I can offer three points, the first a cautionary one.
I was working on living way past 100 - hopefully 150 (I know, hubris) by living as healthy as I knew and the science told, including jogging, etc. This had grown with me since I was 30. By 70 I was in full stride - ran 1 4h 20′ marathon at 56, had three-yearly health checkups, including for cancer, etc - when, at 71, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now it may be that because I was otherwise in excellent health, I overcame that prognosis (it was in 2007).
There are life expectancy tables where you can see what years on average a person of your age can expect to live. In the UK this is found at:
Lastly, I have accumulated evidence on what is the best lifestyle to increase my chances of living longer - initially based on cancer, but applicable to everyone.
[Late edit, in view of this being my most popular posting]: I have not spelt out perhaps the major implied benefit of what I recommend: that of living a longer health life. That is, fending off the degenerative diseases of the aged so that one’s final years are better than they would otherwise be, such as: cancer, Altzheimer’s, cardiovascular, chronic kidney disease. At 83, and already living with three of these (and relatively well, despite them), I know of what I write. I see people much younger than I who are crippled by these and know that they would have been less ill if they’d done some, if not all, of what I have listed here. So to those who may think they have to go sometime and it is more or less pre-ordained, note that such diseases do not kill you quickly - they linger. And a shorter lingering is better.
A brief summary is of what I do, based on the best scientific evidence (check on Google, PubMed): (see supporting evidence by clicking on the underlined words) and assuming the patient is sufficiently motivated to survive longer (many are not) to do this – but if you are new too many of these, then it is probably best adopting a new one every week or two:
a. Avoid any smoking (and here), both by the patients and those around them, including e-cigarettes
b. exercise (which pumps the lymph system, the immune system, around the body): I walk for about 2 hours/day (13,000+ steps/6.5 miles) (also keeps Alzheimer’s disease at bay); and 2-3 times a week I do simple resistance exercises plus 3 bursts of 20 seconds high intensity interval exercises (HIIT; now on a stationary cycle, previously sprints) with 2 minutes of slow between. Run for your life: Exercise protects against cancer (& here, here). Check out this, this, this, this, this , this, this, & this, this, this, this. It is important also to enable we cancer patients to reverse ageing effects. Frailty is another problem that exercise helps with, being itself a source of early mortality; I use a wobble board to improve my balance.
c. keep your waist below half your height; fat, especially visceral (waist), enhances inflammation and is a cancer enhancer. See also here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here
d. Food effects our genes: so, no alcohol (How alcohol damages DNA and increases cancer risk), sugar/fast carbs (and here, here), no diet drinks, little meat, (and here, here, here, here) processed especially (and here); fish is better. Lots of veggies works for me. Organic may be best. High-fiber helps (see also here). I've recently embarked on a "Fasting Mimicking Diet" 5 days/month (fasting in general is thought useful – see here), as it is reported to reduce ageing/increase immune function (but probably best not done unless well clear of any evidence of cancer). See also here, here, here here, here, here. Avoid processed food, and here. Coffee may be OK. Vegans more likely than vegetarians to avoid cancer, hypertension, study says and Right combination of diet and bacteria limits cancer progression
; and here
e. Little fruit now, as I keep my sugar intake low - mainly berries/red-and-black currents
f. Veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, mixed leaves, spinach, mushrooms, onions, sweet peppers, chilli peppers (as a big salad at lunch-time). Also see here and here and here
g. Nuts, and here, here, especially walnuts, may help
h. Good oral hygiene - after (not before) breakfast and dinner, flossing and using a non-fluoride toothpaste. Gum disease is a major source of inflammation, a cancer stimulant (Periodontal Disease Linked to Certain Cancer Types, Oral Bacteria Linked With Pancreatic Cancer; How mouth microbes may worsen colorectal cancer); and here, here; here; here, here, here, here, and here: Alzheimer’s (and here), bone loss, and cardio-vascular problems.
i. Good early night's 8-hour sleep every night (& An epidemic of dream deprivation: Unrecognized health hazard of sleep loss) and here, here, here, here (but too much isn’t OK)
j. Good, and daily, defecation. I now use a squat stool – enables me to squat on the toilet, similar to 3rd world countries, as this enables better elimination (as an appreciable side-benefit, squatting improves flexibility). The microbiome, mainly the gut bugs, is a major source of health/illness/immune system and the bug balance influences this. Research is in its early stages as to how to improve this, but good throughput seems to improve things.
k. Filtered water
l. Avoid/do not use such things as air-fresheners, deodorants, vaporisers, scented candles, here, etc; keep home well aired; maybe use an air-purifier
m. Avoid BPA plastics; beware sunscreens (I've not used them for years, despite walking for hour/week in the sun, as I've realised most sunscreens contain cocarcinogens – note: sunscreen usage has increased in line with skin cancer over the years).
n. Supplements: omega 3 (see here), 2,000IU Vit.D3 daily (and see here, here, here, here, here, here, but note caution). Vit.C is found helpful for some cancers. However, avoid vitamins B6 and B12, especially for lung cancer; and perhaps Vitamins A, C and E; but note this caution and here. Aspirin or ibuprofen may help.(see here)
o. Hyperthermia with an infra-red cocoon, and hypothermia: Immersion or showering in cold water boosts the immune system. I do this one occasionally.
p. I monitor my body composition daily (a particular problem for cancer patients is fat- and muscle-wasting – cachexia), my cancer and kidney with molecular cancer markers every month, checking in with the consultants if they go above 'normal' for 2 or more months.
q. Do a diary (who, time, date, place) of my medical visits, questions to ask, answers, advice. I was surprised how often the medical people lost, even recent, medical data.
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