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7
Foods To Keep You Young
Secrets of long life from around the world
WebMD Feature from "Eating Well"
By Peter Jaret
1: Olive oil
Four
decades ago, researchers from the Seven Countries
Study concluded that the monounsaturated fats in
olive oil were largely responsible for the low rates
of heart disease and cancer on the Greek island of
Crete. Now we know that olive oil also contains
polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that may help
prevent age-related diseases.
2: Yogurt
In
the 1970s, Soviet Georgia was rumored to have more
centenarians per capita than any other country.
Reports at the time claimed that the secret of their
long lives was yogurt, a food ubiquitous in their
diets. While the age-defying powers of yogurt never
have been proved directly, yogurt is rich in
calcium, which helps stave off osteoporosis and
contains “good bacteria” that help maintain gut
health and diminish the incidence of age-related
intestinal illness.
3: Fish
Thirty years ago, researchers began to study why the
native Inuits of Alaska were remarkably free of
heart disease. The reason, scientists now think, is
the extraordinary amount of fish they consume. Fish
is an abundant source of omega-3 fats, which help
prevent cholesterol buildup in arteries and protect
against abnormal heart rhythms.
4: Chocolate
The
Kuna people of the San Blas islands, off the coast
of Panama, have a rate of heart disease that is nine
times less than that of mainland Panamanians. The
reason? The Kuna drink plenty of a beverage made
with generous proportions of cocoa, which is
unusually rich in flavanols that help preserve the
healthy function of blood vessels. Maintaining
youthful blood vessels lowers risk of high blood
pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and
dementia.
5: Nuts
Studies of Seventh-Day Adventists (a religious
denomination that emphasizes healthy living and a
vegetarian diet) show that those who eat nuts gain,
on average, an extra two and a half years. Nuts are
rich sources of unsaturated fats, so they offer
benefits similar to those associated with olive oil.
They’re also concentrated sources of vitamins,
minerals and other phytochemicals, including
antioxidants.
6: Wine
Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against
heart disease, diabetes and age-related memory loss.
Any kind of alcoholic beverage seems to provide such
benefits, but red wine has been the focus of much of
the research. Red wine contains resveratrol, a
compound that likely contributes to its
benefits—and, according to animal studies, may
activate genes that slow cellular aging.
7: Blueberries
In a
landmark study published in 1999, researchers at
Tufts University’s Jean Mayer Human Nutrition
Research Center on Aging fed rats blueberry extract
for a period of time that in “rat lives” is
equivalent to 10 human years. These rats
outperformed rats fed regular chow on tests of
balance and coordination when they reached old age.
Compounds in blueberries (and other berries)
mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage, which
are associated with age-related deficits in memory
and motor function.
©
WebMD. All rights reserved.
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Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against
heart disease, diabetes and age-related memory
loss. |
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