Dr Volter Longo’s TED Talk

I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of Dr. Longo’s research after hearing him on The Kevin Rose Show and Found My Fitness podcasts. I bought his book before the first podcast was over and finished it within the week.

The above video does a great job of summarizing what his research is all about. I haven’t written more about it because I am still trying to figure it out and listen to some counterarguments. Anyone who is interested in or following a Paleo or Keto diet will find all this very interesting.

He has a great summation of his diet philosophies here and exercise here.

Daily Longevity Diet

1. Eat mostly vegan, plus a little fish, limiting meals with fish to a maximum of two or three per week. Choose fish, crustaceans, and mollusks with a high omega-3, omega-6, and vitamin B12 content (salmon, anchovies, sardines, cod, sea bream, trout, clams, shrimp. (For more detailed information, see The Longevity Diet, appendix B.) Pay attention to the quality of the fish, choosing those with low levels of mercury.
2. If you are below the age of 65, keep protein intake low (0.31 to 0.36 grams per pound of body weight). That comes to 40 to 47 grams of proteins per day for a person weighing 130 pounds, and 60 to 70 grams of protein per day for someone weighing 200 to 220 pounds. Over age 65, you should slightly increase protein intake but also increase consumption of fish, eggs, white meat, and products derived from goats and sheep to preserve muscle mass. Consume beans, chickpeas, green peas, and other legumes as your main source of protein.
3. Minimize saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (meat, cheese) and sugar, and maximize good fats and complex carbs. Eat whole grains and high quantities of vegetables (tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, legumes, etc.) with generous amounts of olive oil (3 tablespoons per day) and nuts (1 ounce per day). See the biweekly diet program in The Longevity Diet, appendix A.
4. Follow a diet with high vitamin and mineral content, supplemented with a multivitamin buffer every three days.
5. Select ingredients among those discussed in this book that your ancestors would have eaten.
6. Based on your weight, age, and abdominal circumference, decide whether to have two or three meals per day (see Chapter 8, The Longevity Diet, for diabetes guidelines). If you are overweight or tend to gain weight easily, consume two meals a day: breakfast and either lunch or dinner, plus two low-sugar (less than 5 grams) snacks with fewer than 100 calories each. If you are already at a normal weight, or if you tend to lose weight easily or are over 65 and of normal weight, eat three meals a day and one low-sugar (less than 3 to 5 grams) snack with fewer than 100 calories.
7. Confine all eating to within a twelve-hour period; for example, start after 8 a.m. and end before 8 p.m. Don’t eat anything within three to four hours of bedtime.

Exercise & Longevity

1. Walk fast for an hour every day.
2. Take the stairs instead of escalators and elevators.
3. On the weekend, walk everywhere, even faraway places (avoid polluted areas as much as possible).
4. Do moderate exercise for 2.5 to 5 hours a week, with some of it in the vigorous range. Most of the beneficial effects appear to be caused by the first 2.5 hours of exercise, making the additional exercise optional.
5. Use weight training or weight-free exercises to strengthen all muscles.
6. To maximize muscle growth, consume at least 30 grams of protein in a single low-carb meal 1-2 hours after a relatively intense weight-training session.