Top Anti-aging Foods from Around the World

From exotic juices to cans of cocktail peanuts, more and more edibles in the supermarket are being dubbed "antiaging" by some marketer or media pundit. The real deal about munchies that keep you youthful? They come from the earth, not a vacuum pack.

We're not the only ones who are saying that. Take a look at what the longest-lived people in the world are eating (if you know us, this list will look familiar, but with a few twists). Then, put their favorites on your own table.

Costa Rica: Beans for Breakfast
Residents of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula are four times more likely than most North Americans to live past age 90. One reason may be dishes like gallo pinto, a tasty mix of black beans and rice flavored with onion, red peppers, garlic, olive oil, cilantro, and a salsa lizano -- a condiment a little like Worcestershire sauce. The Oz part of this team learned on a trip to Nicoya that big breakfasts that begin with beans rule there. But don't limit yourself; this dish is great at any meal. Find out what makes black beans the most nutritious.

Nova Scotia: Wild Blueberry "Grunt"
Some of Nova Scotia's picturesque villages are home to Canada's highest percentages of centenarians -- people who've lived for at least 100 years. One reason may be polyphenol-packed wild blueberries produced by the millions of tons on this island. Luckily, you can find frozen wild blueberries in your supermarket. Use 'em to make a traditional "grunt"-- lightly cooked blueberries (skip the sweetener that's usually in the recipe; the berries are sweet enough!) served over a biscuit (but please, make it whole grain, or skip the biscuit altogether). It's also known as a slump, a fungy, a buckle, or a bang belly. Here's another healthy berry-filled treat: Whole-Wheat Blueberry Bars.

France: Wine
In this country, local red wine is king. And for good reason. Moderate drinking (1 glass for women, up to 2 for men) with a meal a day seems to explain some of the "French Paradox"-- low rates of heart disease despite a penchant for artery-clogging goodies like cheese. It may help explain why the French tie the Italians (another nation with a healthy love of wine) as Western Europe's longest-living people. Wine's magic seems to come from a few components: ethanol, which boosts levels of healthy HDL cholesterol; resveratrol, which new research suggests can mimic the life-extending effects of cutting calories; and polyphenols, which rev up the body's own cell-protecting antioxidants. Why not try a red wine from a vineyard near you, or head for a heart-healthy zinfandel, syrah, pinot noir, or cabernet sauvignon? Here's a little wine-and-food pairing that makes drinking wine healthier for you.

Greece: Lots of Veggies, Little Meat
On some Greek islands, one-third of the residents have already celebrated their 90th birthdays. Their longevity secret? The famed Mediterranean diet. When researchers quizzed 23,349 Greek women and men about what's on their plates, they found that death rates were lowest for those who ate the most fruit, vegetables, beans, and olive oil. The occasional glass of wine helped, too. So did fish, seafood, whole grains, and dairy products. What wasn't on their plates also mattered. Those who ate red meat just a few times a month lived longer than those who indulged more frequently. Find out why eating less red meat is good for your eyes, too.

Eating lots of vegetables accounted for 16% of the youth-power of Mediterranean eating. Drizzle on a little olive oil and top with a scattering of walnuts and you can more than double the impact. Not only will it be delicious, the good fats pamper your heart and help your body absorb more of the carotenoids and other nutrients in cooked veggies and in salad greens.

Japan: Tofu
Tofu's on sale in the produce department of nearly every supermarket. Good news, because on the Japanese island of Okinawa, it may be why residents age gracefully to 100+ more often than anywhere else on earth. Researchers credit this mild-tasting soy curd's low fat content and high levels of good-for-you saponins and isoflavones. Chunk up some extra-firm tofu instead of chicken or pork in a stir-fry, or use soy crumbles in place of ground meat in a hearty spaghetti sauce. Marinate first to heighten flavor; we love it with ginger, garlic, and low-sodium soy sauce. Or, trying giving a classic Italian dish a meatless makeover: Tofu Parmigiana.

So instead of falling for an antiaging additive pitch, steer yourself toward these flavorful, health-giving goodies. You'll see what these cultures have known for years: When it comes to the tastiest antiaging foods, Mother Nature makes the best.

February 28, 2010 12:00 AM by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD | 14 comments

And then wash it down with the Italian staple, a glass of red wine.

Chocolate May Boost Brain Power and Fight Fatigue

The next time your energy slumps, but you need to be sharp, a cup of hot chocolate might be just the boost you need.

That’s because flavanols, which are chemicals plentiful in dark chocolate, fight fatigue and hone mental sharpness, according to scientists at the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Center at Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK.

Researchers gave 30 people a series of math tests before and after having either a flavanol-loaded chocolate drink or a placebo beverage. On a test that required repeatedly subtracting numbers, volunteers who got the flavanol-rich drink performed better than those drinking the dummy drink. In addition, the flavanols seemed to offset the fatigue from the intense mental concentration.

“We asked them about their mental fatigue, and that increased, but the cocoa offset that increase,” said researcher Crystal Haskell.

The brain-boosting effect is tied to flavanols’ ability to dilate blood vessels, allowing more blood to reach important areas of the brain.

The study also found that a 500 mg dose of flavanols worked best. That’s the equivalent of five bars of chocolate, so researchers are trying to discover whether lower levels work as well.

“The amounts we were giving them were more than you would get from eating small amounts in diet,” said co-researcher David Kennedy, “But there is quite a bit of evidence showing that general consumption over time is protective against neurodegenerative disease and decline in cognitive function.”

Flavanols are also found in red wine, olive oil, broccoli, blueberries, tea, and onions. They’ve been linked to lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and brain function.

Editor's Note:

Help stop brain shrinkage by exercising your brain; stretch your brain with new challenges, word and number games & puzzles, and by using your memory store: like writing a book, organizing old photos with information or lecturing and teaching about history and past events within your lifetime stored in your memory bank.

Red Wine -- It's Like the New Green Vegetable

Red wine seems to be the new “green vegetable”… good for practically everything. New research points to a surprising and counterintuitive connection between moderate wine consumption and the lower risk of a certain kind of liver disease... plus, I recently saw another study that suggests serving red wine with steaks can help diminish the harmful effects associated with eating red meat. Once again it appears that modern science is confirming age-old wisdom, in this case those who revered the “nectar of the Gods.”

SHALL WE DRINK TO THAT?

Of course, experts are quick to point out that wine is beneficial to your health in moderation only. That said, following are a sample of the many benefits that moderate wine consumption may confer upon your health…

• Lowers risk of liver disease.  Considered by some to be an emerging epidemic, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disease in the United States today, due in large part to our Western lifestyle and obesity, notes study author Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, MD, at the University of California, San Diego. He and his colleagues found that moderate wine drinkers are significantly less likely to develop NAFLD than nondrinkers, even after controlling for other possible contributing factors.

• Healthier heart. Wine in particular possesses potent heart-healthy benefits, according to a large-scale study, published in 2000, which included Copenhagen City Heart Study data. Researchers found the risk of death significantly lower than for people who did not drink wine and believe it’s due to ethanol and the substances in wine. Other research shows that the high polyphenol content in red wine protects the linings of cardiovascular blood vessels and may inhibit plaque formation.

• Prostate cancer protection. Men who drink four to seven glasses of red wine weekly are half as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as men who do not drink red wine, according to research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Doctors speculate that healthful antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids and resveratrol are responsible for this effect. White wine was helpful too, but not as much as red wine, which is a richer source of these health-promoting compounds.

• Kidney care.  Drinking at least two glasses of red wine a week may lower the risk of kidney cancer, say doctors at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Beneficial effects were also found with white wine and strong beer, but not liquor. Other research, conducted in part at Harvard Medical School, suggests that men who consume seven or more drinks weekly have a 29% lower risk of developing kidney problems.

• Longer life.  One day resveratrol may prove to be the key to unlocking the secret of lasting youth. Laboratory tests demonstrate that this antioxidant compound in red wine prevents early death in mice that were fed high-fat diets.  (For more on the health benefits of resveratrol, see Daily Health News, August 2007.) Yet so far no human research has taken place, so further study is needed.

TO YOUR HEALTH

So it seems there’s some merit to such toasts as “salud” (health) and “l’chaim” (to life).  Enjoying a glass of red wine with your evening meal may indeed improve your health and extend your life -- but do so with restraint, and drink at mealtime, since food slows alcohol absorption. Most experts suggest that an intake of one to two glasses of wine a day for men and one for women is optimal for health benefits. More, however, may increase the risk of some of the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. Red wines have more polyphenols than white (which, as noted above, can also be beneficial) but not all red wines offer equal potency of this health-promoting compound. A study in the scientific journal Nature reported that the most powerful heart-healthy polyphenols are procyanidins, which is the main source of the vascular health benefits in red wine. Wines from Southern France and Sardinia were found to have higher concentrations, due to production methods. Other research shows that the darker the wine, in general, the healthier.

However none of this is meant to suggest you ought to cultivate a wine habit if you don’t want to or don’t particularly enjoy it.  Immoderate alcohol consumption has a greater negative effect than the positive beneficial effects. Dr. Schwimmer takes cautionary advice a step further, warning that people at risk for alcohol abuse or alcoholism (for example, those with a personal or family history) should not consume wine or other alcoholic beverages.  Fortunately for teetotalers, there’s an excellent alternative -- red grape juice and grapes themselves are rich sources of many of the same beneficial compounds as red wine. Other antioxidant-packed options include blueberries, cranberries, elderberries and pomegranates. If you’re worried about the consequences of imbibing too much nectar of the Gods, just reach for a bunch of grapes.

Source(s):

Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, MD, director, Fatty Liver Clinic, associate professor of pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, California