Living Well

Doc's Two Keys to a Healthier Life

Nothing is certain but death and taxes.

Benjamin Franklin was famously quoted saying this... And it's true.

We all have to pay taxes. And we know that we all die at some point.

But how do you want to live in your final years?

Do you want to spend hours sitting in doctors' offices, taking half a dozen pills each day, and missing valuable time with your loved ones?

Of course not.

We want to spend our golden years enjoying the activities we love with the people we love. So today, I'm going to share my two keys to a healthier life...

My Favorite Diet Keeps Winning

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Stanford researchers followed 33 people with either prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes for 12 weeks to compare the effects of the ketogenic diet and the Mediterranean diet.

Folks in the ketogenic group were limited to 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates a day and 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of their ideal body weight each day, while the remainder of their calories came from fats. They were not allowed to eat legumes, most fruits (a small amount of some berries was allowed), any grains, or any sugars. They were also told to eat more than three servings of non-starchy vegetables per day.

Folks in the second group, the Mediterranean group, were told to follow a mostly plant-based diet that included vegetables (starchy and non-starchy), legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Their primary animal protein came from fish, and olive oil was their primary fat. They were told to avoid eating added sugars and refined grains.

Participants on the ketogenic diet experienced a 10% increase in their low-density lipoprotein ("LDL") cholesterol – the "bad" cholesterol – after 12 weeks. However, folks on the Mediterranean diet experienced a 5% decrease in their LDL cholesterol.

So do what I do and support your body's balanced cholesterol production by eating the Mediterranean way. And avoid heavily processed foods and added sugar.

Don't Stop at Eating Well

We've been saying this for years... While eating the right foods will help you live a longer, healthier life, you also need to move your body. Eating well and moving daily are vital components of your health.

And a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine agrees.

Researchers from Australia, Italy, the U.S., and Norway analyzed the relationship between diet quality, physical activity, and death (broken out by any cause, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers), using data from nearly 350,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank database.

Folks in the study filled out questionnaires describing the quality of their diet and the intensity of their exercise habits. The researchers followed up with them for more than a decade.

Folks with the best diets were up to 14% less likely to die from certain cancers. But researchers also found that engaging in any amount of vigorous physical activity – as opposed to none – was associated with as much as 15% less risk of dying from any cause, and as much as a 25% risk reduction of dying from cardiovascular disease.

So do what I do and make sure you're eating well and moving your body every day. In addition to eating a Mediterranean diet, I make sure I get at least 20 minutes of physical activity each day.

If you want to take things even further, I share my top five ideas on living a longer, healthier life, based on the latest clinical research and technology, in my special report, 5 Ways to Grow Your Healthspan, Starting Now.

Do them and I guarantee, for instance, you'll experience less inflammation – and thus less aches and pains.

And that's just the beginning of the benefits. 

In Prosperity Investor, my team of experts and I explore the huge opportunity as technology and the health care sector take off in the coming years...

If you're ready to improve your health and put more money in your pocket, click here to learn more.

What We're Reading...

Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,

Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
June 13, 2023