Whether to block aging it cannot be, certainly it is possible to slow it down by adopting correct lifestyles and a healthy diet. What is the best strategy to take care of yourself with maximum effectiveness and with long-lasting effects? Do a new generation check of your physical and psychological condition, set up a personalized and holistic therapeutic plan, forget the rush.
This is what he proposes Cerva 16the first center of functional anti-aging medicine in Italy, which has developed a new, born method
from the studies on the Blue Zones, the 5 zones of the world with the record of active longevity, it is based on the principles of regenerative and anti-aging functional medicine. A holistic medicine that looks at the person and the whole organism; which seeks the root cause of problems and which aims at long-term prevention.
To us Dr. Federica Almondonutritionist of the managers and founder of Cerva 16, explained to us what anti-aging treatments consist of, what is meant by proper nutrition and how the right diet affects our body to slow down aging that involves not only wrinkles and imperfections but also pathologies of varying severity.
What does it mean to be a manager’s nutritionist?
It is a need that I had already realized some time ago, but it is above all with the pandemic that I began to understand that people who had particularly challenging performances and in particular at a certain age, needed to maintain a very high level, both in terms of mental and physical performance but also aesthetic. The people who come to me need to always be on top, even when their physiology doesn’t help, that is, when they have reached a certain age. At 50, especially for women, the body tends to let go a little, it is the age of menopause where mental clarity is no longer what it was before – I have experienced it firsthand – not to mention that there are also evident physical symptoms, the famous hot flashes. If a person has to show up in public and suddenly finds themselves sweaty and red, it is not pleasant. Of course, these discomforts can also happen to men.
It is clear that to always be at the top mentally and physically it is not enough to rely on “grandmother’s remedies”. We rely on a number of protocols. In particular, as a nutritionist, I deal with precision nutrition which means taking a precise medical history and subjecting the patient to a series of metabolic tests, such as metabolics, to get a picture of the metabolic health status. This latest generation test that has the ability to discover any nutritional deficiencies, an altered synthesis of neurotransmitters, mitochondrial pathologies, all things that will allow me together with the deputy doctor to define regeneration and strengthening therapies, such as infusion therapies that obviously go set up in a personalized way and this is only possible starting from a test. There is oxygen-ozone therapy which is an anti-aging treatment, as well as being an energy buster, having the characteristic of keeping inflammation down.
How important is nutrition?
Proper nutrition, as we know, is what most of all affects our health. Also in this case, we must always keep in mind the need of the person who comes to us. The manager who goes out to lunch with clients can hardly follow a strict diet. What I do is impose limits, but they are sustainable. For example, you should eat at 7pm. But if the patient always works at that time, it is impossible to follow this rule, so you have to find a sustainable alternative.
While the correct diet needs to be individualized, are there any general principles that apply to everyone? If so, can you explain them to us?
Personalized nutrition does not imply the failure of the fundamental rules of a healthy diet. Speaking of people who do not have particular pathologies, there are principles that apply to everyone. Among the most important rules, but followed by few, is that of having a hearty breakfast. Following our circadian rhythms allows us to synchronize our activities, such as eating, with metabolic activities, including the production of hormones that occurs at certain times. For example, if I don’t have breakfast, I go to alter the production of cortisol which has its peak between 10 and 12. So eating in a certain way is very important because it helps all the hormone production that is the basis of anti-aging.
So, first rule: abundant breakfast in the morning; second, trying to get up from the table not completely full, the famous oriental Hara Hachi Bu, which means getting up from the table feeling full 8 parts out of 10. Then apply a slight caloric restriction, ie about 20-30%. Even in this case, however, it must be personalized: if you eat a lot, the 30% restriction is correct, but if you already eat correctly, without exaggeration, 30% is too much and must be recalibrated. However, the small caloric restriction is important because it allows you to recharge the genes that activate all the anti-inflammatory pathways, cell regeneration, restoration of functions that therefore bring us closer to health. On the other hand, when we eat too much, we turn off these genes and turn on what we call gerontogens, that is, all those that activate oxidation stress, increasing free radicals and inflammation. This means that our diet directly influences the expression of our genes, in other words through nutrition we can tell our genes to behave well or badly, thus bringing us closer to health and a concept of fulfilling and active aging or premature aging. with all the related pathologies appearing much earlier.
Can aging be stopped?
Block it no. But conditioning it yes. You can start from an early age by doing genetic tests that reveal what are the genetic frailties, for example by discovering if you are predisposed to neuroinflammation in old age or diabetes, rather than cardiovascular disease. Knowing this predisposition, I can now intervene to avoid or remove the onset of these pathologies over time. Genetics is not a sentence but it is valid for 20-40%, the rest is epigenetics, that is, it is my lifestyle that influences the onset of related diseases for 60%. If I have a strong predisposition for diabetes, but eat well and move regularly, it is highly likely that it never comes or comes very late in years. Conversely, if I’m not predisposed to diabetes, but spend days on the couch eating junk food, I’m very likely to develop it. Our genetics help us make ourselves aware of our health, but at the same time it motivates us, it tells us why we should do this.
Genetic testing is advisable at a young age; at 70 we rather perform metabolomics and intestinal health tests. We know that the quality of food affects intestinal health. A healthy intestine is essential because it allows you to have a healthy immune system, to better assimilate nutrients, to act as a barrier, avoiding carrying toxic bacteria and metabolites into the blood. If, on the other hand, there is intestinal inflammation or an alteration of the microbiota, these functions fail or are reduced and I can develop symptoms that at best can only be unpleasant, such as acne, diarrhea, constipation, bloating. , but they can also have serious consequences because when foreign substances pass into the blood they stimulate the immune system continuously. This can lead to nothing in particular, but sometimes they lead to allergies and if there is a particular predisposition, to autoimmune diseases.
At what age should you take serious care of yourself?
For the prevention and strengthening programs that we offer at the Cerva, you can start at the age of 30, a perfect age to do genetic tests, to understand how to eat and how to move correctly, because if a sedentary lifestyle is not good for you, even an activity exaggerated physics is counterproductive. Seriously from the age of 45, it is recommended before menopause for women, also for the effectiveness of the therapies.
Is the need to slow down aging more masculine or feminine?
It applies to both genders, even if women have social pressures and higher performing needs, but for a specific reason: menopause occurs in a more traumatic way than male aging. So the man has more time while the woman suddenly has this request, which is also aesthetic, because menopause also coincides with an aesthetic breakdown. Of course it is not just that because, as mentioned, nutrition and hormonal balance are important.
Another help can come from aesthetic medicine, because seeing yourself better helps you to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Obviously, the use of aesthetic medicine must be made in a holistic context.