Co-founders of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and Worldhealth.net (WHN) Robert Goldman And Ronald Klatz recently participated in this study with Gary Null, Luanne Pennesi and Richard Gale of the Nutrition Institute of America, as well as William Faloon and Scott Fogle of the Life Extension Foundation.
The study published in the HSOA Journal of Alternative, Complementary and Integrative Medicinewas designed to evaluate how lifestyle modifications, including exercise, stress reduction techniques, and following a plant-based diet, can help improve physical and mental health, as well as Potential anti-aging benefits of the average American lifestyle.
The 33 participants involved in this 60-day observational study conducted in a controlled environment were aged 64 to 73 and were generally healthy, taking no prescription medications, with several subjects having overlapping mild health conditions. Each participant was examined physically and mentally at the start of the study, which included blood tests, then every 2 weeks thereafter, with a final exam including a second set of blood tests at the end of the study . None of the participants were overweight or obese, but 3 of them were clinically underweight at the start of this study.
The protocol for this study involved more than 3 hours of exercise per day, intermittent fasting, a plant-based vegan diet, and stress-reduction practices such as yoga, meditation, and time spent outdoors in nature. . Participants were regularly measured for their hydration levels, bone density, blood pressure, endurance, muscle mass, body fat and weight throughout the duration of the study.
Exercise and training programs were tailored specifically to each participant, and daily records were kept to track, among other things, performance, distance, speed and balance. Participants began each day with a brisk walk, gradually increasing the distance, then engaged in an hour of cardio exercises as well as strength training, spinning bikes and aerobic exercises.
The plant-based, gluten-free, alkalizing, anti-inflammatory diet was designed to exclude wheat, dairy, meat, fish, poultry, caffeine, alcohol, artificial sugars, refined sugar , refined carbohydrates, additives and carbonated drinks. This meal plan was based on a modified fast with fresh juice for breakfast and two solid meals for lunch and dinner 5 days a week, with the remaining 2 days being a modified fast with no solid foods between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.
There were a variety of anxiety and stress reduction classes, such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes, which participants were instructed in daily. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was completed by each participant before and after this study. Three of the participants received a lifetime clinical diagnosis as depressed, and eight were assessed as having mild to moderate depression at the start of this study.
26 of the participants completed the full 60-day program in this study. The results show that with a profound and healthy change in habits and lifestyle such as that used in this study, over a period of sixty days, older adults are able to significantly improve the quality of their well-being mental and physical health. These results may be even more statistically significant due to the relatively healthy lifestyles participants followed before the study.
Study results:
Physical biomarkers: There was a loss of body fat (N=24) with a mean loss of -29.27%, added bone density (N=18) with a median of +16.6%. The blood pressure reference limit was 130/80, and all but six participants finished with readings typically characteristic of a middle-aged adult.
Physical vital sign results:
Weight: decrease of N=21; N=4 increase. Average average loss -4.6%. Body fat percentage: decrease N=22; N=3 increase. Average loss -29.3%. Muscle mass: N = 17 gain; N=8 loss or no change. Average gain +2.2%. Percentage of water: N=18 gain; N=7 loss or no change. Average gain +8.15%. Bone weight: N = 19 gain; N=6 loss. Average gain +9.2%.
Muscle performance results:
Strings (min/sec): gain N=22; N=3 decrease. Average gain +587.3%. Versa Climber (min/sec): increased by N=23; N=1 decrease. Average gain +341.4%. Push-ups: increase of N=24; N=2 decrease. Average increase +167.85%. Sit-ups: increase of N=23; N=2 decrease. Average increase +266.4%. Lateral pull repetitions: increase by N = 18; N=2 decrease. Average increase +282.7%.
Caliper measurements:
Moderate decreases were observed in all participants except one 80-year-old man who was clinically underweight as follows: biceps -20.0%, triceps -17.9%, subscapularis -17 .6% and subilium -29.4%.
Brisk walking (aerobic):
Note: 2 participants were excluded from the results due to minor foot injuries preventing them from completing the brisk walking sessions.
The average distance traveled at the start of the study was 2 miles at an average pace of 22 minutes per mile, with the highest increase being from 2 to 26 miles. There was an average increase of 822.4% with an average of 12.4 miles, and the average walking pace increased to 15 min/3 sec per mile.
Biomarkers for depression and mental health:
Anxiety and depression levels were recorded before and after the study using the HDRS survey.
At the end of this study, all participants finished with statistically lower levels of anxiety and depression, as well as an increased sense of self-worth and a positive outlook on life.
All 3 participants with a lifetime clinical diagnosis of depression were found to be depression-free, and the 8 initially assessed as having mild to moderate depression showed greater than 100% improvement. Final cumulative scores decreased by 72.7% at the end of this study.
The rigor of a 60-day period in a controlled environment allowed all participants to follow an identical daily regimen, but the study recruited a relatively small number of participants. However, despite its limitations, this observational study was successful in investigating lifestyle modification in a sustainable controlled environment and observed notable benefits over a short duration.
These findings add to a growing body of evidence supporting lifestyle medicine as a fundamentally necessary and viable preventative strategy for improving geriatric mental health, physical endurance, vitality, and overall well-being. Healthy lifestyle changes have been shown once again to keep you healthy and help slow the aging process, both inside and out.
These almost immediate results also support additional anti-aging research in a larger group and over a longer duration to further demonstrate the positive effects of healthy lifestyle changes to improve longevity, lifespan and lifespan. life, among other areas of health and well-being.
