Yes, You Have Control Over Your Healthspan: A Nutrition PhD's Advice For Optimizing Longevity
Smart nutrition: the ultimate power play for longevity.
Beyond the obvious role of taking in enough nutrients every day (i.e., get serious about nutritional sufficiency, whether that means a truly comprehensive multi, effective vitamin D3 supplement, filling your omega-3 gap, or more), our body is nutrient-responsive.
That's because nutrients are fabulously multifunctional. Aside from being delicious, nutrition has the ability to positively affect so many physiological pathways and outcomes. Here are just a few that come to mind:
- boots-on-the-ground antioxidant fighting power against oxidative stress via an array of antioxidant vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients from plants (fruits, vegetables, herbs, and more)
- anti-inflammatory marine omega-3s for resolution of inflammatory pathways
- prebiotic fibers and probiotic microbes for robust gut health
- 24/7 cellular cleanup and rejuvenation activities like detoxification and autophagy (think glutathione, milk thistle, CoQ10, etc.)
- adaptogens and nootropics for mental resilience and cognitive performance
- normocaloric intake of plant-centric carbs, proteins, and fats within a defined intermittent fasting window (e.g., 12 hours each day) for healthy body composition and cardiometabolic health
- intricate interplay of food and nutritional bioactives with your genes and DNA via precision nutrition solutions (e.g., for MTHFR gene variants) and epigenetic mechanisms
Smart nutrition is like a strategic biohacking strategy you tap into daily to thrive for the long haul. A recent, comprehensive research review examined this fascinating area of longevity nutrition, so you'll want to check out the highlights and key nutritional pillars that represent a literal investment in your future.
Longevity nutrition is core to mbg philosophy, too.
Of course, if you've read mindbodygreen content for any period of time, you'll probably know the pragmatic power of nutrition for health and longevity. This is not just something we cover in a journalistic sense. Longevity nutrition is actually core to the mindbodygreen philosophy, our portfolio of products, and the way we live.
In fact, the suite of premium products in mbg's longevity & vitality collection were created with your healthspan in mind. By taking longevity support to the next level, these bioavailable nutrients, botanicals, and bioactives transform your daily regimen for healthy aging.*
From the 30 trillion cells that make up the human body, to how we look and feel—the fact is the amounts, types, and timing of nutrients and phytonutrients we choose to consume are absolutely pivotal to our health today and tomorrow. Nutrition isn't sitting on the sidelines. It's a versatile quarterback calling the plays.
Whether that "play" is to keep your brain sharp as a tack, maintain strong muscles and bones, promote insulin sensitivity and blood glucose balance, elevate gut microbial abundance and diversity, bolster your resilience to stressors, ensure your immune defenses are game for inevitable challenges that will come, or nurture collagen production—ultimately, these are all longevity plays, individually and collectively. They all rely on smart nutrition rooted in science.
The takeaway.
Some matches simply aren't meant to be. But thankfully, unlike dating sites and the unpredictable nature of some human relationships, the "algorithm" underlying longevity is less cryptic, and healthful nutrition is paramount.