While getting older is a privilege, many of us can't help but want to pump the brakes on the ageing process.
Michael Mosley, creator of the Fast 800 and 5:2 diets, is a weight loss expert who has advised tonnes of slimmers on the best lifestyle choices. As with weight loss, the presenter says we can equip ourselves with the healthiest lifestyle to achieve this goal.
The presenter has just travelled the world for a new TV series to meet 'super agers' - people in their 80s and 90s who look and act like they're decades younger. Michael has spoken to scientists researching on how to slow - and even reverse - ageing and the key takeaway he learned surprised him.
Writing in the MailOnline, he said: "One of the things they said, which really surprised me, is that genetics plays a relatively small part in how well you age — your lifestyle is far more important."
The former doctor also found that eating for your gut health is integral to ageing well and surviving well beyond the average lifespan, reports CoventryLive. Michael then went on to recommend a diet chock full of different veg and fibre to turn back the clock.
How to boost your gut health with 'anti-ageing' foods
A healthy microbiome not only significantly boosts your immune system, but has been shown to reduce inflammation linked to numerous cancers and heart disease.
To boost your microbiome with 'anti-ageing' foods, Michael recommends consuming a largely plant-based, fibre-rich diet, making sure you eat lots of "different-coloured fruit and veg".
He says the best way to boost gut levels of Bacteroidetes and other 'good' bacteria is to eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir and kimchi daily. Meanwhile, foods packed with sugar tend to have the opposite impact on ageing and your gut health.
Why gut health is key to ageing well
In his column Michael explains how food plays a major role in your health - and what seems to be equally important food's impact on your gut microbiome - the interaction of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in our intestines.
He illustrated his point with a recent study published in Nature Aging as an example. Scientists at Guangxi Academy of Sciences in China had compared the microbiomes of 1,575 people who ranged in age from 20 to over 100.
Explaining the findings, Michael says: "They found that the healthy centenarians (those least troubled by age-related disease) had a very diverse mix of bugs in their guts, with particularly high levels of a bacterial species called Bacteroidetes. This bug has previously been linked to slimness, and is present in far smaller amounts in the guts of people who are overweight."
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