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

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

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 governments 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. Fungs 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 oilsdoing the exact opposite of the U.S. governments 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.

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 theyve been handed down from generation to generation. The Longevity Solution rediscovers these ancient lost secretsand shows how theyre 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 didnt 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 were 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 questionsand, more importantly, answers them.

The legendary Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Len (14601521), 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 the Dominican Republic, before serving as the governor of Puerto Rico for two years. When Christopher Columbuss son, Diego, replaced de Len, he was forced to set sail once again. He had heard native tales of a fountain that would restore youth to anyone who drank from it. As part of his next phase of exploration, Ponce de Lon searched for this elusive source of longevity.

He explored much of the Bahamas and is believed to have landed near the present-day town of St. Augustine in northeast Florida in 1513. He named this newly discovered land Florida, from the Spanish word florido, meaning full of flowers. He continued his explorations throughout the Florida coast and the Florida Keys but died never having found the elusive fountain of youth.

This well-known story is likely entirely fictional. Ponce de Lens writings make no mention of his search for the fountain of youth, and his vigorous explorations were for more pedestrian reasonsto find gold, identify lands for colonization, and spread Christianity. But the notion of a mystical substance that can reverse aging is so powerful that this legend has endured all these years. Interestingly, the legend of a fountain of youth predates de Len; similar stories are part of the Middle Eastern, medieval European, and ancient Grecian cultures. Can aging really be reversed? Has science succeeded where Ponce de Len failed?