Dr. Joseph Mercola,
Death is surely inevitable, but I do believe you can live far longer than the average life expectancy tables (1) would predict, which in the U.S. is about 78. Genetics may play a role, but it is NOT the final determining factor for whether you’ll live a long healthy life.
Barring an accident, your lifestyle has everything to do with your longevity.
It’s already been established that diet can override genetic predispositions for disease (2), so don’t fall into the trap of believing your health and longevity is somehow inescapably tied to what’s polluting your gene pool.
The Leading Cause of Premature Aging and Death
Increased insulin and leptin receptor resistance (3) has clearly become the leading cause of premature aging and death. This results from two primary conditions: too much sugar and processed foods, combined with insufficient exercise.
Interestingly, controlling these two factors will likely eliminate more than 90 percent of the following medical conditions:
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
Of all the molecules capable of inflicting damage to your body, probably the most damaging are sugar molecules. Fructose in particular is an extremely potent pro-inflammatory agent that accelerates aging.
Today’s excessive sugar consumption is mostly an artifact of the postindustrial agricultural revolution.
More than 30 years ago, scientists learned how to cheaply produce sugar from corn, and now it is loaded into nearly all processed foods and has become the number one source of calories in most developed countries.
Fructose is a major contributor to:
• Insulin resistance and obesity
• Elevated blood pressure (4)
• Elevated triglycerides and elevated LDL (5)
• Cardiovascular disease (6), liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout.