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Summary
On episode 619 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health, and the founder of NutritionFacts.org.
Greger’s book, How Not to Age, walks through 11 biological pathways of aging, including autophagy, inflammation, mTOR, and oxidation, and what the science says actually slows each one down.
The conversation gets practical fast: which foods and habits move the needle on aging, why some popular “healthy” choices (like antioxidant supplements) don’t do what people think, and how a nearly unregulated supplement industry can sell products that don’t contain what the label claims.
Links
- https://nutritionfacts.org
- Episode 53 – How to Not Die of Heart Disease – Dr. Michael Greger
- Episode 58 – How Not To Die of Diabetes – Dr. Michael Greger
Key Takeaways
- Autophagy takes real effort, not just intermittent fasting. Boosting it requires 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity daily (20 minutes isn’t enough), and fasting doesn’t meaningfully ramp up autophagy until 48 to 72 hours in, too long to do unsupervised. Three cups of coffee a day and spermidine rich foods like tempeh, mushrooms, peas, and wheat germ help too.
- Inflammation is a major driver of aging, and diet controls it more than supplements do. Cutting AGEs (avoid grilling, frying, and baking high protein foods in favor of steaming and stewing), minimizing meat, dairy, tropical oils, and salt, and eating legumes, berries, turmeric, ginger, and garlic all lower the inflammatory markers linked to shorter lifespan.
- mTOR needs to be high enough to build muscle, but not so high it accelerates aging. Cutting protein to the RDA (about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, roughly 45 grams a day for women and 55 for men) and shifting toward plant protein lowers mTOR driven aging without hurting muscle, since resistance training, not extra protein, is what preserves muscle mass after age 65.
- Antioxidant supplements don’t slow the aging process. Mitochondrial free radical damage happens too close to the source, too fast, for antioxidants to intervene in time. The two things that actually work are exercise and methionine restriction (lower and more plant based protein), along with NRF2 activating foods like green tea and cruciferous vegetables for general health.
- Beans and nuts are the foods most tied to longevity. Legumes are the single dietary factor most associated with survival across populations worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study, and walnuts, about a half to full ounce daily, cut stroke rates roughly in half in the PREDIMED trial.
- Brazil nuts should be a once a month treat, not a daily habit. Their high selenium content can cause selenosis, including kidney and liver damage and peripheral neuropathy, even though four Brazil nuts once a month has been shown to meaningfully lower cholesterol.
- Leafy greens and their nitrates slow metabolism and boost muscle power, but only if your mouth bacteria cooperate. The nitrates in spinach and beet greens need certain tongue bacteria to activate, so an antiseptic or alcohol based mouthwash can wipe out the benefit.
- The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act removed safety and quality control requirements from supplement makers. That let an industry heavily owned by pharmaceutical companies grow from roughly $4 billion to $40 billion with no guarantee a product contains what its label claims; the USP seal is one way to verify a supplement actually is what it says it is.
- Dr. Greger’s three strategies to get and stay well: add beans, greens, and berries to your diet; remove trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils), processed meats like bacon, ham, hot dogs, and lunch meats, and sugar sweetened beverages. He argues the American diet is the leading cause of death in the United States, ahead of smoking, and that these basic changes alone can add a healthy extra decade of life.
“The single most important decision we make three times a day is what we put at the end of our fork.”
Dr. Michael Greger
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 639 – Ditch the diet adopt a foodframe with Risa Groux
Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 619
Published: 2023-12-05
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues, How Not to Age
Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube (audio only)
