The art and science of aging well is a complex business – a nuanced melding of a finely tuned diet, essential exercise and a healthy mind. For over twenty years, Prof. Luigi Fontana has been studying the lifestyle regimes that could help us live a longer, healthier life. One of the world’s leading experts in the field of human longevity, Dr. Fontana, a physician and professor of medicine and nutrition at the University of Sydney, takes a pragmatic approach to the aging process, railing against aspirations to live an excessively long life. The author of ground-breaking research on fasting and nutrition, he explores the wider issues involved in the aging process in a new book, The Path to Longevity: The Secrets to Living a Long, Happy, Healthy Life. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Prof. Fontana argues that medical systems based on treating sick people should be replaced by a more holistic approach to the human body. He also philosophizes about life’s “beautiful journey.”

Published on: 19 Jul 2020 @ 16:55 PT

NOTES & QUOTES

Connect with Dr. Fontana:

Professor of Medicine and Nutrition, Leonard P. Ullman Chair in Translational Metabolic Health, Director of the Healthy Longevity Research and Clinical Program

University of Sydney website | Twitter | Facebook | Book: The Path to Longevity

In this podcast we cover:

• Working as a longevity scientists in Australia, a country with free healthcare.
• The difference between healthcare and sick care.
• Like unserviced cars, how unhealthy humans are accidents waiting to happen.”

“It’s not if, it’s when and how bad it’s going to be.”

• The scourge of obesity, especially in children and the relationship with chronic disease.
• Why living longer by itself is of “no importance”
• Finding happiness and harmony in life.
• The environmental impact of high protein and keto diets.

“If living long is going to…damage the planet, what’s the point?”

• Living long thanks to the longevity gene?
• The craziness of magical recipes to live longer.
• The metabolic and molecular pathways that regulate the accumulation of damage.

“Aging is not a wear and tear process – it’s highly regulated.”

• Calorie restriction (CR)- the most powerful intervention to slow aging.
• Getting a phone call from CR pioneer Roy Walford.
• The confusion of ‘intermittent fasting’ describing multiple, disparate regimes.
• The limits of using mice and other animals as models for humans in longevity research.
• The role of IGF-1 – Insulin-like growth factor 1.
• The 5:2 diet and what we eat on those non-fasting days.

“I’m sorry it doesn’t work like that.  If you’re eating junk in the non fasting days and you expect that you’re going to live longer because of that, bad news, you’re not going to do that.”

• Developing biomarkers that measure our response to interventions focussed on improving health.
• The importance of waist circumference.
• The ‘religious’ extremes of longevity – vegetarians, vegans, carnivores.
• Approaching aging like a master conductor or a fine artist.
• A lack of exercise being the main public health problem of the 21st century.

“Longevity is a beautiful symphony.  It’s like a perfect balanced jigsaw where you need the right amount of pieces in the right combination”

• Why sportsmen and women do not live particularly long lives.
• The role of the matters of mind in longevity and pink noise.
• The value of sleep in healthy aging and memory consolidation.
• Stress, addictions and dopamine.
• A philosophical view of iife and longevity.

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.