Review: The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age

The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age by Steven R. Gundry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't rate this book higher :P One of my favs of this year for sure! This book has made a huge impact on my life. It's not a huge book but it took foooooreeeeever to read because I was continually writing down notes! It's literally like a science textbook that you just want to learn everything there is on the topic.

Key take aways:
- everything to do with your health basically stems from your gut health
- Even if you’re vegan you still consume antibiotics
- simple sugars and artificial sweeteners are terrible for your gut health
- ibuprofen and Advil blow gaping holes in the intestinal barrier
- cell autophagy is very important to allow the body to detoxify itself, it happens on a calorie deficit diet, intermittent fasting, or fasting - it's good for you because it's bad for you
- through ketosis you can promote growth and activation of stem cells which can transform into any type of cell needed and repair the body. "Stem cell therapy" is reinjecting stem cells into the body.
- Pu’erh and green tea are great
- Eat polyphenols- plant compounds that nourish gut buddies and stimulate autophagy - best most powerful resveratrol found in grapes, wine and berries and the reason why red wine is protective against heart diseases
- Eating meat is linked to Alzheimer’s
- A myth is that a high metabolic rate keeps you young. Meat makes you spend a lot of energy digesting that’s why carnivores like lions are always sleeping.
- with improved gut health it is possible to cure Arthritis
- Remove foods with WGA in your diet, in all whole wheat, whole grains including pasta, bread and crackers, barley and brown rice
- Stray far away from foods with “Natural flavours” it's MSG in disguise, and avoid aspartame because it converts to MSG in your gut
- try not to eat 4hr before you sleep
- Olive oil is great for your gut health
- Take Omega 3, Vit D, Vit C, B vitamins, prebiotics, probiotics
- Do meditative yoga
- Eat tree nuts, peanuts are actually shit for you and cashews are not even nuts they're seeds

There's some things I am iffy on though... if your tall you have a higher chance of cancer lol as well as only eat fruit in the summer so your body can recoup in the winter.

Notes:
- Our gut microbiome is the most determining factor for how long we live and the quality of life. Your gut bacteria is effected more so from your environment and who you live with and spend the most time with. This influences what you eat and your physical activity the most. Surprisingly this is more influential than your actual genetics. Your gut is more similar to the person you live with compared to your own mother!
- Mitochondria are in every cell in your body and are the cellular digestives system (they break down nutrients to produce energy). Their DNA is passed down from the mothers egg. A child also gets passed down the mothers bacteria from the vagina in birth, and breast milk for food.
- Mitochondria are responsible for cell signalling, cellular differentiation, what a cell should become, cell death and cell growth. Thus Mitochondria play an important part in the aging process.
The Mitochondria's sister is in the gut and they message each other using hormones and chemical signals.
- Iron actually ages you lol and a high metabolic rate actually ages you too
- Bad for the guy microniome is lectins which are a sticky protein that defends plants from insects, it’s hurts bugs but we’re stronger with our mucous, and have no immediate effect but it still adds up in the gut and makes them upset
- Rodents have hundred of times more of an enzyme called protesayze in their gut which breaks down Le tins and other grain proteins
- Mole rats eat roots
- When you take an antibiotic it negatively effects your gut biome for up to 2 years
- Studies show that every time you take a course of antibiotics you increase the chance of getting chromes disease, diabetes, obesity, or asthma later in life
- Meat and diary have antibiotics in them from preventing sickness to the animal and fattening them up and then you consume those antibiotics buy eating the meat and dairy
- Even if you’re vegan you still consume antibiotics from glyphosine the main ingredient in the herbicide round up now owned by bayer are sprayed onto crops
- Another problem with Glyphosate - reduces the livers ability to convert vitamin D to its active form so it can absorb calcium
- Bad bacteria in your gut love sugar. Specifically simple sugars, you body actually needs complex sugars “poly saccharides”. Even artificial sugars are bad like Sucralose, saccharine, aspartame.
- A duke university study showed that a single Splenda packet destroys 50% of normal intestinal flora.
- Even fructose the sugar in fruit is poison to mitochondria
- Common causes anti inflammatory: ibuprofen and Advil blow gaping holes in the intestinal barrier
- Calorie restrictive diet - dramatically decrease bacteria growth and distribution. It also stimulates cell autophagy in the gut (where cells eat the bad cells) thinning the gut bacteria to only the strongest fittest ones that will work the hardest to maintain gut wall integrity
- Pu’er tea - promotes bacteria that makes you form more mucous to strengthen the gut bacteria
- When you can get stem cells from your body from fat and bone marrow, and reinjecting them it promotes less aging. They can become any type of cell. Regenerate aging tissues. Stem cell therapy.
As we age stem cells start to lose the ability to regenerate unless you activate them. Temporarily stress yourself out can activate it. “Keto diet” ketosis.
- University of Southern California study - participants that underwent a 5-day vegan calorie deficit once a month or a few days of water only fasting had increased levels of stem cells. Fasting also triggers auotphagy in immune cells. Fasting makes the bag guys tear away at gut lining so your body sends stem cell reinforcements. So fasting is good for you because it is bad for you. But if you’re lacking in Vit D3 then the stem cells reinforcements don’t get activated - malnutrition
polyamines - at least 10% increase in life expectancy, it promotes cell autophagy. Examples: shellfish like squid oyster crab scallops, fermented foods, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, mushrooms, matcha green tea, nuts and seeds hazelnuts walnuts pastachio, chicken liver, aged cheeses, lentils
- Eat polyphenols- plant compounds that nourish gut buddies and stimulate autophagy - best most powerful resveratrol found in grapes, wine and berries and the reason why red wine is protective against heart diseases
- 7 deadly myths of aging: Mediterranean diet promotes - grains. Resistant starches increase your gut buddy population, enhance digestion and nutrient absorption and foster growth of gut buddies that nurture the all important mucus layer in the gut. Do not eat large amounts of animal protein it gives inflammation myth #2 animal protein is essential for long term strength and longevity.
- Eating meat is linked to Alzheimer’s
- Another myth is high metabolic rate keeps you young. Meat makes you spend a lot of energy digesting that’s why carnivores like lions are always sleeping.
- Myth it’s important to get plenty enough iron as you age. People who donated blood often loved significantly longer than people who donated less often. Lots of iron in meat. Women live longer and the time of the month releases some iron
- Myth Saturated fats should not be demonized.
- Myth: milk does the body good. If you have milk then don’t pick cow, pick goat and sheep milk
- Cancer thrives off sugar
- Anti cancer foods are tree nuts. Two servings per week cuts your chance of getting cancer in half
- Heart disease and arthritis - make your guy buddies happy and it could cure arthritis. Arthritis isn’t caused by wear and tear it’s the gut buddies.
- Remove foods with WGA in your diet, in all whole wheat, whole grains including pasta, bread and crackers, barley and brown rice
- monosodium glutamate (MSG) - “Natural flavours”, aspartame converts to MSG in your gut
- Try and leave a full 4hr before bedtime to not eat so if you go to bed at 11, stop eating at 7. This gives the chance for your gut to digest most of everything so your brain can sleep soundly at night
- Big on olive oil - anti inflammatory properties because of the polyphenols. Spikes cell atophagy. Helps neurons repair themselves from inflammation. Supports growth of new neurons
- Omega 3 and eating baked fish promotes longevity. Daily sardines, herring, small fish.
- Regular Daily Leafy greens too
- Meditative yoga makes gut buddies happy, lowers stress
- Stray away BPA so avoid canned foods, buy frozen food if you have to. Use glassware instead of plastic for food storage. Never hear up food in plastic container, even receipts have BPA
- Taking vitamin c prevents sun damage. It’s also a beauty vitamin but the issue of that it is water soluble is you let it out in your urine. If you have too much vitamin c you’ll get diarrhea. Truce a day 1,000mg time release is good
- Arsenic is a well known poison is also antibiotic and hormone disrupter. Stop eating conventional chicken, avoid grains like rice
- Avoid blue light especially at night
- Stop using anti-bacterial cleaners on skin you’re killing the bad and the good
- Cranberry oil is good for your skin too, lots of polyphenols
- Take prebiotics. Probiotics are the gut buddies themselves, prebiotics are the fibrous long sugars they eat
- Yams, rootabega, sweet potato, mushrooms, artichokes, endives are good sources of prebiotics
- More acromencia bacteria is good you’ll look younger
- Ground flaxseed, it’s has prebiotics fiber and significant type of polyphenols and b vitamins, omega fatty acids, intoanflammatory too. Once it’s grounded though it goes bad fast so keep it in the fridge or grind it when you eat it
- Artichokes - lots of prebiotic fiber. Vitamins a, b, c and e as well as calcium and magnesium. High antioxidant and polyphenol which helps your liver. Just buy frozen artichoke hearts
- Leeks - loaded with polyphenols and alison a compound that increases blood vessels flexibility and reduces cholesterol. Cut them in half long way and wash them thoroughly
- Okra - prebiotic fiber. Vitamin c and a, iron and phosphorus and zinc. Sautay over very high heat or roast it until crispy. Can get them frozen too just make sure to thaw and pat dry to cut down on slimy factor
- Cruciferous veggies - broccoli cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
- Cashews are seeds and full of lectins
- Real nuts - walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios
- Mushrooms -heat does not affect them,
- Low sugar fruits - avocado, green bananas, raspberries and blackberries, figs and coconuts,
- Healthy fats - fish oil shell fish egg yolk,
- 70% and above dark chocolate
- Green tea
- Bad bugs - simple sugars and starches, glucose sucrose fructose, incl fruit. Avoid grapes they’re high in sugar. Mangoes tons of sugar. Bananas. Lychees. Apples. Pineapple. Pears but Anjou is fine. Sugar substitutes. Conventional dairy products because of caseine. Bad fats like saturated fats. Peanut oil full of lectins. Grape seed oil, canola oil.
- Even if you take calorie deficit for 5 days out of the month its as much as a whole month calorie restrictive
- Omega 1000mg DHA, nature’s bounty at Costco is fine, or cod liver oil


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