You are what you eat.
And do, and drink and think.
We’ve known for a long time that our lifestyle choices, such as smoking and diet, affect our health, but have believed that genetics, getting older and just plain bad luck are the main causes of disease. Over the past 10-20 years, though, scientific studies have shown it’s actually our lifestyle choices that make the most difference in our health and longevity, causing between 80-90% of the chronic diseases we are getting.
Many of these ailments — diabetes, heart disease and obesity, for example — do have a genetic component, but those genes can be turned off or on by our lifestyle decisions, such as nutrients in the food we eat or chemicals made by our own bodies when we exercise or meditate.
Dan Buettner has been working with the National Geographic Society for almost 15 years identifying and studying the world’s longest-living people. By 2009, they had identified five areas of the world, which they called “Blue Zones,” where people not only were 10 times more likely to reach 100 years old than the typical American, but were still leading active lives. Through extensive research, they found it was their lifestyle factors — not genetics — that gave them their healthful advantage. The researchers pinpointed factors such as natural movement, having a purpose in life, knowing how to relax, eating a predominantly plant-based diet and having strong social connections through faith, family and friends.
America’s Blue Zone, the Seventh Day Adventists of Loma Linda, California, tend to be more health-conscious than the average American. As a rule, they don’t smoke or consume alcohol, they exercise and eat a healthier, more vegetarian diet. Because of these lifestyle choices, Adventist men live about a decade longer and Adventist women more than six years longer than their non-Adventist counterparts, with a 30% lower risk of cancer, a 50% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and up to an 80% lower rate of diabetes.
An EPIC Study (European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition) of more than 500,000 Europeans from 10 different countries reached the same conclusion — people making healthier choices have much lower rates of chronic disease. One specific arm of the study, in EPIC-Potsdam, Germany, looked at four healthy lifestyle factors, including: no tobacco use; exercising for at least 150 minutes weekly; maintaining a body mass index (BMI) of less than 30; and eating a healthy diet, defined as routine consumption of fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
Participants that achieved and maintained all four factors during the four years of the study had a 40% reduction in mortality, a 62% lower incidence of heart disease, a 91% less chance of developing diabetes and a 36% lower rate of cancer. It was estimated they would live on average 14 years longer than someone who achieved and maintained only one of the four factors.
Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based approach to prevent, treat and even reverse chronic disease. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine focuses on six ways to take control of your health. These pillars are physical activity; tobacco cessation; stress management; healthy relationships; quality sleep; and a whole-food, plant-based diet.
When people are empowered with knowledge and skills to make healthier choices, they can take control of their health, adding both years to their lives and life to their years.
Dr. Jason Buffington practices lifestyle medicine at Essentia Health and splits his time between the West Duluth Clinic and the Essentia Health-Wellness Center in Hermantown.