We have often heard the popular concept of ‘Longevity’ in recent times. Now let’s analyse this concept together. ‘Longevity’ shows us the path we will follow on the way to a healthy and long life, the important thing is to know how to read this information correctly and add it to our lives in the most sustainable way.
Firstly, in 1996, Gianni Pesi, a researcher from Sassari University in Italy, saw that there were active and long-living people over the age of 100 in Sardinia and marked these regions on the map in blue and in 1999, this region in Sardinia was included in publications as a longevity region. Later on, these areas were named ‘The Blue Zones’.
Today, there are five regions labelled and certified as Blue Zones, oases of longevity. Three of them are islands: Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan and Ikaria in Greece. The others are the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica and Loma Linda in California, USA.
Characteristics of Lifestyle in the Longevity Zone
The US National Institute on Aging has analysed the lifestyle and habits of the people of these regions and determined the points that make a long and active life possible. Let’s start our article by observing the common lifestyle of the people of these regions.
Studies have shown that genetic factors, ‘good genes’, are effective at 30 per cent. The remaining 70 per cent depends on lifestyle and environmental factors. Let’s take a look at the environmental habits of people living in these regions;
Calorie restriction; One of the common life habits of people living in blue regions is ‘eating less’ and ‘calorie restriction’. Some of us may think that this will create stress, but in fact the amount of stress it creates is quite important. It has been found that stress factors that do not exceed a certain level in life are beneficial for our body, mind and metabolism. There is a saying ‘what doesn’t kill makes you stronger’, just like that. In medicine, we call this ‘hormesis’. Hormesis is a concept that explains the ability of stress factors to sustain life at low levels and to develop a positive, adaptive response to stress.
It is seen that the peoples of longevity regions, with the diet they have created by their preferences, have actually created a stress that their bodies can cope with by applying calorie restriction and have made themselves more resilient. In addition, current studies show that calorie restriction activates genes called ‘sirtuin’ (SIRT), which are called longevity genes.
Intermittent fasting; there is a magic in intermittent fasting that has positive effects on our metabolism and activates the autophagy mechanism! Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his thesis that old and degenerated cell particles need to be destroyed for the regeneration of cells and that this is possible by fasting for over 13-14 hours, and showed that this fasting period can eliminate degenerated and old cells in the body. In the light of this information, the ‘Intermittent Fasting’ diet has become the most widely applied diet in this world in 2018. Although there are still controversial study results, it maintains its validity.
Fresh-natural plant-based nutrition, less red meat; we now know that the way to live longer is through plant-based nutrition. Restricting animal protein in long life prolongs life. When we eat animal-based protein, the level of trimethylamine in the intestine and then trimethylamine n-oxide (TMAO) in the liver increases, and we now know that the increased TMAO level causes cardiovascular system disorders and many life-shortening complications with its pro-atherogenic effect. By increasing the diversity in plant-based nutrition, it is possible to increase the diversity in the intestinal microbiome in a positive way and to protect against the process leading to muscle destruction. It is also seen that people in long life regions are free from obesity, heart diseases and high blood fats.
Active life, being physically active, working in the fields and gardens; the fact that emerged from the examination of the regions is that life is mobile and this mobility continues even in those over 100 years of age. The analyses show that ‘Life loves movement’, those who move feel better by adapting to the pace and rhythm of life. The fact that connects physical activity with field-garden activity is strengthening the bones and muscles of the legs and hips by sitting and standing. Because fractures and injuries in these areas of the body are the leading causes of death in advanced ages. The natural strengthening of these bones and muscles in physically active people is associated with endurance and longevity.
Family ties; is there anything as beautiful as warm ties for us humans? If there is, it is our family, and outside the family, friends, friends and social groups come to the fore. It is noteworthy that one of the most important factors in these regions is ‘Socialisation’. Homes for the elderly and retirement homes are not located in the blue areas we mentioned. No one is left to live alone, those who have lost their relatives are taken in by their friends, socialisation as a member of the family and the elderly taking part in the group makes them happier and more active.
Purpose of life; are we born with a purpose? Is it just to live longer? Or should we seek a higher purpose? Do some people know what they want and have a passion for life, while others are weakened by confusion? Can’t they find their life purpose, their ikigai (Okinawa) or their plan de vida (Costa Rica)? On the other hand, helping those in need, volunteering activities have become the ikigai of many.
Belief, every one of those who live long lives seems to have beliefs. Regardless of which faith, religion or beliefs they are based on, it is known that the beliefs that a person has have a positive effect on his/her well-being, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Low stress level is a sine qua non for a long and healthy life. It is important to keep stress at a stable level. It is observed that people living in these regions manage to keep their stress levels low by making time for themselves and their friends. Many physical activity exercises, breathing, meditation, yoga, or getting together with friends to have a good time, laughter and socialising have been shown to reduce stress levels.
Let us now briefly review the common characteristics of the people of these five regions;
Okinawa-Japan;
When we look at the foods eaten by the people of Okinawa; we see the purple potato, which has always been consumed despite the typhoons, natural disasters and war in the past years. Since the purple potato grows under the soil, it is a food that is always protected and accessible to the people. People also consume different herbs, e.g. wormwood; also goya, soya cereal tofu, strong antioxidants, lemon-like juice shikuwasa, green tea, moringa tea are always consumed by the people. We know that Okinawa people consume very little meat and processed food, and that they prefer fish over meat. They get up from the table when their bellies are 80% full. They serve on small plates and create the perception that they have eaten a lot. In their plant-based diets, they consume a large number of plant foods every day and ensure their health by keeping the biodiversity of probiotics in their intestines at a high level.
Their active and mobile lives, continuously climbing hills in residential areas consisting of hills, taking walks down to the seaside, cycling and working in the garden every day to strengthen their leg and hip bones, which have the highest risk of fracture in old age, are beneficial in terms of providing them with an increased life expectancy. Using their hands and fingers in activities such as woodworking, ceramics, playing musical instruments, as well as in gardening, contributes to the increase in brain cells and neuroplasticity and helps to prevent brain cell aging.
Friendships and meetings with friends, laughter, dance, music, family entertainment, events, socialising and warm sharing are much more important in extending life than we can imagine. It is seen that they formed communities and helped each other through these communities. They form groups called Moai that come together for a common purpose, collect money regularly and give it to those in need.
Good time management is a common approach of all long-lived people. They live in a way that maximises daylight. They wake up early in the morning and finish their work early in the afternoon, leaving time for socialising.
They have low stress levels; they are able to keep their stress levels at a naturally low level thanks to their nutrition, sleeping hours, family relationships, friendships, friendships, dances with family and friends, entertainment, active lives, time for work and production. In addition, they have life routines for spiritual and physical rest and personal development such as breathing, meditation, tai chi, yoga for about half an hour every day.
İKİGAİ
Life purpose (ikigai); they have an occupation that they love to do, that they can do well, that they are passionate about. They have occupations in which they immerse themselves in the flow while working and look forward to the next day with excitement. In the words of Okinawans, ikigai increases their commitment to life.
Sardinia-Italy
The Italian island of Sardinia, which pioneered the study of the Blue Zones, which started thanks to the work of Italian Gianni Pesi, a researcher at the University, draws attention with the typical characteristics of its geography, which is located in the mountainous region above 670 m altitude and also by the sea. The abundance of climbing paths and stairs and the 2-3 storey houses offer a natural environment for the active life of the people.
This island is characterised by the fact that the same proportion of men and women (1/1) live over 100 years of age. Looking at the town of Bargacia in Sardinia, life continues as if it was 100 years ago. They eat a diet rich in complex carbohydrates (good carbs). The diet is a Mediterranean, vegetable-based, anti-inflammatory diet with plenty of fibre. Vegetables such as beans, cauliflower, peas are at the forefront. They consume pastry, pasta and bread, but all of them are sourdough. They eat breads fermented with lactobacilli and have low glycaemic load. Whole grains, greens, herbs, legumes are consumed. Minestrone soup with plenty of legumes, broccoli and cauliflower is one of the most consumed soups.
It is understood that men mostly work as shepherds, and it is noteworthy that after their walks in the plateau, they come together for siestas and socialising in the afternoon, common tables and entertainment. The people of the region have faith again, almost all of them have endeavours and hopes. They keep their stress levels at a low level with the time they allocate for themselves and their socialising. There are no nursing homes on the island, the family is together and they never leave the elderly alone. The rate of diabetes, coronary heart diseases and dementia is very low on the island. They make this possible thanks to their lifestyle and healthy living routines.
Loma Linda-USA
The most unexpected region compared to other areas of natural and traditional life is that of Loma Linda in the midst of civilisation in California. They are a closed group of Protestants called the Seventh-day Adventists.
Men in the group lived 7.3 years (84.5) and women 4.4 years (89) longer. It consists of a group of people who live together in spiritual and social communities, who participate largely in voluntary work, who have created a large church and a large and modern hospital. It is observed that the population has developed the habit of doing physical activities together, especially pickleball, which is a game between tennis and table tennis, and they come together on the courts.
According to the belief of the people of Loma Linda, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset is considered as the holy (Sabbath) time period and the islanders do not work, they spend this time as a time of peace, worship, prayer and gratitude.
The diet of the people is based on plant-based nutrition, especially; It is seen that the consumption of fruits, grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts is high. It has been observed that the majority of the society is vegan and vegetarian and only 5% consume meat, on the other hand, due to the low consumption of packaged food as well as fast-food, the markets in the region have changed their content over the years and have increased their vegetable-fruit and natural product sales areas.
Ikaria – Greece
The other region is the island of Ikaria located opposite Kusadasi. It seems that the island is similar to Datça due to its geographical feature, it is a region adorned with olive and almond trees. In the diet; sourdough bread, Aegean herbs, olive oil, fasuyle, cowpea, green onion foods are at the forefront. The foods in the Mediterranean diet constitute the main foods consumed. They consume meat less. It was observed that the people consume local herbal teas, especially sage, rosemary and hibiscus. Instead of coffee; they like to drink coffee brewed with ground barley and chickpea.
They prepare their honey with special methods. They use raw honey and ripen the combs by transporting them to flower fields and pine forests. They do not boil the honey, so the bioactive components are preserved. They consume wine almost every day, but they make their wine in their own old and natural way, without sulphur and nitrogen.
The islanders like to live together, eat in communities, laugh and have fun. Life on the island is very hilly and there are many stairs. The majority of the people work with the land. It is also known that people living in this region pay attention to their relationships with their partners and aim to make each other happy. Again, like other blue regions, the level of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and dementia is low.
Nicoya-Costa Rica
The Nicoya peninsula region is the place where rural life is most prominent among the long-living regions. Again, it is a mountainous area, the people live in a hilly area, and the income level is low. It has been found that the biological age of the people of this region is 10 years lower than the chronological age, and telomere lengths are longer than expected. The people of the region living in mountainous and rural areas have a health system that provides great convenience to the people of the region, health officials go door to door with their motorbikes and deliver the needed medicines and supplies.
Nicoya people, just like Okinawans, have taken it as their duty to wake up in the morning with a purpose, they call this concept ‘Plan de Vida’. At every age, each of them has an endeavour. They do their work with their hands without using technology. It is seen that the people get up early, are always physically active, finish their work until the afternoon and spend time for ‘Slow down’, that is, happy times.
When it comes to food, they consume plenty of the holy trinity foods ‘pumpkin, corn and black beans’. Corn is rich in fibre and minerals and a source of niacin, which lowers cholesterol. Black beans are rich in powerful antioxidants, anthocyanidins and courgette is a source of vitamins A, B, C, potassium and magnesium. These three food groups contain enough amino acids to build muscle and these amino acids are not of animal origin and do not contain saturated fat. One of the reasons why the people of the region are free from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes is this diet.
SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO TO LIVE LONG AND HEALTHY?
We see that most of the diseases depend on epigenetic (95%) factors rather than genetic (5%) transmission. When we look at long life, the rate of reaching the age of 90 is 4.7 per cent and the rate of reaching the age of 100 is 2.3 per 10 thousand. The effect of genetic factors on this issue is about 30 per cent. Longevity genes have an effect (SIRT 6, APO E, FOXO 3A, DAF 2, COA 1, STK 17 A). For example, it is observed that the longest living people in Turkey are in Datça and Nazilli. In addition, we can think that the children born by marrying people who carry longevity genes are undoubtedly advantageous in this regard.
Apart from genetics, epigenetic factors, which we regard as effects on genes, are inheritable changes caused by mechanisms independent of gene expression or DNA sequence. Epigenetic factors are caused by different reasons such as nutrition, exercise status, previous diseases, intestinal health, lifestyle in accordance with the day-night rhythm, psychological factors, vital stresses, medications, social relationships, toxic chemicals, smoking and alcohol use.
What can we apply in accordance with our cells and biology?
How can we live healthier and longer?
We see that there are actually many principles that we can adapt to our own lives from the way of life of people living in long life oases. Let’s take a look at these principles;
Hormone activation, slowing down the rest of the system with low-dose stress without causing permanent damage, provides longer stress resistance, protection and survival. We have already mentioned that calorie restriction is a very appropriate practice for hormone activation and activation of our longevity genes;
Calorie restriction has been shown in researches that 10-20% calorie restriction has life-extending and health-enhancing effects. It activates sirtuins called longevity genes, supports mitochondrial health and DNA repair.
Starvation; recently, we see that starvation trials have become a trend and longer starvations are being tried in social environments as well as in research. These include fasting periods such as 24-36-72 hours.
Intermittent fasting; After it was shown with the autophagy mechanism that the body primarily consumes degenerated cells when the body is starved during prolonged fasting, the most widely applied diet in the world has been adopted as intermittent fasting since 2018.
We have already mentioned the importance of a plant-based diet and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. It is important to eat a diet rich in complex carbohydrates and fibre and therefore in FFA and to limit animal protein. Let’s reduce animal food consumption and take vegetable protein. While high TMAO levels are associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease, on the other hand, reducing the consumption of animal foods and taking plant proteins, through the reduction of mTOR activity, which contributes to cancer formation, slows down the cells and makes them divide less, resulting in an anticancer effect.
Healthy microbiota, that is, our healthy intestinal flora, is the basis of our health. Consuming a variety of vegetables and fruits in moderation helps to provide the microbial diversity we want in the intestinal flora and to ensure that probiotic bacteria, which are important for intestinal health, are at a healthy rate, as well as to prevent intestinal permeability that creates a basis for diseases.
Continuous moderate physical activity; It has been found that the telomeres of those who do brisk walking for 30 minutes/day are equal in length to 10 years younger individuals. Overall mortality rates decreased by 45 per cent in individuals running 10 km per week. Aerobic exercises provide happiness (serotonin), pleasure (dopamine) and unprovoked well-being (endorphins). When we exercise; energy production increases with our mitochondria, transmission speed increases in the brain, increases cerebral blood flow and oxygenation, and also increases the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, thus keeping the brain young, concentration and memory strong. Increased bone density also increases the amount of muscle.
The hours we spend in sleep are of great importance for the renewal of our body cells and the regulation of our hormones, especially if we pay attention to the 24-hour rhythm and sleep at the hours our body needs biologically. Melatonin is our sleep hormone, regulates the 24-hour rhythm of hormone release, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects, immune regulator and anticancer effects in studies. Melatonin peaks between 23.00-05.00 at night. It is important to be hungry after 19.00 at night for the level to be healthy. While sleeping, using thick curtains, eye patches if necessary, not dealing with electronics before going to sleep, coolness of the sleeping room, no light in the room allows melatonin levels to rise sufficiently.
Establishing good relationships, being in warm and constructive relationships with family, spouse, environment and society makes human life meaningful. It gives people the joy of living and is of great importance for their psychological, spiritual, mental, social and physical health.
Having a sense of purpose: It is the reason to start a new day. It is the art of being happy by staying busy and going with the flow. It keeps the mind active, supports keeping the mind young, and is an indicator of adapting to new conditions. Producing something makes one feel happy, doing something needed increases the joy of life. If we can demonstrate our talents in a way that can be beneficial to people, if we can spend time ‘going with the flow’ without realising how time passes while dealing with this occupation, and even if we can earn money from this occupation, what a great happiness and life motivation. If this motivation makes us wake up the next day with excitement, it means that we have found our life purpose.
Having faith; whatever your faith is, it encourages you to be a good person and to have good morals. Thanks to one’s faith, one’s view of nature and living things changes. A sense of faith requires valuing human beings and avoiding harming other beings. It makes it possible to be in respect and love with other living beings.
Cold and heat applications, creating stress on the body and thus increasing endurance are among the practices that can be counted within the scope of longevity gene activations. The benefits of exercising in the cold, getting in and out of cold pools, leaving the shoulders out while lying down are frequently mentioned. In addition, heat stress is also good for the body, care should be taken to choose the hot applications made with baths and saunas under conditions that the person can withstand, under conditions suitable for his health, if necessary, by consulting his own physician.
Increased neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt, to form new connections and pathways. When older people do what they have always done, they use the same transmission pathways in the brain and the brain does not have to think as much. Instead of old patterns of behaviour, the brain needs to be challenged with new information so that it can strengthen its new connections. Furthermore, another benefit of calorie restriction also comes into play here; maintaining low blood sugar levels makes new cell connections possible. Intensive neuroplasticity is seen in brain regions such as the hippocampus and frontal cortex. By constantly repeating the desired neuronal activity, you activate dormant neuronal connections. How we do this is possible, for example, with sudoku, puzzles, music/painting, exercise, learning languages, playing chess, breathing exercises (e.g. bhramari, vibrational breathing) and estrogen. Thus we can keep our mental capacity young and vigorous.
Stress management, first of all, when we say stress management, I would like to emphasise the following. American molecular biologist. Dr Elizabeth Blackburn is known for her studies on the structures called telomeres, which are located at the ends of chromosomes and protect chromosomes. She is among the discoverers of the enzyme telomerase, which is active in telomere production. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2009 together with Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak. According to Dr Blackburn’s research, the most influential factors on telomere length are: Sleep, stress management through meditation and breathing, movement, emotional balance and well-being, and proper nutrition.
We can adapt the parasympathetic nervous system, which plays such an important role in stress management and protects us in techniques such as breathing and stimulating the vagus nerve. Stress in our body causes our sympathetic nervous system to adapt. Secreted vehicles such as cortisol and adrenaline can cause health problems that occur with stress if long-term sympathetic nervous system stimulation continues. It causes almost every system to be affected, such as cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal problems, crises and psychiatric problems. Balancing the stress change is provided by the parasympathetic nervous system. Our body is rested, relaxed and the regulation of the repair process is supported. The main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system is the vagus. Activation of the vagus nerve is one of the most valuable techniques for eliminating and dissipating stress.
First of all, if we talk about information, it is the most important technique of resting the mind, the value of which is perceived by the whole world. Meditation; It calms your mind, protects your thoughts, and expands your mental horizons. By making progress regularly, which is the most important antidote to stress, we can close the gap between two options, achieve deep relaxation, and use the fields of unlimited possibilities when we set an intention for our life.
The fact that the vagus nerve passes through the diaphragm muscle and that the diaphragm creates stimulation on the vagus nerve when breathing from the diaphragm ensures that the vagus nerve is activated by breathing exercises. Additionally, the stimulation direction of the vagus (anterior vagus/ventral vagus) nerve is 80-90% from the intestines to the brain. This is one of the reasons why the brains of people with healthy intestines are relaxed, and the brains of people with irritable intestines are restless. The vagus nerve reaches the prefrontal cortex in our brain. The prefrontal cortex is our area of correct decision-making and logical thinking, and it also rules the amygdala region, which creates worry and anxiety. When breathing exercises and vagus stimulating methods are performed regularly, the person feels comfortable with the activation of the prefrontal cortex, and the capacity to reason, respond correctly in stressful situations, and make the right decisions increases.
By doing your breathing exercises regularly, you can activate the vagus much more easily, create a healthy and safe social ground and manage your stress in a healthier way. Vagus stimulation can be done in different ways besides breathing exercises. Gargling, laughing, crying, humming songs, as well as yoga, exercise, turning on cold water for 30 seconds at the end of the shower, moments when we feel feelings of gratitude and emotional concentration, such as prayer, gratitude, meditation, etc. ….. methods can cause vagus nerve stimulation.
A Few Important Facts About Nutrition
A balanced, clean diet is important to prolong life. When we look at it in general, we need to first correct and regulate intestinal health with different nutritional methods according to everyone’s health conditions. In almost every client who applies to us, after taking a detailed history of the client, we decide with which nutrition we will restore the intestine to health. If necessary, we recommend a microbiome test and can work with this information.
After completing the therapeutic nutrition process, a lifelong plant-based diet, eating less meat (white meat) is primarily recommended. Make sure to include healthy fats such as olive oil in your diet. How to eat is a very long and rich topic, so let’s just touch on a few points here.
Green leafy greens should be eaten every day throughout life. With their high fiber content, they contain endless benefits that I will talk about in a moment. Starting every meal with a bowl of green salad is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. Greens are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. They are high in vitamins, calcium and omega 3. They are effective in maintaining body weight. They contain soluble and insoluble fibers. They do not contain fat. With an alkaline bowl of greens, we protect your intestinal health and reduce the damage of the acid load in the meal. For example, when you eat red meat, which has a high acid load, you should make sure to eat a green salad with more alkaline content! Green leafy greens, essence. Purslane is rich in omega 3, vitamins and minerals.
Fibrous foods feed our probiotics and increase short chain fatty acids (SCFA). For example, beans, lentils and legumes contain fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Whole grains contain vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B1- B6- B12, zinc, magnesium. Fiber foods contain carbohydrates and protein, are low in fat, low in calories and have a low glycemic index (ability to raise blood sugar). Fibers help stretch the stomach, delay gastric emptying, and provide satiety by staying in the stomach longer. On the other hand, fibers line the intestinal wall, reducing the levels of carbohydrates, fats and estrogen metabolites absorbed in the intestine and passed into the bloodstream. Fibrous foods support the production of very healthy FFA. FGCFA, intestinal
Broccoli is a superfood; it is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It stimulates mitochondria, our energy engine, supports energy production in mitochondria, increases the longevity gene “Sirtuin” and secretes growth hormone, is high in fiber, balances cholesterol and sugar, is an antioxidant and anticancer with its sulforaphane and indole 3 carbinol content.
Avocado is another superfood. It is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, vascular health, and antihypertensive. It has been shown to be important for cholesterol lowering and heart health. The protein level of avocado is approximately 2%, while this rate is 1% in other fruits. It contains vitamins B, E and C, minerals such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, various powerful antioxidants (anthocyanins, chlorophylls and carotenoids) and phenolic compounds.
Another important group of antioxidants are anthocyanins; the more purple they are, the more antioxidant power they have. After purples, reds are also very powerful antioxidants. They play an important role in eliminating the damaging oxidant substances released in the body. Blueberries, blackberries, purple plums, figs, eggplant, sumac, red onions, etc. Pomegranate is another natural blessing, for example, it has high antioxidant power, on the other hand, the elagitanin in it turns into urolithin A in the intestine and renews the mitochondria, which is the organelle that gives our life energy, increases nitric oxide that relaxes our vessels, and lowers bad cholesterol.
From the complex carbohydrate group; pulses; chickpeas, peas, lentils, beans, broad beans contain high levels of vegetable protein and fiber. Their vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory content is abundant. There is a link between pulses consumption and life expectancy. Pulses provide a decrease in harmful blood fats with their fiber content. We should also consume grain products with healthy options such as buckwheat, basmati rice, wholemeal rice, siyez-quinoa-whole grain bread.
Among meats, fish is the most recommended. Fish contains healthy unsaturated fats, is a source of vitamin D, and is rich in phosphorus and iodine. It protects against coronary heart disease. The US Heart Association recommends 2 days a week.
Nuts such as raw walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts are very rich in omega 3, alpha lipoic acid, magnesium, copper, manganese, rich in fiber, provide satiety, contain healthy unsaturated fats. On the other hand; All spices are actually involved in our lives with many benefits for our health. For example; turmeric; curcumin, antioxidant, increases BDNF release, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, sumac is the most powerful antioxidant spice, cinnamon-clove helps blood sugar regulation, cumin is good for the digestive system, used for digestive problems and carminative, black pepper is antispasmodic-antipyretic, coriander is antimicrobial, kills germs etc. ….
And to finish…,
Make taking care of your body and soul your most important project!
Wake up every morning excited about your purpose, eat well, always be active, take care to rest and sleep, and spend time with your spouse/friends!
In a philosophical movement that dates back 23 years before Christ
As the Roman poet Horatius wrote in verse.
carpe diem
Live in the moment, live to the fullest, enjoy life
cling to your life, cling to your purpose, don’t let it go!
Prof. Dr. Pelin Arıbal Ayral
Internal diseases -Physiopathology – Metabolism and clinical nutrition
Ankara University Faculty of Medicine (retired)
Founder of Idealsen Health and Counseling Center
