Anti aging tips fro Art McDermott

Here is a great post by Art McDermott of Matrix Strength.
10 Anti-Aging Tips


1) Exercise the Body to Keep the Brain Fit
A 2005 Finnish study revealed that middle-age men and women who exercise at least twice a week and eat a healthy diet can reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (AD) by 50% in old age.

2) The new number to know
It's not enough to know your cholesterol level. While cholesterol is the molecule responsible for causing fatty buildups inside arteries, scientists now suspect that it is only part of the portrait of heart disease. Inflammation, which can weaken blood vessels and cause cholesterol plaques to loosen and create blockages, is the new marker.

Insist that your doctor test your C-reactive protein (CRP), which should be at or below 8 micrograms/milliliter (anti-aging physicians would prefer it to be half that or lower)

3) Drink Away Dementia
A Japanese study reported that compounds found in wine may inhibit Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Small pre-proteins (peptides) found in red and white wines inhibit an enzyme implicated in the production and accumulation of amyloid plaques, which deposit in the brain and cause memory loss.

The greatest concentrations of these AD-busting peptides are found in Merlot (California), Sauvignon Blanc (Bordeaux) and Pinot Noir wines, and was also detected in the juice and pulp parts of grapes. Tee-totallers may wish to try the nutritional supplement, resveratrol, the active therapeutic ingredient in wine.

4) Out of the Cold
A 2005 study by researchers at the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Food (Germany) found that those men and women who took daily vitamins and minerals with probiotics (bacteria that can activate the immune system, particularly T-cells) for at least three months reported reported reduced cold symptoms than those suffered by people who took only vitamins and minerals. The men and women taking a combination of vitamins, minerals, and probiotics experienced:

- Colds that lasted almost two days less (than an average otherwise of nine days)
- Less time with a fever, reduced to 6 hours (rather than the average otherwise of 24 hours)
- Less severe headaches, coughing, and sneezing

5) Procrastination Payoff? Ok, here is the gross one...
Kinston University (United Kingdom) researchers reported in 2005 that an unmade bed, while unattractive to the eyes, is unappealing to house dust mites, tiny bugs (shorter than 1 mm long) that feed on shed human skin cells and produce excretions that, when inhaled by people, can cause allergic reactions and asthma.

According to the team, the average bed can house as many as 1.5 million dust mites. When a bed is made immediately or shortly after people get out of it, moisture can become trapped in the sheets and mattress, creating a haven for the mites. Moisture is minimized in unmade beds, and as a result the mites will more be more likely to dehydrate and die than feast and multiply.

6) Delay Death with Vitamin D
The therapeutic role of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," for bone health, has become well established. A number of recent studies now link vitamin D deficiency to adverse health consequences such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and some infectious diseases.

7) Do the Quick Step
Walking is an excellent physical activity for aging men and women. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Pennsylvania, USA) researchers reported that older adults who boost their walking speed over time live longer. The team followed 439 adults, ages 65 and over, and found those who improved their walking speed over a one-year period were 18% less likely to die over the next eight years.

Interestingly, the study found that walking speed during the first year of study was the only factor to predict the subjects' long-term survival; other tests of physical health, and self-assessment surveys, did not.

8) Fore A Longer Life ...
Try a round of golf. Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) studied data collected on 300,000 Swedish golfers. The team found that the death rate among golfers was 40% lower than that of the rest of the population, equating to an increased life expectancy of five years.
Those golfers with the lowest handicap (ie the best golfers) were found to have the lowest death rates.

9) Burnt is Bad
Char-broiling meats so they have a dark crust can change proteins and amino acids into substances that can alter the dinner's DNA. Cooking meats at very high temperatures for long periods of time can also be risky.

The Iowa Women's Health Study found that women who consistently ate meats very well done were 4.6-times more likely to have breast cancer (compared to those who ate meats cooked medium or rate).

Adding rosemary extract to precooked ground beef may cut carcinogens (cancer causing compounds) from forming during grilling by up to 80%, reports Kansas Sate University researchers in 2005.

10) Eat Your Heart Out
Men and women with heart disease can reduce their likelihood of dying by up to 30% by enjoying a Mediterranean-style diet, reports a 2005 study co-authored by researchers at Harvard University (USA) and Athens Medical School (Greece).

Opt for colorful vegetables (such as lycopene-rich tomatoes) and fruits (like antioxidant-rich red and purple grapes), cut your consumption of meat and dairy products, and boost your consumption of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as olive oil and omega-3 rich foods like fish, soy, grains, and green leafy vegetables).