The Art and Science of Aging Well

The Art and Science of Aging Well
Dr. Maya Nicole Baylac
Hawaii Naturopathic Retreat Center • 239 Haili St., Hilo HI 96720 US

What is Aging?
 Aging is a process of biochemical changes at the cellular
level resulting in cell death, decrease of full organ
function and death.
 Aging is genetically determined and influenced by
environmental factors, therefore aging is plastic and can be
delayed, minimized or can cause premature death.
 The aging process starts at 10 years of age with the lowest
mortality rate at 10.1 After 10 years of age, death rates
are doubling every 8 years in western countries and 12
years in eastern countries, regardless of menopause or
retirement.
1Upton AC. Pathology. In: Finch LE Hayflick L, Handbook of the biology of aging. New York Van
Nostrand Reinhold, 1977: 513-35

Aging In Our Culture
 Aging is viewed as a negative process.
 The ideal is to “stay young for ever and never die”.
 Aging is associated with old age and chronic illness·
 Aging tends to be viewed as a disease that can be treated
by medicine, with surgery and pharmaceutical drugs.
My perspective: aging is a noble process. Its negative sides
can be attenuated. Chronic disease can be avoided or
delayed with healthy lifestyle and healthy nutrition.

Normal Aging Process:
Organ Atrophy
 Brain atrophy and slow loss of neurons in the
prefrontal cortex starting early adulthood causes
memory losses (e.g names), insomnia or sleeping
difficulties.
 Kidneys atrophy after 35, less capacity for filtering the
blood, clearing medication and toxic material.
 Bladder shrinks leading to incontinence and difficulty
voiding.

Decreased Hormonal and
Enzyme Function
Decreased testosterone in males and decreased estrogen in
females
 leads to decrease in sexual function
 loss of muscle mass, elasticity, strength and flexibility due to
loss of muscle fibers
 loss of bone density
Reduced production of hydrochloric acid and enzymes
 leads to poor digestion
 increased vulnerability to bacteria such as H. Pylori
Decreased in efficiency of the Immune system (slows
repair and healing)
Decreased Metabolism
Vitality decreases

Normal Sign of Aging
 Hair: Graying and thinning of the hair from hair pigment loss.
 Skin: Loss of connective tissue cells causes loss of elasticity, loss of
sebaceous glands cause poor hydration, sarcopenia causes loss of
muscle tone resulting in wrinkles, sagging skin. Melanocyte numbers
decrease, age spots in sun-exposed areas.
 Muscle: Loss of muscle mass, elasticity, strength and flexibility from
loss of muscle fibers.
 Abdominal Weight Gain: Distribution of fat around the organs,
widening of the waist area.
 Skeletal: Loss of height, loss of minerals such as calcium and
phosphorus.
 Joints: May be painful, inflamed and stiff from damage to the joint
structure.
 Hearing and vision: Decreased function due to loss of specialized
cells and blood vessels blockage.

Old Age, Morbidity
and Mortality
 Natural death at the end of the lifespan is rare because chronic disease
causes premature death
 Prior to the 1900’s death was caused by acute disease. Medicine
introduced Hygiene and antibiotics and eliminated death from
infections.
 Medicine needs to design strategies to extend a healthy life and
compress morbidity and disability1 towards the end of the lifespan.
1- Eliminate risks factors for chronic illness: high blood sugar, high
blood pressure, obesity, smoking, excessive drinking.
2- Maintain organ capacity with healthy lifestyle
1Aging Natural Death and the Compression of Morbidity James F. Fries M.D. The New England Journal of Medicine, July 17, 1980

Morbidity and Mortality Statistics
USA (2010, CDC)
 Number of deaths: 2,515,458
 Life expectancy: 78.7 years
 White women: 80.3, Black women 76.8
 White men: 75.3, black men 70.2

Morbidity and Mortality Statistics
 Heart disease: 596,577
 Cancer: 576,691
 Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 142,943
 Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,932
 Accidents (unintentional injuries): 126,438
 Alzheimer’s disease : 84,974
 Diabetes: 73,831
 Influenza and Pneumonia: 53,826
 Nephritis, nephritic syndrome, and nephrosis: 45,591
 Intentional self-harm (suicide): 39,518

What Causes Aging And
Chronic Illness?

Oxidative Stress: A Biochemical Theory
of Aging and Chronic Disease
 Proposed by Denhan Harman in the 19501
 Cellular aging, cell death and degenerative disease
is due to oxidative stress and mitochondrial
dysfunction
 Oxidative stress is imbalance between free radicals
and anti-oxidants “The delicate balance between antioxidant
defences and ROS production may be disrupted by either deficient
antioxidant defences, inhibition of electron flow or exposure to
xenobiotics. This imbalance appears as a common denominator
in various pathological processes in which the resulting
oxidative insult causes tissue damage and, eventually, cell
death”.
1Bernstein & Bernstein, 1991; Ames & Gold, 1991; Holmes et al., 1992;
Rao & Loeb, 1992; Ames et al., 1993)

Oxidative Stress =
Free Radicals > Antioxidants

Free Radicals
 Free radicals are molecules containing one unpaired
electron in their outer shells and they are chemically
very reactive and steal electrons from other molecules.
 Free radicals combined with oxygen to form reactive
oxygen species (ROS).
 ROS are formed as a normal byproduct of oxygen
metabolism but increase with environmental stress.
 ROS react with the lipids in the cell membrane in
particular polyunsaturated fatty acids.
 ROS react with the nucleus of the cell.

Anti-Oxidants
 Anti-oxidants are produced to neutralize ROS.
 Anti-oxidants are molecules that donate an electron to ROS and
neutralize ROS preventing reactivity and cell damage.
 Most known anti-oxidants are
 vitamin A, C, E, beta carotene, carotenoids
 Peptide thiol such as glutathione and its precursor NAC (N
acetyl cysteine), lipoic acid, flavonoids, selenium, uric acid
 Enzymatic anti-oxidants e.g. Superoxide dismutase (SOD,
Cu-SOD, Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase.

Mitochondria
and Oxidative Stress
 The process of energy production creates free radicals in the
inner membrane of mitochondria.
 Free radicals react with oxygen used by the mitochondrial
respiratory chain to generate ATP and form ROS
 ROS reacts with the membrane of the mitochondria and
causes rigidity of the membrane and mtDNA damage
 Anti-oxidants such as Glutathione and coq10 protect the
mitochondria but production decreases with age.
 Recent studies show that mtDNA features the same repair
mechanisms as nDNA whereas it was believed in the past that
it did not repair as well

Mitochondrial Dysfunction
 Mitochondrial damage reversible at the beginning.
 mtDNA damage irreversible and thought to cause
aging and disease.
 The brain and the liver are the most sensitive organs.
 Brain: high oxygen, high lipid and low anti-oxidant,
therefore sensitive to lipid peroxidation
 Liver: produces a large amount of free radicals in the
detoxification process

Leakage and Cellular
Damage
Electron leakage from the mitochondrial chain
 Damages cellular molecules such as fat, protein and
DNA
 Cell death

Sources of ROS:
Endogenous
 Immune system produces free radicals to attack
bacteria
 Chronic inflammation
 H. Pylori
 Allergies, intolerances
 Overweight

Sources of ROS
Exogenous
 Environmental: air and water pollutants, radiation, UV light
 Xenobiotics: carcinogenic chemical compounds
 Pesticides and herbicides: inhaled, direct contact or
ingested
 Trans fat: Preservatives and chemicals in food·
 Prescription drugs and Medications: esp. rx used for
treatment of cancer
 Free Iron and Toxic metals: such as cadmium arsenic,
mercury, iron, nickel, lead, aluminum

Behavior Induced ROS
 Emotional stress, anxiety related behaviors
 Over-Exercising: overuse of the body (e.g. athletes)
 Tobacco smoke
 Alcohol: stimulates the activity of cytochrome P450
(ROS) and reduces anti-oxidants

The Centenarian Studies
A Model for Healthy Aging and Longevity
Lower Incidence of Chronic Disease
Better Survival Rate
Less Disability

Longevity Factors
Being born
 to a Young Mother (18 to 20)
 to parents who lived a long life
 in November
 a female
Positive early life experience

Negative Early Childhood
Experiences Affect Longevity
Early childhood experiences that have a negative effect
on lifespan
 Loss of a parent
 Suffering virulent environmental insults
 Disease load experienced during the first year of
life
 Engagement in high risks behavior such as smoking or
excessive drinking

Positive Emotions
Affect Longevity
 Handwritten autobiographies from 180 Catholic nuns,
composed when participants were a mean age of 22 years,
were scored for emotional content and related to survival
during ages 75 to 95.1
 A strong inverse association was found between positive
emotional content in these writings and risk of mortality in
late life (p<.001).
 Positive emotional content in early-life autobiographies
as strongly associated with longevity 6 decades later.2
 1Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 80(5), May 2001, 804-813
 2Positive emotions in early life and longevity: Findings from the nun study. Danner, Deborah D.; Snowdon, David
A.; Friesen, Wallace V. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 80(5), May 2001, 804-813

Centenarian Studies
 A review of Blue zones and Centenarian research
 Studies are conducted all over the world in France,
Hungary, Japan, Italy, Finland, Denmark, the United
states and China
 Focus has been more on genetics than lifestyle

Centenarian Statistics
 Centenarian rate in the US is half the rate of Japan
 The proportion of centenarians in the United States is the lowest
of all developed countries: 1.73 per 10,000 people against 1.92 in
Sweden, 1.95 in the United Kingdom, and 2.70 in France, 3.43 in
Japan
 The rate is increasing from 1 in 10,000 in 1994 to 1 in 6,000 in
2010.
 Super centenarians (older than 110 are 1 in 7 million), 60 to 70
individuals in the US
 Centenarians: 85% are women 15% are men
 Super centenarian: 95% are women

Blue Zone Locations
Highest concentration of centenarians:
 The community of Seventh Day Adventists in the small
town of Loma Linda in California.
 Okinawa Island in Japan, famous for the longest disability-free
life expectancy in the world
 Sardinia, Italy, with the highest concentration of
centenarians
 Icaria, Greece
 Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica where healthy
centenarians live in a solid support network of friends and
family.

Blue Zone Characteristics
Geographic and Ideological Isolation:
 Centenarians live in isolated areas, on an island, peninsula or in
religious isolation such as the 7th Adventists with little contact with
the modern world.
 They operate as a community and take care of each others
needs
 They live outdoors a good part of the time and get plenty of sun
exposure
 They get plenty of physical activity: working in the fields, walking
or bicycling to neighbor locations
 They have a strong sense of belonging, perpetrate tradition,
family celebrations
 Happy and sense of purpose

Mortality and Disability from
Chronic Disease1
 15% no mortality associated diseases at the age of 100 “escapers”
 43% suffer chronic diseases before the age of 80 but survive and remain
independently functioning. “survivors”
 42% suffer chronic disease after the age of 80 against 60 in the general
population “delayers”
 “Somehow, despite the presence of diseases, people who become
centenarians don’t die from those diseases, but rather they are able to
deal with them much better than other people and remain independently
functioning more than 30 years beyond the age of 60. Author
conclusion: The identification of three types of centenarians, Survivors,
Delayers, and Escapers, provides direction for future study into the
factors that determine exceptional longevity
1New England Centenarian study, Hitt R, Young-Xu Y, Perls T. Centenarians: The
older you get, the healthier you’ve been. Lancet, 1999;354 (9179):652.

Delayed Cancer1 and CVD:
Higher Survival Rates
 Cancer is delayed to the age of 80.5 years compared
to 63.2 years in the general population2 (Most common
cancers: breast, prostate and colon)
 88% of centenarians delay or escape the age-related
lethal diseases: cardiac disease, stroke and diabetes
1Cancer in the oldest old. Andersen SL, Terry DF, Wilcox MA, Babineau T, Malek K, Perls TT. Mech Ageing
Dev. 2005 Feb;126(2):263-7.
2National Cancer Institute

Supercentanarian Delay Vascular
Disease and Disability
A Super centenarian study revealed:
 22% were taking medications for High Blood Pressure
 19% had a history of MI and stroke
 59% were partially or totally dependent
 41% require minimal assistance or were independent
 Conclusion: “super centenarians markedly delay and even
escape clinical expression of vascular disease toward the
end of their exceptionally long lives. A surprisingly
substantial proportion of these individuals were still
functionally independent or required minimal assistance”.1
1PMID: 16913991 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Related citations
Schoenhofen EA, Wyszynski DF, Andersen S, Pennington J, Young
R, Terry DF, Perls TT. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006 Aug;54(8):1237-40.

Italian Multicenter Study on
Centenarians
 Ultra-nonagenarians had a lower incidence of
diabetes, osteoporosis, and gastric ulcer. (Italian
Multicenter studies on centenarians)

The Okinawa Centenarians
Study Characteristics
 Began in 1975
 Ages are validated through the “koseki”, the Japanese
family registration system.
 At the baseline exam a full geriatric assessment is
performed, including physical exam and activities of daily
living
 Full assessments of a sub-sample of 900-plus
centenarians have been performed.
 When Dr. Suzuki (Principal Investigator of the OCS) first
began his studies, he found an unusual number
of centenarians to be in extraordinarily healthy shape.

Longest Health Expectancy:
Okinawa
 Longest life expectancy in the world
 Longest health expectancy, healthy youthful looking,
energetic
 Low rate of heart disease, stroke, cancer even stomach
cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s
 “Okinawa inhabitants reach ages similar to the Japanese
average of 86 for women and 78 for men. However, the real
encouraging factor is not that people reach these ages, but
they grow old in a much better state. Some in their 90's
can honestly vouch that they still have an active sex life.”1
1Fries JF. New England Journal of Medicine 1980;303:131-5).

The Boston University School of Medicine
New England Centenarian
Study1 Alzheimer’s
 The most extensive study conducted in the US.
 The study began in 1995 as a population-based study of all
centenarians living within 8 towns in the Boston area. The
brain of the subjects were dissected after their death.
 OBJECTIVE: To review the prevalence and incidence of
dementia amongst the exceptionally long-lived.
 RESULTS: Centenarians avoid dementia due to
Alzheimer’s and demonstrate no evidence of
neurodegenerative disease.
1Perls T. Exp Gerontol. 2004 Nov-Dec;39(11-12):1587-93.

Resistance to Dementia
from Alzheimer’s
 15-25%, are functionally cognitively intact.
 Among those who are not cognitively intact at 100, approximately 90%
delayed the onset of clinically evident impairment at least until the
average age of 92 yr. against 60 in the general population.
 Despite the substantial presence of neuropathological markers of
Alzheimer's disease, they do not meet clinical criteria for having dementia,
thus suggesting the existence of cognitive reserve.
 15% had no mortality associated diseases
 90% of all the centenarians were still independently functioning at the
average age of 93 years
 Few centenarians are obese
 Smoking history is rare

Positive Stress Response
 The New England study reported that centenarians
tended to have an above average ability to handle
stress
 The Swedish study reported, “Personality profiles
(MMPI) indicated that the centenarians were more
responsible, capable, easygoing and less prone to
anxiety than the population in general”.

Anxiety and Depression
The Padua centenarian study in Italy
 38 centenarians (mainly residing in Padua) were interviewed
between October 1992 and July 1995.
 Had lower scores for anxiety and depression than
subjects in the 2 younger groups.
 They considered themselves as religious and satisfied
with their financial situation.
 They reported greater satisfaction with personal and social
life

Longevity and Healthy
Lifestyle
Study of Seventh Day Adventists at Loma Linda University1
 Longest average life expectancy in the United States, 88 years for men and
89 years for women. (10 more years than the average life expectancy)
 Strong faith and family orientation
 Their Religion ask that they have very good lifestyle choices: they tend to be
vegetarian, they don’t smoke, they regularly exercise
 “What the 7th Day Adventist results show us is that the average American has
the genes to reach their mid-late 80s, they just need to take very good care of
themselves with proper lifestyle choices” concludes the author
1Vegetarian diets in the Adventist Health Study 2: a review of initial
published findings. Orlich, Michael J; Fraser, Gary E. The American journal of
clinical nutrition. 2014 Jun; 100(Supplement 1):353S-358S

Longevity and Lifestyle Factors
A cohort study involving about 1,600 participants in a cohort study1
“Physical activity, such as regular swimming, walking, or gymnastics, was the leisure
activity most strongly linked to longevity”.
 Not smoking and physical activity are associated with longer survival even after the
age of 75
 Smoking: decreases longevity by 1 year, former smoker survival was the same as non
smokers.
 The investigators defined a low-risk profile as healthy lifestyle behaviors, taking part
in 1 or more leisure activity, and having a rich or moderate social network. They defined
a high-risk profile as unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, no leisure activities, and a limited
or poor social network. Compared with participants who had a high-risk profile, those
who had a low-risk profile had an increase in median survival of 5.4 years.
 A Healthy lifestyle may improve longevity even into old age, according to a population-based cohort study
published on line. August 30 in the British Medical Journal.

Autonomy and Healthy Lifestyle
Preservation of Activities of Daily Living: The Japanese
centenarian study1
 10.4% were judged to be autonomous centenarians.
 Autonomy is associated with health practices and physical
status.
 Better visual acuity, getting regular exercise,
spontaneous awakening regularly in the morning,
preserved masticatory ability, having no history of
drinking, having no history of severe falls after the age of
95, more frequent intake of protein, living at home, and
being male
1J Am Geriatr Soc, 2007 Jan;55(1):95-101, Ozaki A1, Uchiyama M, Tagaya H, Ohida T, Ogihara R

Autonomy and Healthy
Lifestyle: Conclusions
“These findings suggest that health practices play an
important role in preserving ADLs and good cognitive
and psychosocial status after reaching the age of 100 and
should be useful for establishing an educational program
for the ever-increasing "super elderly" population in
Japan”.

Okinawa Diet1
 Low-calorie, low glycemic diet. Consume only 25% the amount of sugar
and 75% the amount of fat than what the Japanese eat. Diet consists of
vegetarian, seafood and soy. No meat, eggs or dairy products
 Anti-oxidant rich foods: they consume about 300 g of green, yellow, orange
vegetables, fruits, tubers a day. These vegetables are rich in vitamin C, A and
flavonoids
 Calorie control: hara hachi bu, a cultural habit consisting of only eating until
they are 80% full and staying physically active the natural way. Average body
mass index (BMI) of 18 to 22”.
 “Elderly were found to have impressively young, clean arteries, low
cholesterol, and low homocysteine levels when compared to Westerners.
They have low blood levels of free radicals”
(1) Okinawa centenarian study. Fries JF. New England Journal of Medicine
1980;303:131-5.

Okinawa Social Support
 “Ikigai': sense of purpose, “a reason the get up in the
morning”.
 The elders here have low depression levels.
 “You can see persons aged 90-100 on motorcycles or
mountain bikes on the streets. Most of them practice karate,
kendo, dancing, walk daily several kilometers, and even
work on vegetable gardens and after that sell the products”.
 Social network: people take care of each other, forming
more coherent and supportive links than in the western
world. They have a positive attitude toward life and low
levels of stress.

Centenarians Health
Characteristics
 Stay healthy longer
 Delay both natural signs of aging and chronic
illness
 Manage chronic illness better and do not die from it
 Less disabled and more autonomous

Personality Traits
 Happiness, sense of purpose, faith, spiritual
commitment
 Sense of responsibility
 Resilience and hardiness
 Sense of independence
 Can handle stress better
 No depression or anxiety
 Have fun and enjoy themselves

Strong Sense of
Social Belonging
 Respect for tradition, family, religion, celebrations
 Social activities:
-Have a function in their group.
-Participation in family and community activities.
-Take care of children
-Cook

Family Traits
 50% of centenarians have first-degree relatives
and/or grandparents who also achieved very old
age, and many have exceptionally old siblings.
 “Many of the children of centenarians (age range of
65 to 82 years) appear to be following in their parents’
footsteps with marked delays in cardiovascular
disease, diabetes and overall mortality”1.
1Hitt R, Young-Xu Y, Perls T. Centenarians: The older you get, the healthier you’ve been. Lancet,
1999;354 (9179):652.

Lifestyle Factors
 No smoking, drinking or drugs
 Meaningful Active Lifestyle: walking, biking to places,
fishing, gardening
 Rich Social connections
 Low environmental toxicity
 Spontaneous waking
 Outdoor living

How Can We Apply
This Model To Our
Modern World?

What Kills Us?
Sedentary Lifestyle: Chronic Sitting
 The most important factor for poor health and early death.
 2012 meta-analysis1 found that those who sat for the longest
periods of time on a daily basis were twice as likely to have
diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least.
 Another recent study found that women who sat for more than
seven hours a day had a 47 percent higher risk of depression
than women who sat for four hours or less per day.
8 hours of sitting cannot be compensated by an hour of exercise
(although it helps)
1Psychology Today March 20, 2014

Benefit of Intermittent Movement
 Interrupt sitting sessions every hour
 Standing up or bending down increase the force of gravity on your body, and this is the
key to counteracting the cellular degeneration that occurs when you're sitting down
according to Dr. Joan Vernikos, former director of NASA's Life Sciences Division and
author of “Sitting Kills, Moving Heals”1
 One of the most recent studies2 in this field found that taking a five-minute walk for
every hour you spend in your chair can reduce the heart disease risks associated with
chronic sitting.
 Although benefits were shown after just a five minute walk in this study, Dr. James
Levine, co-director of Obesity Solutions at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and Arizona State
University, recommends getting at least 10 minutes of movement for every hour you
sit down.
1Sitting kills, Moving Heals by Joan Vernikos After 30 years of pioneering research with
NASA, Joan Vernikos wrote the first book to focus on the fundamental importance of
gravity in maintaining youthful vigor. In it, she applies lessons learned from the
experiences of space-traveling U.S. astronauts and Soviet and Russian cosmonauts to
ordinary people here on Earth.
2Washington Post September 8, 2014

Benefit of Walking:
COPD and Stroke
 Walking: walking for two miles a day or more can cut your
chances of hospitalization from a severe episode of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by about
half. Two-year long study published in the journal
Respirology1
 Another study found that daily walking reduced the risk of
stroke in men over the age of 60. Walking for at least an
hour or two could cut a man's stroke risk by as much as
one-third, and it didn't matter how brisk the pace was.
Taking a three-hour long walk each day slashed the risk by
two-thirds.
1Respirology February 2,2014 (Epub ahead of print)

Finding Meaning in the
Modern World
A Substitute to Traditional Values and
Harmony With Nature

Physical Activities with
Social Meaning
Making the elders feel active members of the community
 Meaningful Outdoor physical activities: walking or
bicycling to the store or to neighbors or an event
 Meaningful relationship with nature: gardening, or
outdoor contemplation
 Group activities in nature: walking, paddling, biking,
hiking, canoeing, etc…
 Creative group activities: singing, sawing, knitting,
painting, sculpting, theater or any hobby

Positive Dynamic
Social Connection
 Know and help your neighbor
 Social connections in the community
 Family gathering daily for dinner/lunch
 Meaningful social network, church or other spiritual and
educational group
 Continue to be part of the socio-economical network
Gives a sense of belonging and worth
Gives purpose
 Example: Have a dog to take for a walk to a park

Social and Physical Activities
Protect your Brain from Alzheimer’s: The shrinking brain needs more
stimulation, creativity and brain activity
 Regular social activities keep your brain sharp.
 Challenge yourself to learn and do new things.
 Be physically active: increases blood and oxygen flow to the brain
 Avoid these 4 factors1
 High blood pressure, Diabetes, Cigarette smoking, Being overweight
or obese
1A new study by researchers at University of California, Davis Framingham Offspring
Cohort Study, Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology


Create A Life Of
Meaning
Loving Relationships and Service to
Humanity

Depression, Pessimism,
Loneliness and Cancer
 Epidemiological studies over the last 30 years indicate that
chronic stress, depression, negative moods, feeling of
isolation and lack of social support might be risk factors
for cancer development and progression1
 Chronicity of negative affect, as manifested by depressed
mood or hopelessness/pessimism, appears to have
stronger relationships with outcomes than do stressful
events2. Psychological status seems to predict the length of
survival in several types of cancer such as melanoma, non-small-
cell lung cancer, breast and kidney cancer
1Moreno-Smith M, et al. Impact of stress on cancer metastasis.
Future Oncol. 2010 Dec;6 (12):1863-81.
2The influence of bio-behavioural factors on tumour biology: pathways and mechanisms. Nat Rev
Cancer. 2006 Mar;6(3):240-8. Antoni MH1, Lutgendorf SK, Cole SW, Dhabhar FS, Sephton
SE, McDonald PG, Stefanek M, Sood AK

Emotional Stress and Disease
 Stress, depression and anxiety activate the HPA axis and impair
the immune system
 Clinically relevant distress is present in 40% to 50% of cancer
outpatients. (i, ii)
 Chronic stress predicts the occurrence of coronary heart
disease (CHD).(iii)
 Employees who experience work-related stress and individuals
who are socially isolated or lonely have an increased risk of a
first CHD event.
 A history of stressful life events is correlated with a greater
incidence of metabolic syndrome (in men), especially in those
men with elevated cortisol (independent of BMI and age). (iv)

Emotional Stress and Disease
(citations)
(i) Hoffman et al. Screening for distress in cancer patients: the NCCN
rapid-screening measure. Psychooncology, 2004;13:792.
(ii) Jacobsen et al. Screening for psychological distress in ambulatory
cancer patients. Cancer, 2005;103:1494.
(iii) Steptoe A, Kivimäki M. Stress and cardiovascular disease. Nat Rev
Cardiol. 2012 Apr 3;9(6):360-70.
(iv) Fabre B, et al. Relationship between cortisol, life events and
metabolic syndrome in men.Stress. 2012 Apr 18.

Sleep Hygiene
 Follow natural rhythms of waking and sleeping
 Control light/ electronic pollution
 Sunlight exposure during the day: ½ hour outdoor is
enough
 Darkness at night and lights down in the evening
 Go to bed early
 Do not eat or drink past 6 PM

Circadian Rhythm and Cancer
 Exposure to sunlight during the day and darkness at
night is an important factor for good sleep.
 Night-time shift work is a risk factor for breast and
colorectal cancer.
 Two clinical studies have also shown that cortisol
levels can predict long-term cancer survival1.
1Antoni MH, et al. The influence of bio-behavioural factors on tumour biology:
pathways and mechanisms. Nat Rev Cancer. 2006;6 (3):240-8.

Sleep, Alzheimer's and Obesity
 Recent studies show that poor sleeping habits cause
both brain damage and brain shrinkage, and may
even accelerate onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
 Previous research published in the journal Science
revealed that the brain removes toxic waste during
sleep through “the glymphatic system.”
 Poor sleep has been implicated in obesity in a
number of previous studies.

Eliminate Environmental
Toxins: Protect the Kidneys
 Aging kidney do not detoxify so easily
 Eliminate tobacco, excess alcohol intake
 Avoid pharmaceutical drugs as much as possible
 Eliminate processed foods, soft drinks, sugar, flour,
dairy products: all these create inflammation
 Eat organic food to avoid chemicals, pesticides and
herbicides
 Incorporate large amount of vegetables: high in anti-oxidants

Chelation: Protect Your Blood
Vessels and Prevent CVD
 Chelate heavy metals
 EDTA/DMSA chelation for atherosclerosis, heart
disease

Avoid Estrogen Mimicking
Xenobiotics and Cancer1
 Consume ONLY organically grown food to avoid
carcinogenic toxins
 Pesticides in our food have an estrogenic effect
 Pesticides cause hormonal cancers such as breast,
ovarian, uterine and prostate cancer
 Pesticides cause Early puberty occurring at 10 instead
of 16
1Cancers 2010, 2, 376-396; The Role of Oxidative Stress in Carcinogenesis
Induced by Metals and Xenobiotics Frank Henkler *, Joep Brinkmann and
Andreas Luch *

Nutritional Principles
Calorie restriction
 Eating 30% less calories (2000 calories per day) extends
life and prevents chronic disease, lowers blood pressure,
improves diabetes, decreases inflammation, decreases
insulin levels and decreases body temperature
Eliminating wheat maybe grains
 Dr. Perlmutter “Grain Brain” states that glycated hemoglobin
HbA1c is one of the greatest predictors of brain
atrophy.1
 1“… sugar molecules, and brain proteins combine to create deadly
new structures that contribute more than any other factor to the
degeneration of the brain and its functioning. The brain is
tremendously vulnerable to the glycating ravages of glucose,
and this is made worse when powerful antigens like gluten accelerate
the damage. In neurological terms, glycation can contribute to the
shrinkage of critical brain tissue.(p. 85 Grain Brain).

Anti-Oxidant Supplementation
 Acetyl L carnitine
 Lipoic acid
 Co Q Ubiquinol
 Glutathione (GSH)
 Vitamin E, C
 Superoxide dismutase

Conclusion
 “Despite the inevitable ups and downs, the biggest
secret these centenarians shared is that living to
100 is worth the effort. Like climbing a mountain,
we should aspire to reach that height, not just
because it is there, but because the view from the
top is unsurpassed”.
Celebrate 100: Centenarian Secrets to Success in Business and life,
Lynn Peters Adler, J.D., Steve Franklin, Ph.D.

THANK YOU! Questions?
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Hawaii Naturopathic Retreat Center
Dr. Maya Nicole Baylac
808-933-4400
239 Haili Street, Hilo HI 96720 US
contact2013@hawaiinaturopathicretreat.com

The Art and Science of Aging Well

The Art and Science of Aging Well

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