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10 reviews for:
The Longevity Solution: Rediscovering Centuries-Old Secrets to a Healthy, Long Life
James DiNicolantonio, Jason Fung
3.49 AVERAGE
10 reviews for:
The Longevity Solution: Rediscovering Centuries-Old Secrets to a Healthy, Long Life
James DiNicolantonio, Jason Fung
3.49 AVERAGE
The information in this book was good. But the advertisement made me feel sick honestly, it was so blatant and gross.
informative
medium-paced
Evidence-based information for a healthy lifestyle? Yes please!
At least, that's what I thought I would be getting.
This book appears to be a mix of real science and some unusual opinions. The most glaring problem is the author's opinions on salt. You may have heard from the American Heart Association and practically every doctor everywhere that Americans eat far too much salt, and that it kills people. Just a few months ago, in October 2021, the American Heart Association begged manufacturers and restaurants to use less salt in their food.
These authors claim that we aren't eating nearly enough salt. That if we want to be healthy, we should have more salt. That salt doesn't hurt anyone. The authors claim that there is no scientific evidence linking high salt consumption to any real negative health consequences. They say there is just one study indicating salt can lead to a slight increase in blood pressure, but that that has no impacts on real world health. They are highly dismissive, practically mocking, of any other opinions.
Well, it only takes a few moments of Googling to find out that the international medical community is in accord on overconsumption of salt and its dangers - and that there are plenty of studies linking high salt consumption to disease and death, such as in communities where salt consumption habits changed in big ways, and so did health outcomes. Granted, there are one or two studies that seem to show less of a link between salt and negative health outcomes, but that's the way it is with science - on practically any topic, there will be many apparently contradictory studies, and then there will be metastudies carefully analyzing the quality of each study and the overall trends. Sure, I'm up for there being more research on salt consumpion and health impacts, but the massive weight of evidence is for us to eat less salt.
If the authors are willing to cherry-pick data, pretend contradictory evidence doesn't exist, and be dismissive of other viewpoints, how reliable are the rest of their claims? I haven't researched every claim in the book. I suspect much of it is legitimate, but that there are multiple claims athat are not.
Best not to risk it. There are plenty of higher quality sources of information on healthy lifestyles. You don't need a book with harmful misinformation.
At least, that's what I thought I would be getting.
This book appears to be a mix of real science and some unusual opinions. The most glaring problem is the author's opinions on salt. You may have heard from the American Heart Association and practically every doctor everywhere that Americans eat far too much salt, and that it kills people. Just a few months ago, in October 2021, the American Heart Association begged manufacturers and restaurants to use less salt in their food.
These authors claim that we aren't eating nearly enough salt. That if we want to be healthy, we should have more salt. That salt doesn't hurt anyone. The authors claim that there is no scientific evidence linking high salt consumption to any real negative health consequences. They say there is just one study indicating salt can lead to a slight increase in blood pressure, but that that has no impacts on real world health. They are highly dismissive, practically mocking, of any other opinions.
Well, it only takes a few moments of Googling to find out that the international medical community is in accord on overconsumption of salt and its dangers - and that there are plenty of studies linking high salt consumption to disease and death, such as in communities where salt consumption habits changed in big ways, and so did health outcomes. Granted, there are one or two studies that seem to show less of a link between salt and negative health outcomes, but that's the way it is with science - on practically any topic, there will be many apparently contradictory studies, and then there will be metastudies carefully analyzing the quality of each study and the overall trends. Sure, I'm up for there being more research on salt consumpion and health impacts, but the massive weight of evidence is for us to eat less salt.
If the authors are willing to cherry-pick data, pretend contradictory evidence doesn't exist, and be dismissive of other viewpoints, how reliable are the rest of their claims? I haven't researched every claim in the book. I suspect much of it is legitimate, but that there are multiple claims athat are not.
Best not to risk it. There are plenty of higher quality sources of information on healthy lifestyles. You don't need a book with harmful misinformation.
Interesting read..but im plant based & this book is catering to ppl that are meat/animal based...you dont need salt in your diet as you get it from eating natural plant foods...3 stars is all i give..
It's rare that I'm truly impressed by a book on health. Most of them say the same (albeit good) things: eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, minimize your stress. That seems to be the last half of nearly all of them, and in many cases the final portion is taken up with recipes. Because this is what I do all day (naturopathic medicine), I'm looking for something truly new that can expand my toolbox for treating patients.
Many people are interested in how to age well and stay healthy longer, but usually longevity too seems limited to aesthetics, or studies that show this or that supplement might lengthen telomeres, decrease inflammation or oxidative stress, etc. This book offered something new, though: a broader context for why certain treatments might work.
First, it introduced me to the concept of hormesis, which I knew quite well before without knowing what to call it. Now I realize that most of my favorite modalities work exactly this way: giving the body a push in the direction it's already going so that it will self-correct in the opposite direction. Having a name and a concrete description of the concept seems to broaden my understanding of other things that might work in a similar fashion, too.
Second, and along those lines, it pointed out that there's a trade-off between growth and longevity. I knew that Growth Hormone was highly regulated and not generally recommended, but not why. Now I have a better philosophical idea of the reason: too much GH might seem to reverse the clock, but at a cost. The phrase "better to burn out than to fade away" comes to mind, though the book's argument is the exact opposite, since longevity is all about persisting rather than burning bright and then dying young. This also may help inform discussions surrounding other "youth-promoting" treatments, too. The body is wise; it's best not to work against its natural processes when possible.
Third, the specific concepts of mTOR, IGF-1, sirtuins, and AMPK and how they relate to longevity was well and thoroughly answered. These are buzz words in longevity medicine these days and I had long intended to do a deep dive into them. I plan to go back through my notes and do just that.
I also loved how they reviewed inhabitants of various Blue Zones throughout the world, with the highest percentage of centenarians, and showed what their lifestyles did (and didn't) have in common. There's good balance to the plant-based argument, as well as to often-vilified substances like wine and coffee.
Highly recommended!
Many people are interested in how to age well and stay healthy longer, but usually longevity too seems limited to aesthetics, or studies that show this or that supplement might lengthen telomeres, decrease inflammation or oxidative stress, etc. This book offered something new, though: a broader context for why certain treatments might work.
First, it introduced me to the concept of hormesis, which I knew quite well before without knowing what to call it. Now I realize that most of my favorite modalities work exactly this way: giving the body a push in the direction it's already going so that it will self-correct in the opposite direction. Having a name and a concrete description of the concept seems to broaden my understanding of other things that might work in a similar fashion, too.
Second, and along those lines, it pointed out that there's a trade-off between growth and longevity. I knew that Growth Hormone was highly regulated and not generally recommended, but not why. Now I have a better philosophical idea of the reason: too much GH might seem to reverse the clock, but at a cost. The phrase "better to burn out than to fade away" comes to mind, though the book's argument is the exact opposite, since longevity is all about persisting rather than burning bright and then dying young. This also may help inform discussions surrounding other "youth-promoting" treatments, too. The body is wise; it's best not to work against its natural processes when possible.
Third, the specific concepts of mTOR, IGF-1, sirtuins, and AMPK and how they relate to longevity was well and thoroughly answered. These are buzz words in longevity medicine these days and I had long intended to do a deep dive into them. I plan to go back through my notes and do just that.
I also loved how they reviewed inhabitants of various Blue Zones throughout the world, with the highest percentage of centenarians, and showed what their lifestyles did (and didn't) have in common. There's good balance to the plant-based argument, as well as to often-vilified substances like wine and coffee.
Highly recommended!
Easy to read, well referenced book on a healthy diet for someone not familiar with recent nutrition science. I am not a novice in this genre, so I didn’t learn anything from the book but I didn’t need convincing that salt is ok to eat or or that the saturated fat is not the devil. I can see though how this book can benefit someone who still believes in American Heart Association’s dietary guidelines.
What is NOT useful for any target audience ? Blatant endorsements of specific commercial products throughout the book. There’s an entire page dedicated to a particular brand of protein bar, including a full size photo and a link to their product page - I kid you not! ( and I am not naming the brand product not to give them any more visibility.)
Also, I would expect a book that claims to be the “longevity solution” cover other areas such as physical exercise or stress management.
The good news is that the book is a quick read - I covered it in one day.
What is NOT useful for any target audience ? Blatant endorsements of specific commercial products throughout the book. There’s an entire page dedicated to a particular brand of protein bar, including a full size photo and a link to their product page - I kid you not! ( and I am not naming the brand product not to give them any more visibility.)
Also, I would expect a book that claims to be the “longevity solution” cover other areas such as physical exercise or stress management.
The good news is that the book is a quick read - I covered it in one day.
Very informative and useful references
Liked the format and the explanations for the theories backed up with the references.
Was a bit disappointed with the product placement. May detract from the credibility.
Overall a good, informative read.
Liked the format and the explanations for the theories backed up with the references.
Was a bit disappointed with the product placement. May detract from the credibility.
Overall a good, informative read.
Easy to read and quick read. There are a number of product and company endorsements that may diminish the objectivity. Overall informative and worth the time. 3.5
A potentially good book fatally marred by advertisements sprinkled throughout, and no financial disclosure statements.
There's a lot to like about this book, but I found the advertisements really distasteful. The authors directly call out specific companies and their products when discussing general types of products like nuts, wine, and so on. Are the authors getting paid by these companies? If so, are they telling us to, say, drink red wine because that's their scientific, medical judgement -- or because they're being paid to hawk company X's wine? (Especially for the particular case of wine and alcohol, in light of the study from August 2018 that concluded "the safest level of consumption [of alcohol] is zero".) I came to this book to learn about the science of aging, longevity, and diet, and found what seems more like an infomercial; and while there's a lot of good info, the "mercial" renders the rest untrustworthy.
Moreoever, as other reviewers have noted, some parts of the book come across as little more than lightly edited blog posts or listicles with citations.
So, caveat lector -- there's a lot to like about this book, especially their discussion of protein and mTOR -- but it's also seriously, perhaps fatally, flawed.
There's a lot to like about this book, but I found the advertisements really distasteful. The authors directly call out specific companies and their products when discussing general types of products like nuts, wine, and so on. Are the authors getting paid by these companies? If so, are they telling us to, say, drink red wine because that's their scientific, medical judgement -- or because they're being paid to hawk company X's wine? (Especially for the particular case of wine and alcohol, in light of the study from August 2018 that concluded "the safest level of consumption [of alcohol] is zero".) I came to this book to learn about the science of aging, longevity, and diet, and found what seems more like an infomercial; and while there's a lot of good info, the "mercial" renders the rest untrustworthy.
Moreoever, as other reviewers have noted, some parts of the book come across as little more than lightly edited blog posts or listicles with citations.
So, caveat lector -- there's a lot to like about this book, especially their discussion of protein and mTOR -- but it's also seriously, perhaps fatally, flawed.
informative
fast-paced