In today’s world, many of us strive to maintain our health and youthful appearance with as little effort as possible. An expert has recently shared straightforward habits that might help extend your lifespan.
Recently, there’s been a trend of replacing wine with matcha and ensuring a daily step count of 10,000 to promote well-being.
To enhance appearance, the demand for cosmetic procedures has been rising. The Aesthetic Society reported that over $9 billion was spent on aesthetic plastic surgery in 2020.
However, Dr. Nichola Conlon, a molecular biologist who specializes in cellular aging, suggests you don’t need to spend heavily to stay youthful.
Dr. Conlon recently appeared on the UK daytime show, ITV’s This Morning, to discuss her advice on living a healthier and longer life.
During the show, Dr. Conlon explained to hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley that we possess two ages: chronological age and biological age. The latter refers to how old you are internally and the rate at which your cells age, which doesn’t always align with chronological age.
But what can be done to reduce our biological age and improve our health span?
For those unfamiliar, Dr. Conlon defines health span as the part of our lives spent in good health, with diet being a significant factor in this.
Dr. Conlon advised that individuals should opt for diets that enhance gut health, which in turn affects inflammation levels throughout the body.
“Having low inflammation is one of the most important things for aging well, and for our health span,” she shared with the hosts.
Consuming ‘plants’ is beneficial for gut health, not in the form of flowers from the garden, of course. Dr. Nichola Conlon is referring to fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and even beverages like tea and coffee.
She also suggests incorporating ‘plant-based proteins’ such as beans and lentils.
While wine was once thought to be beneficial for longevity, expert opinion has shifted. The positive effects were likely due to the social aspects rather than the wine itself.
Dr. Conlon mentioned a study from Harvard University known as the ’85 Plus study,’ which concluded that the quality of connections was most influential on health span.
While a gym membership with a sauna might be pricier, it remains more affordable than cosmetic surgeries.
Research supports the benefits of temperature exposure on the body. Dr. Conlon explained on This Morning, “The way this works is we have heat shock proteins in our cells. If we go into a high temperature, these get activated.”
This triggers the body to initiate repair processes and reduce inflammation.
For fans of ice baths, these can also be beneficial as they activate different shock proteins. Although evidence is limited, the outlook is promising for reducing inflammation.
We’ll stick with enjoying the sauna, especially since Dr. Conlon advises reducing stress to extend our health span!