"Living longer, healthier lives are often linked to behaviors, foremost among which are healthy eating and regular exercise; after several visits by a team of scientists and experts led by American researcher Dan Butner, to the "blue zones" where people live much longer around the world, the team attributed the secret of good health and long life to reasons mainly "intense physical activity in the performance of daily duties, and the integration of plant foods in diets mainly."
After CDC data at the end of last year showed "life expectancy in the United States in 2021 fell to 76.4 years," Dr. Brett Osborne, a neurosurgeon and founder of the Florida Center for Preventive and Anti-Aging Health Care raised the slogan "No one is young or old for good health."
In an interview with Fox News, Osborne said he is working to achieve that motto "by helping people achieve a healthy weight, adopt better health habits, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes."
Follow healthy habits that reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes (Shutterstock)
5 daily habits for a longer life
Osborne, who is certified by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, spoke about 5 daily habits he recommends to live longer, healthier lives:
1- Take full responsibility for your health
Osborne recommends monitoring our bodies "for any early signs that could threaten our lives"; those who wait a year for a check-up warn that they are "making a huge mistake, procrastination and lack of interest can kill them; a lot of deterioration can occur in a year or two".
Osborne points out that "most people are not proactive in discovering health risks on their own, and they wait until they have to see a doctor, or just search for health information online."
He stresses the importance of constantly listening to the body, "to check for the absence of causative agents of fatal diseases, rather than relying entirely on the doctor." "Don't think your doctor can predict all the early risk factors that allow him to save you from a heart attack or stroke; these diseases continue to damage our bodies until they kill us in silence, and we are oblivious to the symptoms," he warned.
"The first step to sustaining life and reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke is to identify risk factors," Osborne said. "It is almost impossible to achieve this without taking laboratory readings that express the internal state of the body, to detect any changes."
Intense physical activity in the performance of daily duties is one of the secrets of healthy living (Shutterstock)
2- Tests to take seriously
At the forefront of the tests recommended by Osborne "so as not to be surprised to discover that what you thought was normal, is far from it"; 5 blood tests, the results of which must be taken seriously, "to help detect age-related diseases", namely:
- 1- Fat level analysis, to give a rough idea of the ratio of "good" cholesterol to "bad" cholesterol. In particular, Osborne advises "those with high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease or stroke," to perform the analysis because it is very important to measure all components of fat and analyze cholesterol of all kinds.
- 2- Analysis of C-reactive protein, Osborne emphasizes "its importance for those who suffer from obesity and have high levels of C-reactive protein", because it is considered a risk factor for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis dyslipidemia.
- 3- Homocysteine analysis, its elevation is associated with a range of diseases, including heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer's and osteoporosis.
- 4. Hemoglobin analysis (AEC), which measures how well blood sugar levels are controlled over weeks or months; "It's a test that doesn't lie," Osborne says.
5- Analysis of vitamin D3, the deficiency of which is linked to stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, coronary artery disease and cancer," according to Osborne.
Supplements are just as important as proper nutrition and fitness (Shutterstock)
3- Take basic supplements
Osborne recommends a range of supplements that he considers equally important for proper nutrition and fitness in terms of improving health, helping with strenuous tasks, and reducing age-related diseases: omega-3 fatty acids, green tea extract, vitamin D3, curcumin, B vitamin group, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, and probiotics.
4- Diligence in mind training
Osborne tells us that "learning on the job or thinking critically, taking on mental challenges and physical exercise can form neural pathways in the brain and literally reshape it," helping to "keep the brain active, reduce inflammation, and prevent age-related diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's."
"There is evidence that increased blood supply to the brain during exercise can produce new neurons in the brain that enhance mental learning and memory," he adds, and learning a new skill can also "charge" the brain.
Regular medical checkups are essential for blood sugar control (Shutterstock)
5- Strict sugar control
Osborne explains that the glycemic index, which measures the sugar in our food, "is a way to assess the effect of what we eat on blood sugar and insulin, and can detect and avoid hidden sugars."
For example, in beans it is 23, in peanuts 7, and in white rice 89; "The sweeter the food, the higher the value of the glycemic index."
So, explains Osborne, "strict glycemic control is done through eating foods with a low glycemic index, lean body mass, and daily exercise."
"Eating vegetables daily and consuming carbohydrates with a low glycemic index facilitate weight loss and have life-prolonging effects."