More and more studies are showing that a healthy diet and lifestyle (which includes adequate sleep, adequate hydration, no smoking, no drinking, exercise, and managed stress) slows aging, regulates gene expression, prevents and reverses heart disease, prevents and reverses Type 2 diabetes, and reduces cancer and other chronic diseases. The most protective diet has been shown to be a primarily whole food, plant based diet.
Treating Cardiovascular Disease with a Plant Based Diet
198 patients with cardiovascular disease converted to a plant based diet which was defined as no meat, fish, eggs, dairy or oil. Of the 177 patients that were adherent, only one had a recurrent cardiac event due to disease progression compared to 13 out of the 21 patients who were not adherent that experienced cardiac events. Also 146 of the 177 adherent patients no longer required previously recommended interventions.
A Way to Reverse CAD (Coronary Artery Disease)
Why Low Risk Lifestyle Factors Matter
Looking at data from the Nurses’ Health Study (1980-2014) with population size 78,865 and the Health Professionals Follow-up study (1986-2014) with a population size 44,354 this study defined 5 low risk lifestyle factors which were never smoking, body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2, at least 30 minutes of moderate to physical activity per day, moderate alcohol intake, and a high diet quality score and estimated a hazard ratio between total lifestyle score (0-5 scale) and mortality. They estimated that for those who adopted all 5 low risk factors compared to those who adopted 0, women would live an average of 14 years longer (about age 93) and men would live an average of 12.2 years longer (about age 88).
Impact of Healthy Lifestyle Factors on Life Expectancies in the US Population
Low Protein intake and a Reduced Risk of Cancer and All Cause Mortality
This study looked at 6,381 adults over age 50 from the NHANES III nationally representative cross-sectional study and grouped them into high, moderate and low protein intake groups to determine the association between protein and mortality. They found that a low protein diet during middle age (50-65) was associated with a lower all cause mortality and a lower cancer mortality. The high protein group had a 74% increase in their risk of all-cause mortality and were 4 times as likely to die of cancer when compared to the low protein group. When the percent of calories from animal protein was controlled for the association between all cause mortality was eliminated and for cancer mortality was significantly reduced. This effect may involve the circulation and regulation of IGF-1. These effects were not present in the over 65 group, but rather the opposite.
Low Risk Lifestyle Factors and Extended Healthy Life Expectancy
This study again looked at the Nurses’ Health Study (1980-2014; n=73 196) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2014; n=38 366) and examined life expectancy free of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes as it relates to 5 low risk lifestyle factors they identified (never smoking, body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2, at least 30 minutes of moderate to physical activity per day, moderate alcohol intake, and a high diet quality score). They found that for women adopting 4 or 5 low risk lifestyle factors was associated with 8.3 more years without cancer, 10 more without cardiovascular disease, and 12.3 more without diabetes. For men they found 4 or 5 low risk lifestyles was associated with 6 more years without cancer, 8.6 more years without cardiovascular disease, and 10.3 years without diabetes.