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20 foods for a long and healthy life
Dark chocolate, apples and coffee are among 20 foods essential for living as long and healthy a life as possible, according to a leading nutritional scientist.
Gary Williamson, Professor of Functional Foods at the University of Leeds, has drawn up a list of what he calls ‘lifespan essential’ foods needed for a long and healthy life.
In his inaugural lecture, Professor Williamson said that although each person’s lifespan is genetically pre-determined, eating ‘lifespan essential’ foods will maximize your chances of living as long as possible. It will also increase your quality of life as you age by reducing the incidence of disease.
The 20 foods are:
apples
blackberries
black tea
blueberries
broccoli
cereal bran
cherries
cherry tomatoes
coffee
cranberries
dark chocolate
green tea
oranges
peaches
plums
raspberries
red grapes
red onions
spinach
strawberries
The foods are rich in polyphenols - naturally-occurring chemicals like tannins, lignins and flavonoids found in plants which are widely accepted as having health benefits. A recent international study carried out by scientists in the US, UK and Australia which looked at the health benefits of polyphenols concluded that they helped protect against heart disease.*
Although the importance of eating fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet is widely understood, Professor Williamson’s work goes further by prescribing 20 foods which are essential to allow you to fulfill your life’s potential.
Professor Williamson, who has published more than 240 refereed scientific publications including more than 100 papers on polyphenols and health, says: “These foods have been chosen because they are highest in polyphenols, which reduce the risk of heart disease and help to slow down aging processes.
“Epidemiology studies support the protective effects of polyphenol-rich foods. Lack of these components in the diet, because of low intake of fruit and vegetables, increases the risk of chronic disease.
“Although they might not be essential for growth and development or the maintenance of major body functions, there is increasing knowledge concerning their potential for health maintenance or disease risk reduction throughout adulthood and during aging.
“This means that they are essential to fulfill the maximum individual lifespan, and so I propose that they are ‘lifespan essential’. This does not necessarily include an increase of the maximum potential lifespan, but rather an increase of the chance of reaching the genetically determined lifespan and an increase in the quality of life during aging by reducing the incidence of chronic, age-related diseases.”
Source: University of Leeds
Gary Williamson, Professor of Functional Foods at the University of Leeds, has drawn up a list of what he calls ‘lifespan essential’ foods needed for a long and healthy life.
In his inaugural lecture, Professor Williamson said that although each person’s lifespan is genetically pre-determined, eating ‘lifespan essential’ foods will maximize your chances of living as long as possible. It will also increase your quality of life as you age by reducing the incidence of disease.
The 20 foods are:
apples
blackberries
black tea
blueberries
broccoli
cereal bran
cherries
cherry tomatoes
coffee
cranberries
dark chocolate
green tea
oranges
peaches
plums
raspberries
red grapes
red onions
spinach
strawberries
The foods are rich in polyphenols - naturally-occurring chemicals like tannins, lignins and flavonoids found in plants which are widely accepted as having health benefits. A recent international study carried out by scientists in the US, UK and Australia which looked at the health benefits of polyphenols concluded that they helped protect against heart disease.*
Although the importance of eating fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet is widely understood, Professor Williamson’s work goes further by prescribing 20 foods which are essential to allow you to fulfill your life’s potential.
Professor Williamson, who has published more than 240 refereed scientific publications including more than 100 papers on polyphenols and health, says: “These foods have been chosen because they are highest in polyphenols, which reduce the risk of heart disease and help to slow down aging processes.
“Epidemiology studies support the protective effects of polyphenol-rich foods. Lack of these components in the diet, because of low intake of fruit and vegetables, increases the risk of chronic disease.
“Although they might not be essential for growth and development or the maintenance of major body functions, there is increasing knowledge concerning their potential for health maintenance or disease risk reduction throughout adulthood and during aging.
“This means that they are essential to fulfill the maximum individual lifespan, and so I propose that they are ‘lifespan essential’. This does not necessarily include an increase of the maximum potential lifespan, but rather an increase of the chance of reaching the genetically determined lifespan and an increase in the quality of life during aging by reducing the incidence of chronic, age-related diseases.”
Source: University of Leeds