We are bombarded with advice and information about diet and exercise, but what about the impact of friendship, optimism and kindness on our longterm wellbeing? It is eye-opening to discover that a strong support network of family and friends lowers mortality risk by about 45 percent, while volunteering your free time reduces the chances of early death by a staggering 20-60 percent, depending on the study. Science journalist Marta Zaraska is the author of Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100. In this episode of the LLAMA podcast, she discusses the peer-reviewed studies that suggest living to a great age is about more than what we eat or how much we move.  We cover how caring for children motivates us to keep on living and why Marta's long-held beliefs about aging and longevity were shattered through an understanding of the research.

Check out our website at LLAMApodcast.com and social media sites @LLAMApodcast

In this episode we cover: 

• Coping with Covid-19 in France, where the outlook is looking better, with no second wave of the virus yet.
• Becoming a mother and thinking more about health and longevity. 
• Why fixating on nutrition and exercise does not tell the whole story. 
• Delving into the science behind friendship, optimism and kindness. 
• What “Growing Young” means.
• The folly of “anti-aging."
• Why hugging and cuddling is good, most of the time.
• The extremes some people go to for human contact.
• The blood science that validates acts of kindness as a positive behavioral trail. 
• Oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. 
• The science behind that fuzzy warm feeling. 

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

How many times have you heard about an older person doing extraordinary things, despite their great age? In recent weeks the story of the 100-year-old war veteran, Captain Tom Moore, has captivated millions, for his marathon fund raising efforts in the UK. Walking lengths in his garden he has raised more than £30m for the National Health Service, during the Covid-19 crisis. He is amazing. In this episode of the Live Long and Master Aging podcast we explore the lives of amazing people through the eyes of Dr. Noelle Nelson, a California-based psychologist, author of Happy, Healthy...Dead and collector of eye-opening stories through her Facebook page, Meet the Amazings. What are the common traits of older people who live their lives to the full, almost to the end? 

In this interview we cover:

• Aspiring to be to be happy, healthy, dead. 
• The lives of the very old - ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
• Compressed morbidity - reducing the time it takes for the final exit. 
• Why most of Dr. Nelson's longevity achievers are not famous.
• Joining the dots and connecting the common traits of people who reach a great age. 
• Positivity or optimism: Why it is a major predictor of happy healthy longevity.
• A passion: From growing tomatoes to looking at the stars
• A purpose: Sharing knowledge or the joy of competing - in ballroom dancing. 
• Physicality: Walking, climbing, dancing - how exercise has been shown to improve mind and body functioning. 
• The power of always looking forward. 
• The value of friends - or “anchors" - to get through life’s tough times. 
• Dealign with losing everything in one of California’s wildfires. 
• The value of please and thank you and self appreciation. 
• Exploring science-based lifestyle interventions to live better.

Editor’s note: This episode of the LLAMA podcast was recorded in Camarillo, California, on February 27th, 2020, three weeks before the state became the first in the U.S. to issue a stay at home order due to the coronavirus.

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.  

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

We are in the war against Covid-19 for the long term. The virus is likely to be with us for many months, if not years, and as we emerge from the global lockdowns, everyday life is looking very different. Re-imagining a post-coronavirus world will likely involve changes that go to the heart of how we live - our diet, personal hygiene, social behavior and work/life balance.  As we learn more about the virus, it is becoming clear that a healthy body is a vital prerequisite to fighting the disease.  In this episode of the Live Long and Master Aging podcast, Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a London-based cardiologist, explains why he believes obesity is a prime risk factor for mortality from Covid-19.  He also suggests that the pandemic should act as a wake-up call for global populations, pursuing unhealthy lifestyles, consuming too much sugar and processed foods.

Dr Aseem Malhotra is a National Health Service (NHS) Consultant Cardiologist in the UK, and visiting Professor of Evidence Based Medicine, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador, Brazil. 

In the episode we cover: 

• How a "horrendous state” of baseline general health, in many western populations, is relevant to Covid-19
• Ref. European Scientist: Covid 19 and the elephant in the room (April 16, 2020)
• The myths surrounding the health of people in Mediterranean countries. 
• What is optimal metabolic health? Blood pressure, waist circumference, blood triglyceride, HDL, and HbA1c levels.
• Nature:  Endocrine and metabolic link to coronavirus infection (April 2nd, 2020)
• Lifestyle lessons from Covid-19.
• Personal hygiene and why it matters. 
• Imagining the post-coronavirus world.  

Listen to Dr. Malhotra’s previous LLAMA podcast interview
Episode 03: Waging war against sugar

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

There are some encouraging signs around the world that the Covid-19 curve is flattening in some places, while falling in others. During the course of this pandemic we are focussing, on this podcast, less on longevity and more on our immediate futures. But as life slowly evolves towards a new normal, there are many lessons to be learned from the pandemic and the role science plays in our lives. In this episode we catch up with Prof. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California and director of the Longevity and Cancer Program at IFOM Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan in Italy. The Italian scientist splits his time between his home country and the United States, both badly affected by coronavirus.  In this episode we discuss the role of scientists working alongside doctors, sharing advice on how to behave during the outbreak. We also discuss the implications for people following a fasting mimicking diet, during a time when the risk of infection by the virus is high. 

Earlier LLAMA podcast conversations with Prof. Longo:

1. March 7, 2017: Creating the fasting mimicking diet
2. January 16, 2018: Living to 110 on a science-based diet

In this interview we discuss:

• Personal insights into the progression of coronavirus in Italy and the United States.
• The debate over the use of chloroquine to treat patients with Covid-19.
• Was time wasted in the US through the lack of advice to wear masks in the early stages of the outbreak?
• Speculation on why California has significantly few cases than other large population centers in the US. 
• The work of Dr. Longo's Create Cures Foundation, including education and work to combat childhood obesity. 
• Geographic differences in the spread of coronavirus
• Helping front-line health workers treating patients with coronavirus.  
• The power of scientists and doctors working together as a team.
• Is it safe to go on a diet, or fast, during the coronavirus outbreak?
• Latest news on the Fasting Mimicking Diet and new clinical trials.

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.  

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

The coronavirus pandemic is threatening every facet of normal life. This episode of the LLAMA podcast was recorded before the global health crisis hit home for so many of us. It focusses on the work-life initiatives of a rapidly growing US company that could be a blueprint for how we live in the future.  But not until life returns to normal. VideoAmp founder and CEO, Ross McCray, is currently dealing with the huge challenge of running a software and data company, employing more than 230 people, from home. He is particularly focussed on providing employees with support for their general wellbeing, to match the facilities that they usually enjoy at the office. Ross is on a long-term mission to change the work-life paradigm. He wants to build a workplace model that nurtures the physical and mental fitness of employees, in an environment that prioritizes happiness and health span. This episode includes Ross’s original interview, with LLAMA’s Peter Bowes, and an update on the impact of coronavirus. 

In this interview we cover: 

• Is there a blueprint or formula for best workplace practices that you can incorporate to other companies to make people truly happier and more effective?
• Being highly energized throughout the day.
• Providing workplace 24/7 gym facilities, personal training, healthy food, mental health support. 
• Effectiveness and longevity during the working day. 
• Work-life harmony - a nuanced approach to a fluid lifestyle.
• Different lives, priorities and perspectives on life.
• Balancing schedules - from medical appointments to office meetings and being a parent.
• Clear, measurable goals and flexible work-time.
• Physical challenges, weight loss and muscle building, at work.
• A data driven approach to a new workplace model focussed on wellbeing.  

Coronavirus update:

• Dealing with the everyday changes due to the coronavirus crisis. 
• Adapting to a home-working environment with improvised gym equipment. 
• Streamed workouts for virtual meetups to boost morale and maintain fitness.
• Dealing with the uncertainly and unease. 
• Rising to the occasion with inspirational quotes and “uplift vibes” through company playlists.

 

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Coronavirus is the only topic on our minds at the moment. People are panic shopping, a national emergency has been declared in the United States and widespread travel bans have been implemented around the world. There is also much confusion over testing for Covid-19 and how we should be looking after ourselves as the pandemic unfolds. Living long and well may be our goal in normal times, but getting through the next few months is a greater concern right now. In this episode of the Live Long and Master Aging podcast, with Peter Bowes, Dr. Felice Gersh, a physician and integrative medicine specialist, discusses the practical implications of a disease that has gripped the world with fear and uncertainty. 

In this episode we cover:

• Coronavirus: the global threat and our response to it. 
• The impact on doctors’ surgeries and the rise of telemedicine.
• Social distancing - what it means and how to achieve it.
• The implications of a viral pandemic for dietary regimes - whether they be for weight-loss or longevity.
• Fasting, the immune system and eating to stay healthy.
• Surviving at home or in isolation.
• Are men and women equally vulnerable to coronavirus?
• Going into emergency mode and maintaing best health practices.
• Exercise regimes during a health crisis. 
• Calming the mind and dealing with the stress.
• Seeing beyond the crisis and helping each other.

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind you should consult your own doctor or professional health adviser. 

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

The ticking clock is often used as a metaphor for life. But is a tick-tock approach to the advancing years an accurate way to measure the aging process? Dr. Joseph Antoun, a physician and CEO of the nutrition technology company, L-Nutra, believes a “biological aging score” is the best way accurately to assess our state of health. He says the human body has the potential to age more slowly than its chronological age, and health care should be based on a better understanding of how well our bodies are performing, from the inside. L-Nutra, based in Los Angeles, is a company founded by the longevity scientist, Dr. Valter Longo, to develop and market a fasting mimicking diet. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Dr. Antoun explains the philosophy and science behind a dietary intervention that is designed to promote longevity.

Check out our website at LLAMApodcast.com

In this interview we cover:

• Why aging is the biggest risk factor for the deadliest diseases of old age.
• Changing the medical paradigm to move away from pills and treatments post-disease onset.
• Engaging with new technology and science to keep people healthy.
• Investing more in disease prevention. 
• Partnering with Dr. Valter Longo, director of the USC Longevity Institute, to develop the fasting mimicking diet (FMD).
• Living healthier, longer and perhaps changing the world through dietary changes. 
• What does L-Nutra stand for? 
• The value of the prolonged fast and what happens to the body over 5 days of dietary restriction. 
• The difference between a fasting mimicking diet and a total water fast. 
• Weight loss, the short-term ticket, and the 5-day plan.
• Why the FMD is focussed on the long-term ticket - longevity and health span.
• Why the word ‘diet' may be misleading.
• Learning from the mass production and use of a product based on fasting.  
• The emotional impact of the FMD.
• Measuring the impact of a dietary intervention on a person’s potential to age better. 
• The value of a biological aging score as a unit of measurement for healthcare.
• Why Americans are living shorter lives, contrary to the popular belief that people are surviving for longer.

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.  

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Do we all fret too much about growing old and potentially suffering ill health? The purpose of this podcast is to highlight lifestyle interventions that could help us live longer, healthier lives. It focusses on extending health span - the number of years that we enjoy optimum health. But could it be that such aspirations are over-rated and rather pander to paranoid personalities. Dr. Magomed Khaidakov is a research assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the author of A Pessimistic Guide to Anti-aging Research: Death is Immortal. The book offers a critical guide to current longevity research and anti-aging interventions. In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, Dr Khaidakov explains his skepticism towards aging research and why he believes longevity science is dogged by “hype" and "self-promotion."

Check out our website at LLAMApodcast.com
 
In this interview we cover: 

• Dr. Khaidakov’s conditions for growing old.
• Holding a pessimistic or realistic view of aging?
• The “hype" and "self-promotion” surrounding aging research.
• Are study results distorted through the use of obese lab animals?
• The "sweet spot" for good health based on Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Is an extra 10 years, which is "within design limits" of the human body, worth it?
• Life span in years for humans, rats, mice, flies and worms (yes we know C. elegans only live days) versus health span.
• Why every day aging and general health issues are problems that are "almost solved."
• The longevity business “driven by greed."
• Exploring the design flaws of the human body.    
• Health aging without effort “exploited” by those who devise health regimens.     
• Lacking self-discipline and smoking. 
• “Slightly paranoid personalities” who spend too much time pondering over their longevity. 
• The practical and philosophical issues raised by death. 
• Being content with a pleasurable life. No complaints. 
• Why biology will play second fiddle to big data science in the future. 

"It’s your personal decision whether you have a healthy lifestyle.”

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

There’s an old saying that money doesn’t buy happiness. But what about lifestyle hacks to optimize wellbeing and overall health? David Hauser is a hugely successful businessman who has overcome multiple health problems and self-esteem issues - including weight gain, exhaustion and failed diets - to transform his life.  Once a slave to pseudoscience and fad diets, David says he eventually embraced real science and applied a data-driven approach to building an “unstoppable” lifestyle.  He is best known for co-founding the Grasshopper Group, a virtual telephone service, but the Las Vegas based entrepreneur has now taken on the role of self-help guru, empowering others in their quest for better physical and mental health.  In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, David explains his “optimization mindset” and new-found zest for life.

Check out our website at LLAMApodcast.com

In this interview we cover:

• David’s journey from overweight teen to wellbeing evangelist
• Tackling brain fog and physical malaise
• Epidemiological studies - the pros and cons
• Arguments over misleading health headlines
• Plants based diets - reality, facts and myths
• Deep diving into data to set out a framework for wellbeing
• Sleep, meditation, mindfulness
• The meaning of deep breathing
• Daily routines without tracking
• Yoga - really! 
• Optimizing sleep environments and patterns
• Living with technology and keeping it at arm’s length
• Computers, TVs and phones
• Longevity goals and optimizing health span. 
• Experiences over things
• Building a legacy that matters

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly occurring diseases in men. There is a high survival rate and living a long life with the condition is possible for many men. There are also lifestyle changes that could delay the onset of the disease and help men achieve a long health span - the number of years they enjoy optimum health.  Dr. Mark Scholz is a prostate cancer specialist and a strong advocate for patient empowerment. In this LLAMA podcast interview Dr. Scholz explains why a prostate cancer diagnosis is far being a death sentence and how rapidly changing medical technology is changing the way doctors treat the disease.

Check out our website at LLAMApodcast.com

In this interview we cover: 

• The basics: What function does the prostate perform? 
• Why prostate cancer is considered a “low grade” cancer. 
• Aging and prostate health.  
• The choices available to men with prostate-related problems. 
• Prostate cancer - how serious is it and what are the implications for medium and longterm health?  
• Why the prostate cancer industry is a multibillion dollar affair.  
• Urinary health and longevity.  
• PSA - what it means and why PSA testing requires "a lot of sophistication" to extract full value out of the result. 
• Supplements, diet and lifestyle.  
• Health span versus life span. 

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind you should consult your doctor.  

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

The Live Long podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.