“Physical activity is the closest thing to a fountain of youth that we know of,” he explains. Healthy eating can also play a major role in staving off the effects of aging.
Although we cannot expect to be able to stop the human ageing process completely, the molecular mechanisms underlying ageing show that ageing is regulated by certain cellular processes. By influencing these processes, it may be possible to slow down the ageing process and improve our health as we age.
Keeping body weight, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure in check while maintaining healthy sleep and eating regimes, doing regular physical activity and not smoking may slow the ageing process by around six years, US experts say.
Blueberries
It's rich in Vitamin C, which helps with blood circulation and provides minerals and salts which help the body to fight the aging process. Tip #1: the darker black and blue colored berries provide the best anti-aging benefits because they have the highest concentration of antioxidants.
Exposure to light is a top cause of premature aging: Sun exposure causes many skin problems. Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.
In your 40s, your ageing skin can become drier, making lines and wrinkles more pronounced. You continue to lose subcutaneous fat, but not equally from all areas. Fat pads around the cheeks and above the mouth are generally the first to go, followed by fat from around the sides of the mouth, chin and jawline.
Sleeping well can lower blood pressure, relax blood vessels and improve blood flow, bringing nutrients—and a healthy color—to the skin. Sleep also slows the aging of the heart and blood vessels.
If you're looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.
The sun is another major contributor to skin aging. The sun emits ultraviolet (UV) light, which can damage skin cells. In the short term, the damage can cause a sunburn. Over time, however, UV damage adds up, leading to changes in skin texture, premature skin aging, wrinkles, and sometimes skin cancer.
A poor diet, smoking, alcohol and stress can also age the skin. "When we sleep, turnover and renewal occurs, and we know not getting enough sleep can lead to accelerated aging," says Friedman.
Overall, the findings suggest that a diet that mimics fasting without associated nutritional deficits has potential benefits for improving health and longevity by slowing down the aging process and reducing the risk of age-related diseases.
Poor quality sleep is the number one mistake that will make you age faster. In our fast-paced lives, sleep is often sacrificed, either by choice or necessity. A growing body of evidence shows that quality sleep is key to a healthy life.
Paz said her study “specifically revealed a 15.8 cm3 [cubic centimeters] increase in total brain volume with more frequent daytime napping.” Dr. Paz described this as “approximately equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of difference in aging.” She cautioned, “More work is needed to disentangle this association.”
As people age, however, the window during which the internal clock enables sleep narrows. This may explain why older people tend to wake up early in the morning and fall asleep earlier in the evening, and also why they may not be able to nap in the early part of the day.
For some, the first signs of aging can show as early as their mid-20s, while others only notice wrinkles, sun spots, and sagging skin in their late 40s or even early 50s. Some people can also appear younger than their age, while others look way older.
Calcium, vitamin D, exercise, and even dental hygiene to keep the jawbone healthy are certainly important. But, we can also place facial fillers along the bone to recapitulate a more youthful skeleton. Radiesse is one such filler that can be injected deeply along the bone.
“Being physically active is the best gift that you can give to yourself,” he says. Other measures he recommends include not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, getting good sleep, getting all recommended vaccines, getting preventive cancer screenings, and treating hypertension and high cholesterol.
Results showed that as caffeine intake increased, telomere length tended to decrease in U.S. adults, signifying accelerated aging. Conversely, as coffee intake increased, telomere length tended to increase, suggesting decelerated aging.
While quitting sugar can't stop all aspects of aging, these changes support a more youthful appearance, greater energy, and better overall health. Many people feel a profound difference when they shift to a diet focused on whole foods and natural fats, as it nourishes the body from the inside out.