Before Bryan Johnson took the biohacking world by storm with his obsessive regimen of health practices all aimed at immortality, Valter Longo was already on the path to exploring what it means to live a long, robust life.
The renowned professor of gerontology and head of California’s USC Longevity Institute talked to New York Times about his ambitious goal: living to 120 or even 130 years old in good health. To him, it’s not just about the years you pile on but the quality of those years—what experts call your health span.
Traditionally, Italy and its Mediterranean way of life have been linked to longevity—think fresh foods, accessible walking paths, and strong social ties. One of the five legendary Blue Zones is Sardinia, where local crowd members shattered age records, a fact highlighted in one of Dan Buettner’s Netflix docuseries episodes, Living to 100.
Interestingly, Longo has flagged a worrying trend: “Almost no one in Italy sticks to the Mediterranean diet anymore,” he claims.
Instead, the youth in Italy are struggling with obesity issues, largely stemming from what Longo calls the “poisonous five P’s”: pizza, pasta, protein, potatoes, and pane (or bread), as reported by Jason Horowitz in the NYT. If this dietary trend persists, Longo worries that while Italians may age gracefully, they won’t do so healthily.
So, how do we pivot away from this dietary disaster? Longo, also the author of The Longevity Diet, advocates for a return to the original Mediterranean diet—which is heavy on plants and nuts. You can find some of his go-to longevity recipes on his website, featuring gems like sweet and sour sardines, artichokes st to perfection, savory cabbage patties, and onions slathered in walnut sauce.
In addition to this, Longo is hyping a trendy approach known as faux fasting, which aims to replicate the positive effects of fasting without complete food deprivation. His plan entails a low-carb and moderate-protein diet enriched with fatty acids. As his site elaborates, “The Fasting Mimicking Diet patented recipe allows your body to remain in a fasting-like state, triggering survival strategies honed through natural selection. This can supercharge your cellular efficiency and rejuvenate cells, making them work effectively even under pressure.”
Though research shows mixed reviews about intermittent fasting, the ongoing buzz demonstrates people’s eagerness to discover ways to stretch their lives.
This article was first published on Fortune.com on November 20, 2024.
