native diet consists of beans, vegetables grown in gardens, whole-grain bread, and limited amounts of meat, which can be accompanied by powerful antioxidant-rich wine such as Cannonau. In the nine Blue Zones around the world, nine elements of the “Power 9” life habits can be identified, including moving the body naturally and enjoying social integration and meaning in life.
4. Fasting Mimicking Diet
Longo’s Fasting Mimicking Diet is “a five-day plant-based, low protein, low carbohydrate, and high-fat diet that induces protective responses, decreases IGF-1, and stimulates cell renewal.” In one randomized controlled trial, mean weight loss of 2.6kg and mean decrease in waist circumference of 4.1 cm after three monthly cycles of FMD were achieved, along with mean reductions in blood pressure and blood levels of IGF-1, in participants who reported only mild side effects.
5. Evidence for Intermitt
Aside from FMD, intermittent fasting (IF), including methods such as alternate-day fasting, time-restricted fasting, and fasting twice a week, has been shown in controlled trials to be beneficial. In comparison to non-intervention diets, IF decreases abdominal circumference, total fat mass, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting insulin, and it increases fat-free mass. Nonetheless, evidence indicates that it is less effective than continuous energy restriction for reducing systolic blood pressure.
6. Gut-Brain Connection
Dr. Uma Naidoo, nutritional psychiatrist, describes the importance of the Mediterranean diet in promoting the growth of good gut health and preventing such conditions as depression and dementia. Polyphenols in colorful fruits and vegetables and healthier fats in olive oil promote the health of good bugs and reduce systemic inflammation that can cause such diseases as depression and dementia.
7. Telomeres and Long
Brigham and Women’s Hospital finds that observing the Mediterranean diet leads to increased telomeres, or the protective covering of the chromosomes that deteriorates as one ages. Telomeres that are longer lead to lower occurrences of age-related diseases and to life lengthening. And small changes within eating plant-based and antioxidant dieting lead to less telomere shortening, leading to the quantifiable marker of aging.
8. Making Healthy Habits Sustainable
Adoption depends on adaptability and simplicity. Martinez-Gonzalez recommends: Small changes: Fats are exchanged for extra-virgin olive oil in cooking, one to three portions of vegetables are added to each meal, fruits are substituted for dessert, and legumes are incorporated into usual recipes. If people adopt the Mediterranean diet, Martinez-Gonzalez says, “They’ll keep the Mediterranean diet for life.”
9. Integration of Movement and Social Interaction
Data from the Blue Zones reveals that longevity flourishes in environments where physical activity is integrated into people’s lives, such as gardening and walking, in addition to tasks such as housecleaning and other chores in and around the home. Shared eating, religion-based social gatherings, and multi-generational fami.
By moving out of the gravitational pull of “the poisonous five P’s” and realigning with known food and life-style patterns, from Meditereanean to fasting strategies, health-concerned individuals can turn the tables on life and achieve “a vibrant, disease-free century” rather than just “a longer life.”
