there are plenty of creams, lotions and potions on the market that help you look younger, but today, dr. oz is going to show how some people are actually living longer.
"we're going to talk about extreme life extension," he says. "i'm talking about very specifically allowing us to go into our second century of life with the vitality and the bounciness that you have when you're a young person."
thanks to advances in technology and research on how diet affects the aging process, dr. oz says it might be possible for some people to live to see their 120th birthdays.
there's one man in oprah's audience whom dr. oz says may become the first man in history to live to be 150 years old. joe cordell is one of thousands around the world who believe they've found the key to extreme longevity—calorie restriction.live a longer, healthier life
there are plenty of creams, lotions and potions on the market that help you look younger, but today, dr. oz is going to show how some people are actually living longer.
"we're going to talk about extreme life extension," he says. "i'm talking about very specifically allowing us to go into our second century of life with the vitality and the bounciness that you have when you're a young person."
thanks to advances in technology and research on how diet affects the aging process, dr. oz says it might be possible for some people to live to see their 120th birthdays.
there's one man in oprah's audience whom dr. oz says may become the first man in history to live to be 150 years old. joe cordell is one of thousands around the world who believe they've found the key to extreme longevity—calorie restriction.
at 5'9", joe weighs 130 pounds. he may not look like a person who needs to count calories, but as part of his life extension program, he monitors every morsel of food that passes through his system.
every day for the past seven years, joe has limited himself to about 1,950 calories.
he believes that by eating less and restricting his caloric intake, he will trigger a genetic switch that slows the aging process.
joe doesn't deprive himself of food. instead, this 51-year-old father fills up on natural fruits, vegetables and lean proteins that are packed with essential vitamins and nutrients. "whenever you're thinking about calorie restriction, you should continually think about getting the most nutritional bang per calorie," joe says.
in keeping with this philosophy, joe starts every morning with three apples…but he only eats the peels. "most of the fiber is in the peel, but more importantly, most of the nutrients are in the peel," he says.
then, he tops the peels with wild blueberries, raspberries and 2 ounces of walnuts.
"it's important to eat some nuts with breakfast so that you do take in some fat, some healthy fats," he says. "i think it helps the absorption of the nutrients, and it's very filling."
for lunch, joe usually eats a large salad, loaded with vegetables. at dinnertime, he and his family enjoy lean meat or fish and more veggies.
when joe started practicing calorie restriction, he weighed 175 pounds. since then, he's lost 45 pounds, and he says he hasn't had a cold in seven years. though he's in his "golden years," researchers studying joe say he has the body of a 20-year-old athlete. "i saw my blood pressure go down substantially. my heart rate went down substantially," he says. "i had more energy than i'd ever had."
dr. oz says calorie restriction is the number one way doctors say we can extend longevity. "the data that we have in rodents and some larger animals now indicate you can probably extend your life expectancy by up to 50 percent potentially from doing this," he says.
how does a limited diet change how your body ages? dr. oz says when you restrict your calories, the body understands that it doesn't have any resources to waste.
"the body gets really efficient," he says. "you turn on this new chemical pathway we never knew existed called the sirtuin pathway. what it tells you is don't make more babies because you don't have the excess abundant energy to do that—just live longer."
the body's cells also benefit when calories are limited. "we don't have toxic waste products coming out of our energy cells," dr. oz says. "so we're actually able to get the individual cell lines to live longer."
for the past 15 years, paul and his wife, meredith, have been following a calorie restriction diet. paul consumes about 1,900 calories a day, while meredith limits herself to 1,600 to 1,700.
while some calorie restrictors prefer to eat five small meals a day, paul and meredith say it feels more natural for them to eat a big breakfast, small lunch and no dinner. "we have probably a breakfast that's bigger than most football players eat," paul says. "it just depends on how you want to do it."
meredith says they usually start the day with grains, fruit, vegetables and, as a treat, a sweet potato. "all of this adds up to a really good-sized meal," she says. "it gives us a good base for our energy needs for the day."
a restrictive diet hasn't slowed down paul and meredith. in fact, paul says he has more energy and vitality than he did decades ago. "i'm 60 years old now. i have more energy than i had when i was 20 years old. i never dreamed it to be like this at 60," he says. "you can work better. you can play better. you feel like being kinder to people. everything is just completely different."
many people tout the benefits of a calorie restriction diet, but dr. oz says there are some risks.
without proper research and medical advice, some people may eat the wrong kind of foods and become vitamin deficient. if you chose to get all your calories from burgers or sweets, dr. oz says you could develop health problems.
"you wouldn't get the right amount of calcium, so you might develop weakening of your bones," he says. "there are factors we have to take into account."
people who've adopted healthy eating plans that follow the program's principles, however, will see a difference over time. "if we took, and it has been done, people like john, and collect them together and look at how young their heart is or how young their arteries are, they end up turning out, over a couple of years, to get younger…not older," dr. oz says. "that's the best evidence to us."
oprah says she recently met a man who has dedicated his life to the study of life extension and healthy living. for decades, billionaire businessman david murdock has practiced what he preaches. now, at 85, he says he has the same energy as he did 50 years ago. his goal? to live to be 125 years old.
david's life may be filled with luxuries these days, but it wasn't always that way. in 1938, he dropped out of school after failing the 9th grade and joined the army. after serving in world war ii, he found himself out of work, homeless and sleeping in a park. then, as luck would have it, a good samaritan offered him a loan to buy a local diner. nine months later, he sold that diner for a $700 profit—a fortune at the time.
in the years that followed, he made a fortune in real estate, buying undervalued homes and selling them for profit. then, he took over dole and turned it into the world's largest producer of fruits and vegetables. at one point, he owned 100 different companies around the world.
luck finally seemed to be on david's side…until his wife was diagnosed with cancer.
david's work in the field of life extension began after his wife's terrifying diagnosis. "i went everywhere in the world trying to figure out how to save her life," he says. "wherever i went, i realized that we had not been eating right."
he tried to find doctors who could save his wife, but the disease advanced too quickly. "the cancer got in her lymph nodes, and finally, she died," he says. "with that i said, 'what i want to do is find a cure for cancer.' i wanted to solve it, because i was very much in love."
david opened the north carolinaresearchcenter, one of the country's premiere life extension research labs, and changed the way he lived his life.
during a visit to david's home, oprah sees how a diet of natural foods and commitment to exercise can change our definition of "old age."
unlike most men his age, david starts every morning with 60 minutes of cardio and weight training.
"how many 85-year-olds do you know that can do 50 push-ups without a break?" oprah says.
then, it's time for breakfast. david says the real secret to his vitality is what he eats. "i try to eat fruits and vegetables exclusively," he says. "i never eat any saturated fats."
david doesn't restrict his calories, but he does choose his meals wisely. he says he usually eats natural oatmeal for breakfast, an egg white omelet packed with veggies for lunch and a nice piece of fish with more veggies for dinner.
three or four times a day, david treats himself to a special smoothie made with 15 different fruits and vegetables. thanks to all the spinach, carrots, mangoes, grapes and other ingredients, david says he hasn't had a cold or the flu in 20 years.
if you eat natural foods and exercise, dr. oz says you may be able to extend your life by 20 years…just like that!
to give your cells an extra boost, dr. oz suggests a resveratrol supplement.
"the resveratrol chemical, which is in red wine, when it's concentrated in this dose, in laboratory animals, it prolongs life expectancy," he says. "if you're interested in experimenting with this, do some homework on it."
to get the same benefits without a supplement, dr. oz says you'd have to drink more red wine than you can handle.
"it raises the big question of, 'where will the proof be?'" he says. "but we've got to live a long time in order to prove that these kinds of things benefit us."
如今市场上有名目繁多的护肤养颜品能让你看起来显得更年轻，但今天欧思医生要和大家讨论我们当中有些人是如何真正活出更年轻的生命的。
“我们今天来讨论生命极限的延伸，“他说，“我具体要讲的那种延伸是指我们到了一百岁之后还能够活蹦乱跳的，像年轻时那样有充沛的生命力。”
归功于在饮食是如何影响衰老过程这方面的科技研究上的进步，欧思医生说，我们当中有些人或许可以活过120岁。
欧思医生声称奥普拉今天的观众里就有一个人可能会成为历史上第一个活到150岁的人。乔.科德是世界上为数不少的，相信他们已经找到了长寿的钥匙---就是限量摄入卡路里---的其中一人。
乔高5英尺9英寸，重130磅。他或者看起来并不像是个需要计算卡路里的人，但作为生命延伸计划里的一分子，他严格控制吃进身体里每一口的食物。
在过去七年里，乔限制自己每天摄入大约为1950个卡路里的热量。
他相信凭着少吃和限制卡路里的摄入，他会把身体里一个缓慢人体衰老基因的开关给打开。
乔是不会让自己饿肚子的。相反的，51岁已为人父的乔吃很多的水果，蔬菜和低脂肪蛋白质来填饱自己的肚子，这些食物含有大量人体必需的维他命和养分。“每当你想要限制摄入卡路里，你就应该不断的去思考如何能从每一个摄入的卡路里中得到最大的营养，”乔说道。
依照这种理论，乔每天早上起来都吃三个苹果，，，但他只吃皮。“大部分的粗纤维都在皮上，但更重要的是，大部分的养分也在皮上，”他说。
然后，他还会在苹果皮的基础上加上一些野生的蓝莓，覆盆子和两安士的核桃。
“早餐吃一些果仁是重要的，这样你就进食了一些有益的脂肪，”他说。“我认为它能够帮助营养的吸收，同时也会让你觉得很饱。”
午餐乔通常会吃一大盘塞得满满的蔬菜沙拉。到了晚餐，他和家人喜欢吃低脂肪的肉类或者鱼，还有更多的蔬菜。
当乔刚开始限制自己卡路里的时候，他的体重是175磅。自从那时起，他逐渐减掉了45磅，他还说他在七年里没有得过一次感冒。虽然现在他已经进入了“黄金年龄”，但研究乔的技术人员说他的身体棒得就像个20岁的运动员一样。“我看到我的血压明显的降了下去。我的心跳明显的更有力了，”他说。“我从来没有那么精力充沛过。”
欧思医生提到医生们都同意限量摄入卡路里是延长寿命的首要途径。“我们从啮齿类动物和一些稍大的动物身上得到的数据表明限量摄入卡路里有潜力能够让你延长百分之五十的寿命。
限量的饮食又是如何改变你身体衰老过程的呢？欧思医生说当你开始限量摄入卡路里的时候，你的身体会意识到它没有多余的能源可以浪费。
“你的身体会变得非常的有效率，”他说，“你把一个我们以前所没有发现它存在的化学通道，叫作sirtuin通道，给打开了。它向你的身体传递一个信息：你的身体没有足够多余的能量来制造下一代 --- 所以要活久一点。
限制卡路里的摄入还有利于延长身体细胞的寿命。“没有了从能量细胞那里释放出来的有毒排泄物，”欧思医生说，“我们身体的每个细胞就能活的更久。”
保罗和他的妻子梅雷迪思在过去的15年里一直按照限量摄入卡路里的概念来安排饮食。保罗每天消耗大约1900个卡路里的热量，而梅雷迪思则限制自己1600到1700个卡路里。
尽管有些同道比较喜欢少吃多餐，但保罗和梅雷迪思觉得他们更适合早餐时吃很丰盛，中餐少吃，晚餐不吃这样的安排。“我们的早餐大概比绝大多数橄榄球运动员的早餐还要丰盛，”保罗讲到。“这就看你自己想怎么安排。”
梅雷迪思说他们早上起来通常会吃一些谷类，水果和蔬菜，再加上一个番薯作为犒赏。“这些加起来是蛮大一份食物的，”她说，“这为我们一天的能量需要打了一个很好的基础。”
限制饮食并没有让保罗和梅雷迪思放慢他们的脚步。事实上，保罗说他现在比几十年前更有精力和活力了。“我现在已经60岁了。我现在比起20岁的时候还要有精力。我想都没想过自己60岁的时候会是这样子的，”他说，“你做起事情来更有劲，玩起来也更有劲了。你会愿意对别人更好一点。整个世界都不一样了。”
很多人都大力褒扬限制卡路里饮食的好处，但欧思医生指出这其中还是有些风险的。
如果缺乏正当的研究和医学上的建议，有人可能会因为偏食而导致营养不良。如果你所有的卡路里都是来自汉堡包或甜食，欧思医生说，这有可能会发展成健康问题的。
他进一步提到，“如果你没有补充足够的钙质，你的骨骼有可能会变得脆弱。这些是我们不得不考虑的因素。
但对于那些已经养成健康饮食习惯而遵照这个计划的原理来做的人，随着时间过去他们就会看到成效了。欧思医生继续说，“如果我们把乔那样的人聚在一起，事实上我们已经这么做了，看看他们的心脏或心血管的年龄，再过几年，如果最终得出的结果是他们没有衰老，反而变得更年轻了，那对我们来说就是最好的证据。”
奥普拉说她最近遇到了一个献身于生命延伸和健康生活研究的人。亿万富翁大卫.莫达克（david murdock）在过去的几十年里做到了言行一致。今年85岁的大卫说他现在跟50年前一样精力充沛。他的目标呢？活到125岁。
现在大卫的生活可能有很多奢侈品，但情况并不是一向就这样的。1938年，他高中一年级成绩不及格后缀学，之后加入了军队。从二次世界大战中退役后，他成了一个没有工作，睡在公园里的流浪汉。很幸运的是，就在那时有个热心人借了一笔钱给他买下了当地的一个小饭馆。9个月之后，他把饭馆卖掉后净赚了700美元 --- 这在当时是很大一笔钱。
接下来的几年里，他靠买卖低价房屋来赚取利润，在房地产生意上发了大财。之后他接管了多尔（dole）公司，然后把它改变成世界上最大的蔬菜和水果的供应商。世界各地在他名下的公司曾一度涉及100个不同的行业。
幸运之神好像终于站在了大卫这一边，，，直到他的妻子被诊断出患了癌症。
知道了他妻子可怕的诊断后，大卫开始了他在生命延伸领域上的工作。他说，“我世界各地到处的跑，就是想琢磨出能救她性命的方法。我每到一个地方，都发现一直以来我们的饮食是不正确的。
他试图找到能挽救他妻子性命的医生，可他妻子的病情恶化得太快了。大卫说，“癌细胞蔓延到她的淋巴结里，她最后去世了。因为这样，我说过，‘我要找到治愈癌症的方法。’我想要找到癌症的治愈方法是因为我非常爱我的妻子。”
大卫开设了北卡罗莱纳研究中心，那是其中一所在美国首次研究生命延伸的实验中心。与此同时，他还彻底地改变了他的生活习惯。
通过一次到大卫家的采访，奥普拉见识到了天然食物的饮食和坚持运动是如何改变我们对“老年”的定义的。
大卫跟大部分的同龄人都不一样，他每天早上起来都先做60分钟的有氧健身运动和举重。
“你认识多少个能一口气做50个俯卧撑的85岁老人？”奥普拉问道。
接下来的是早餐时间。大卫说其实他精力充沛的真正秘诀是他吃的食物。“我尽量只吃水果和蔬菜，”他解释说，“我不吃任何的饱和脂肪。”
大卫不限制自己的卡路里，但他的食物都是经过他精心安排的。他说早餐他通常吃的是天然的燕麦片，午餐是夹着蔬菜的蛋白卷，然后晚餐吃鱼和蔬菜。
每天三到四次，大卫都喝一种由15种不同水果和蔬菜做成的特制奶昔。归功于他吃进去所有的那些菠菜，胡萝卜，芒果，葡萄和其他的材料，大卫讲他在过去的20年里没有得过一次感冒。
欧思医生对观众们说，如果你吃天然食物再加上做运动，你就有可能延长20年的寿命，，，就这么简单。
欧思医生建议服用白藜芦醇来增强细胞的功能。
他说，“白藜芦醇可以在红酒中找到，把浓缩的剂量用在动物身上做试验的时候，结果表明，它能延长寿命。如果你对这个试验有兴趣，可以自己查询一下这方面的资料。”
要得到白藜芦醇的好处但却不想服用药片的话，欧思医生说那就只能喝超过你身体所能负荷的红酒了。
他说：“这里就触及到了一个大问题，‘这些理论的证据在哪里？’我们必须要活很久才能证明我们讲的这些东西对我们是有好处的。”