Pressler - Cheat the clock: how new science can help you look and feel younger

An important and fascinating journey to answer one of lifes most mysterious questionswhy we age and how to do it well.

David A. Kessler, MD, former commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; author, The End of Overeating

A comprehensive look at what pertains to all of usthe science behind healthy aging.

Stephanie Lederman, executive director, American Federation for Aging Research

This book will likely inspire people from all over the world to take control of their health and the way they age.

Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD, RD; chair, Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences; director, Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging, Florida State University

Margaret Pressler has found a fountain of youth in her own back-yard. By describing the simple ways that her husband has slowed the usual effects of aging, she provides an easy roadmap that readers can followfocusing on the basics of nutrition, exercise, sleep, and good health. Can there be anyone who wouldnt want to join the Presslers and Cheat the Clock?

David Ignatius, columnist, The Washington Post

For Eleanor, Phoebe, and William. The best.

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Copyright 2013 by Margaret Webb Pressler

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ISBN: 978-1-61564-288-5
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2013942518

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Foreword

Aging is an inevitable process that involves an accumulation of changes to the human body over the course of ones lifetime. Its something many of us try to avoid, often through the use of cosmetics or surgery, but to no avail. Some people age gracefully and never appear to grow a day older, and some are not so lucky. But why is this? Is it that some have the gift of great genetics passed down from their parents? Or is it something else? Hippocrates (460377 B.C. ) once said Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. While this statement was made thousands of years ago, it couldnt be closer to the truth, particularly with regard to aging.

I started my work in the field of aging more than two decades ago as a fellow of the American Institute on Aging. Since that time, I have conducted numerous studies looking at the health benefits of dietary factors on human health. I was amongst the first to show that estrogen and estrogen-like compounds from plants can enhance intestinal calcium absorption; that soy protein may alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis; that regular consumption of flaxseed not only lowers cholesterol but more importantly, prevents the formation of fatty lesions, the culprit of arterial plaques; that consumption of a couple apples per day can lower bad cholesterol by 23 percent in a few months; and that the incorporation of a few prunes into our daily diet not only can prevent bone loss but more amazingly can bring back the bone we have already lost.

Fortunately, in recent years, the American Medical Association has stocked all its journals, including its flagship, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), with articles on such alternative remedies. And though several techniques have withered under scientific scrutiny, others have emerged looking better than mainstream treatments. Hence, isnt it time to change our usual view of medicine as the cultural equivalent of George Washington, while the typical opinion of nutritional intervention is equated with that of Rodney Dangerfield? It is not naive to offer a simple solution to a complex condition. These simple remedies are not really that simple when practiced for an extended period of time. Next time, instead of having an ice cream, try to have a few wedges of watermelon; eat a couple apples or a few ounces of prunes instead of popcorn with added fat; try not to find the closest parking spot when you go to work or shopping; and try to take the stairs instead of the elevator when feasible. Do these things from this day onward, and see the results for yourself.