The Longevity Solution: Rediscovering Centuries-Old Secrets to a Healthy, Long Life

301 Pages·2019·4.91 MB·English

by  Jason Fung

First Published in 2019 by Victory Belt Publishing Inc.

Copyright © Dr. James DiNicolantonio and Dr. Jason Fung

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the
publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-628603-79-8

The information included in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended or implied
to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her health-
care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for his or her own situation or if
he or she has any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the
information in this book does not constitute a physician-patient relationship. The statements in this
book have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products or supplements in
this book are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The authors and publisher
expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of
the information contained in this book.

Author photos by Megan DiNicolantonio and Dean Macdonell

Cover design by Justin-Aaron Velasco

Interior design by Elita San Juan and Charisse Reyes

Printed in Canada

TC 0119
CONTENTS

PREFACE
CHAPTER 1: AGING: NATURE DOESN’T CARE HOW LONG WE
LIVE
CHAPTER 2: CALORIE RESTRICTION: A DOUBLE-EDGED
SWORD
CHAPTER 3: mTOR AND LONGEVITY
CHAPTER 4: DIETARY PROTEIN
CHAPTER 5: PLANT VERSUS ANIMAL PROTEIN
CHAPTER 6: THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF PROTEIN
CHAPTER 7: FASTING
CHAPTER 8: TEA
CHAPTER 9: RED WINE AND COFFEE
CHAPTER 10: EAT MORE SALT AND MAGNESIUM
CHAPTER 11: HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY FATS
CHAPTER 12: THE BLUE ZONES: THE LONGEST-LIVING
CULTURES
CHAPTER 13: FULL PLAN FOR HEALTHY AGING
EPILOGUE
ENDNOTES

A Note from Dr. DiNicolantonio

In my previous two books, The Salt Fix and Superfuel, I tackled several long-
standing nutritional fallacies, particularly the forty-year-old lies that salt is bad
for you and vegetable oils are good for you. The Longevity Solution builds upon
these works by exploring the mysteries of mTOR, dietary protein, and calorie
restriction and looking at the dietary habits of the healthiest humans on the
planet to unlock the secrets of healthy aging. The Longevity Solution also covers
the benefits of intermittent fasting, collagen and glycine, green tea, coffee, and
red wine. Finally, Dr. Fung and I lay out five easy-to-follow steps for a longer,
healthier life.
Perhaps you believe that following the government’s Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, with its familiar mantra of less salt, more vegetable oils, and more
carbohydrates, will keep you healthy. Unfortunately, my years of cardiovascular
research and Dr. Fung’s years of practical clinical experience have convinced us
that this dietary advice is almost completely wrong. For example, eating meals
based on highly refined carbohydrates will put you in a perpetual cycle of high
and low blood glucose that keeps you hooked on these foods (a state known as
carbohydrate dependence). The Dietary Guidelines also neglect to mention that
the Japanese and other long-lived Asians tend to eat high-salt seafood dishes and
avoid refined vegetable oils—doing the exact opposite of the U.S. government’s
recommendations.
Simple dietary changes can help you break the cycle of carbohydrate
dependence, kick your metabolism into high gear, and jump-start your longevity
genes. Intermittent fasting is a great example of one such simple change. Fasting
resets your metabolism, allowing new, better cells and proteins to replace older
ones. This “out with the old cells, in with the new” process of self-repair is
called autophagy, and increasing autophagy through fasting is just one “biohack”
that might help extend your life span as the body is busy with self-repair instead
of growth, which promotes aging. Other dietary patterns commonly found in
long-lived populations, such as drinking red wine, tea, and coffee, are easy to
follow and improve both health and longevity.
Let The Longevity Solution be your official guide to improving your health
with simple, easy changes to your diet and lifestyle that you can start
implementing now! Activate your longevity genes and start promoting cellular
repair rather than cellular despair.
A Note from Dr. Fung

People often believe that the secrets to longevity lie in the newest gee-whiz
technology or the latest, greatest supplement. Paradoxically, the secrets to
healthy aging have been communicated to us for centuries, and sometimes
millennia, as they’ve been handed down from generation to generation. The
Longevity Solution rediscovers these ancient lost secrets—and shows how
they’re supported by what we now know about biology. Recent research has
uncovered the science behind ancient longevity-promoting practices such as
restricting calories; optimizing dietary protein; drinking tea, coffee, and red
wine; and eating more salt and natural fats. The more things change, the more
things stay the same.
These ideas are not the latest and greatest fads. They are tried and true. They
have been used since antiquity and were traditionally accepted as important
facets of wellness. Ancient peoples knew that they worked, but modern science
is just now figuring out the reasons behind their success. These secrets have been
hiding in plain sight. We just didn’t know where to look.
People are always searching for what they can add to their diet to extend life
and improve health. Over the years, the list has become endless. Supplements of
vitamins A, B, C, D, and E have been touted as the next great cure-alls. One
after the other has failed, sometimes miserably. The problem is that we’re not
asking the right questions. In addition to asking “What do I need to eat more of
to get better?” we need to ask “What do I need to eat less of to get better?” The
Longevity Solution asks both questions—and, more importantly, answers them.
The legendary Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León (1460–1521), like
many of his bloodthirsty contemporaries, sought fame and fortune through
exploration of the New World. He settled in the part of Hispaniola that is now