Turn Back the Hands of Time
If you chart the health, longevity, and, ultimately, a group of people all born in the same year, you will find that, with very few exceptions, people age at a similar rate until they reach their late twenties or mid-thirties. With the exception of those who have inherited rare genetic disorders, been in serious accidents, or has been stricken with a disease, everyone is basically healthy and able. Men reach the peak of their curve of physical maturation in their late twenties, women in their mid-thirties. What this means is at that time, our bodies have fully matured, and we are at our strongest and most mentally acute. Somewhere between 28 and 36 years of age, most people reach a turning point, a transition from “growing” into “aging.”
Our genes matter. Genes simply make proteins, but how much of each protein a gene makes changes as we grow older and the ratio of some proteins to other proteins changes as we get older. But changing what we eat, for example from red meat to fish, might change the ratio of proteins from that typical of an alder person to one typical of a younger person. Feeding your genes more B vitamins, including B17 in the prevention of cancer, and foliate may make them less vulnerable to chromosome breaks or substitutions. This type of change in what your genes produce or how they function with a change in your habits exemplifies the control you can exert over your genes and the diseases that are characteristic of aging.
Keeping your arteries young and healthy is the single most important thing you can do for your health. Simply put, you’re as young as your arteries. When your arteries are not taken care of properly, i.e., when your diet is high in saturated or trans fats, they get clogged with fatty buildup, diminishing the amount of oxygen and nutrients that can get to the cells. An oxygenated cell is very good in many ways but especially in preventing cancer.
There are four major types of dietary fat: saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and trans fat. The first three occur naturally. The fourth, trans fat, is usually an artificially created product that mimics saturated fat. You may have noticed lately that some products will say on the package “no/or 0% trans fat”, but it is best to check the label for “partially hydrogenated vegetable oils” or “hydrogenated oils” as an ingredient. If you see either listed, you can be sure the product contains trans fat. If the fat is solid when cooled, it will age you. For example, most stick margarine is trans fat, as is much of the glaze on doughnuts.
Since food producers are not required to list trans fats on their nutrition labels, trans fat is called “the hidden fat.” The FDA proposed that the trans fat content be listed on labels since mid-2003, but some food manufacturers fought this requirement. Bottom line, be on the lookout for this “hidden fat” and keep away.
When your arteries get clogged with fatty buildup, not only your cardiovascular system but also your entire body ages more quickly. Cardiovascular disease, which is brought on b aging of the arteries, is the major cause of heat attacks, strokes, many types of kidney disease, and memory loss. Even mild forms of vascular disease that won’t actually kill you can zap your energy and make you feel old and tired.
Small, easy-to-make changes in food choices and in lifestyle can profoundly improve your arterial health and can reverse a great deal of the aging that has already taken place. For instance, reports show that garlic and olive oil along with tomato sauce decrease aging of the arteries. These foods can also decrease the likelihood that a cell will have a break in its DNA that could lead to cancer. Switching from one fat (butter or margarine) to another(olive or nut oil) can make your arteries and immune system many years younger.
In addition to taking care of your arteries, don’t let your immune system make you old. As you age, your immune system begins to get sloppy, ignoring important warning signals and becoming negligent. You can end up with cancer or another disorder caused by a malfunction of the immune system. When you are young, normally genetic controls in your cells protect your cells from becoming cancerous. If one of these cellular controls slips up, all is not lost. Your larger immune system can identify precancerous cells in the body and eliminate them, thus your body has a double block against cancer, one on the cellular level and one on the organism-wide level.
As you age, both the cell-based genetic controls and your immune system become more likely to malfunction. Cancer and many types of arthritis are examples of a breakdown of the immune system, which is why arthritis is another disease associated with aging. Fortunately, some food choices and supplements can help. A bowl of fresh mixed berries is an excellent way to help your body shed free radicals which can cause cell damage, and a daily consumption of a few raw apricot seeds is a great way to help prevent cancer.
Nature got it right, so eat natural foods as much as you can, exercise, and reduce your stress levels and the result will be a more energetic and younger you.
Joni Bell has many years of extensive study in the area of natural cancer prevention and treatment. He has numerous success stories of people being diagnosed living cancer free with use of alternative methods. [http://apricotpower-info.com]
