“It is possible to reach 100 years or more in quite good shape,” asserts Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki from the Medical University of Poznan, who specializes in lifestyle medicine. As he emphasizes, it is not only determined by our genes, but also by how we take care of our health. Experts recommend a balanced diet, adequate exercise, healthy sleep, and good social relationships. They also admit that a sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, careless eating, and late-night internet surfing do not favour our health.
Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki is an ambassador for Peter Attia’s book “The Longevity Paradox: How to Live Longer in Good Health”, which radically changes the perspective on the aging process. Experts admit that we have been programmed to live around 120 years. The program, however, did not foresee that our lifestyles would differ from those of our ancestors.
“Biologically, evolutionarily, we were molded about 60-80 thousand years ago, and the fact that we live in completely different conditions than what nature has adapted us to, causes various problems. It is important to understand what we can improve, taking advantage of civilization, and at the same time, how not to spoil our biological abilities to achieve a long and happy life,” says Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki, a pathomorphologist and clinical immunologist from the Medical University of Poznan. “We can definitely live much longer than we do now. A 120-150 year lifespan is biologically achievable.”
He emphasizes that today, aging is considered more of a disease than a natural process, stage of life.
“There are about 200 different processes that we can interfere with, and with appropriate personal work, and some medical technology support, we can definitely not only live longer but also feel better. The point is not to set records, but to feel good, be happy, live life to the fullest, and spread this to others,” says Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki. “Today’s medicine is starting to take more interest in this and is understanding it better. It is no longer just corrective medicine, but it also starts to help people understand what they are doing wrong and what they should do to live longer.”
The principles of lifestyle medicine focus on preventing chronic diseases, promoting health, and improving the quality of life. This can be achieved by implementing a series of changes in everyday functioning. The expert emphasizes that it is possible to prolong our lives in good health by changing our lifestyle and eliminating bad habits. This is not something that can be achieved “overnight”; it requires time, strong will, and determination.
“There are several pillars of lifestyle medicine. We know that if we sleep well or have more muscle mass, we can live longer. Maintaining a proper circadian rhythm is also very important. For the past 50 years, we have had artificial light which significantly disrupts this rhythm. We often go to bed with smartphones and laptops, watch movies late at night, and this blue light disrupts our circadian rhythm by interfering with the breakdown of melatonin – the sleep hormone,” explains Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki.
A proper and regular diet is also of utmost importance. The menu should be diverse and made up of high-quality products.
“Definitely, our nutrition is far from what nature has prepared us for. For the past 50-60 years, we have had refrigerators, and we eat food a few degrees colder than our grandmothers did, which changes our microflora completely. Also, food does not decay in the refrigerator, it is microbiologically clean, resulting in less stimulation to our immune system. We should somehow supplement this. Understanding all these mechanisms definitely influences that we can live longer,” says the expert from the Medical University of Poznan.
The professor, however, warns against focusing too much on pursuing longevity at all costs, as in the case of failures or inability to adapt to certain conditions, it may only induce stress. It is better to lead a peaceful life in harmony with oneself and nature, and slowly change habits for the better, choosing what serves us best and helps maintain health and good mood.
“You just need to have a gentle azimuth and go in that direction, programming one thing at a time, like going for a walk, meeting friends, getting rid of plastic at home that comes in contact with food, going to bed at a decent hour. There are such minor things that greatly affect our health. I sometimes say that if we don’t know what to do, let’s think about how our grandmothers lived and simply eliminate things that didn’t concern them,” says Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki.
Experts also encourage regular preventive tests, which allow various diseases to be detected at an early stage of their development, and if necessary, to start the appropriate treatment. We can skillfully prevent diseases from developing in our bodies.
“At the moment, a lack of movement is one of the very significant factors causing a risk of civilization diseases, such as circulatory diseases and cancers. It is considered as dangerous as smoking. In the standards of lifestyle medicine, it is said that it should be about 300 minutes of moderate effort per week, but each session should be about 45 minutes to an hour, no longer, preferably in a natural environment. Sometimes it’s good to have someone show us how long and how intense to exercise,” says Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki.
The key to success is also good interpersonal relationships, based on trust, respect, and empathy. The certainty that we can rely on someone in any situation gives us a great sense of comfort and stability.
“There are studies in ‘blue zones’, places where people indeed live longer, more peacefully and with very stable and supportive social relationships. We must have friends, we must have support in a group. There are even such tests: if we can name five people off the top of our head who we can call at 3 in the morning because we need something and they will come and help, that means we are well settled. It doesn’t necessarily have to be family, it can be friends. We must have such people, because then our nervous system reacts less stressfully. We are herd animals, but civilization interferes with this,” adds the expert.
