David Walker: University of California, Los Angeles

Cracking the code behind aging has long since fascinated, frustrated and captivated scientists.  In our quest to live longer and better, a desire to fully understand the mechanisms that explain how and why we grow old, has been central to longevity research. In recent years some significant progress has been made. A clearer picture is emerging of the changes that occur, at a cellular level, that could dictate how our bodies respond to the passing years. In this episode of the LLAMA podcast, Prof. David Walker, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) discusses his work with tiny worms and fruit flies, and explains the significance of myriad age-related issues, such as dysfunctional mitochondria, leaky intestines and inflammation. 

Recorded: March 2, 2021 | Read a transcript and show notes at the LLAMA podcast website.

Disclosure: Prof. Walker is a member of the scientific board of JUVICELL, a sponsor of this LLAMA podcast episode. 

Topics covered in this interview include:

• Dr. Walker's academic journey from Belfast to Manchester and Los Angeles. 
• Inspiration through  Jonathan Weiner's Time, Love Memory - a biography of Seymour Benzer, the biologist renowned for his study of genetics through experiments with fruit fly genes.  
• Working with nematode worms and fruit flies.  
• Aging - a great scientific mystery.  How our understanding of what is driving aging, at a cellular level, has evolved. 
• Developing novel ways, using genes, to prevent age- related health decline.  
• Changing awareness of aging as we grow older.
• Accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria and how it appears to be an important cellular hallmark of aging. 
• The importance of autophagy for maintaining cellular health.
• Why do we age at different rates?  
• The pathophysiology of aging: How do age-related changes that affect organ function, relate to the health and viability of the aging organism?    
• Leaky intestines in fruit flies and humans . 
• Inflammation and the link to age-onset diseases
• Gut bacteria and relevance to various diseases and health interventions. 
• Diet and variability of our gut microbiome.
• High/low  protein diets and the aging gut, based on fruit fly studies.  
• Does eating less protein enhance longevity? 
• Making better informed decisions about diet and dietary supplementation. 
• Practicing "  common sense" lifestyle goals. 
• Exercise and everyday diet    to counter the effects of aging. 
• Memory loss  as we age and a better understanding of the mechanisms involved based on studies with fruit flies. 
• Lifestyles focussed on living life to the full.

This episode is brought to you in association with JUVICELL, the all-in-one longevity supplement that contains 10 key ingredients shown to have a positive impact on healthspan, as validated by scientific studies. To find out more, visit juvicell.com

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Dave Frost: Well Past Forty

Baby boomers make up a significant portion of the world's population.  In the US and the UK the generation born between 1946 and 1964 represents about a fifth of all people and is a hugely influential group.  So what's it like to be a boomer in 2021?  Many are still working, physically active and important contributors to the economy.  Others are retired and enjoying the fruits of their careers, while some are facing up to the challenges of life as a septuagenarian.   

"My almost fervent, religious conviction is we can all do better," says Dave Frost, a decorated naval officer,  world-ranked oarsman and Master Fitness Trainer.  

Dave was born in 1953. The San Diego-based author of KaBoomer: Thriving and Striving into Your Nineties is the founder of Well Past Forty, a company that promotes wellness and fitness for athletes of all ages and abilities. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, he discusses his gregarious approach to life, ambitious athletic goals and plan to "live large" into his tenth decade. 

Recorded: March 16, 2021 | Read a transcript and show notes at the LLAMA podcast website.

Topics covered in this interview include:

• What is it like to be a baby boomer in 2021?
• Dave's definition of the "encore" years and what it means to live in the "best act yet" of our lives. 
• Living through the bottom of the happiness curve.
• Figuring out the daily activities, including motion and purpose, that enhance life. 
• The life-changing impact of 911. 
• Embracing the Loma Linda, low stress, outdoor lifestyle, for longevity.
• The importance of breathing for everyday health and good sleep. 
• The joy of distance running and how the runner's high can be achieved with alternatives forms of exercise, as we get older. 
• The value of exercise, quiet time, mind-body alignment  and "living large" as we age into our nineties. 

This episode is brought to you in association with JUVICELL, the all-in-one longevity supplement that contains 10 key ingredients shown to have a positive impact on healthspan, as validated by scientific studies. To find out more, visit juvicell.com

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Joan Ifland: Author, Processed Food Addiction.

Why do we rush to the refrigerator during commercial breaks, while watching television?  Are we really hungry or does TV fuel our addiction to foods that we know are bad for us? 

“Without your agreement at all, you’re doing what we call the robot walk or the zombie walk to the kitchen to get something to eat,” says Joan Ifland, Ph.D., author of the textbook, Processed Food Addiction. 

Dr. Ifland believes we are wired to snack, in response to stress, excitement and suspense, and that an addiction to sugar and processed food is making us sick. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, she discusses her mission to help people recover from an addiction to processed foods and why, she says, cleaning up our diets, especially ridding them of sugar, could add years to our lives.

Recorded: February 18, 2021 | Read a transcript and show notes at the LLAMA podcast website.

In this interview we cover: 

• Melding the worlds of business and nutrition research
• Exploring what Dr. Ifland says is the role of corporations “in the spread and maintenance of addiction to processed foods”
• What is processed food? 
• The difference between processed plant and animal-based foods. 
• Food cravings, marketing, stress and addiction. 
• How do we take control of what we eat, to avoid unhealthy foods – or “bad” foods – and what Dr. Ifland describes as “artificial aging” 
• Why is it so difficult to give up certain foods
• What is “conformance drive” and how does it influence what we eat. 
• Associating with others, online, to build an immersion experience with healthy people
• Dr. Ifland’s diet change, 25-years ago, that she says eliminated cravings and “brain fog”
• Why do we fall off the wagon and return to bad eating habits? 
• How does the Addiction Reset Community work?
• The connection between watching the television and eating too much. 
• The impact of Covid on “clean” eating and food addictions. 
• The “purpose” of living a long healthy life

This episode is brought to you in association with JUVICELL, the all-in-one longevity supplement that contains 10 key ingredients shown to have a positive impact on healthspan, as validated by scientific studies. To find out more, visit juvicell.com

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Jean Ketcham: Aging But Dangerous

At the age of eighty-one, Jean Ketcham is looking forward to sky diving again, when the pandemic is over. The co-founder of Aging But Dangerous, an international women's movement, promoting active, healthy aging, is on a mission to empower women over fifty to live their lives to the full.  When Jean retired, she and her friend, C. Suzanne Bates, realized that their social circles were shrinking and that their friends were becoming less adventurous. Convinced that life still had much to offer, the pair set up the group to encourage women to live dangerously, as they age. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Minneapolis-based Jean discusses her zest for life, optimism and aspirations for the next two decades. 

Recorded: February 2, 2021 | Read a transcript and show notes at the LLAMA podcast website.

Topics covered in this interview include:

• Challenging the "trauma" experienced by women turning 50 
• What's wrong with the word 'aging?'
• Cataract surgery at 80 
• Setting up Aging But Dangerous
• Inspiration from Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin
• Martini Jump Skydives, fashion shows and colonoscopy prep parties for women over 50  
• Inner strength, positivity and surviving cancer 
• Finding the silver lining in the face of negativity 
• Embracing social media, hosting Facebook lives for a multi generational audience
• Jean's advice to her younger self about weight and self-esteem 
• Having fun full-filling a mission to connect with and help women 
• An octogenarian's bucket list and aspirations 

This episode is brought to you in association with JUVICELL, the all-in-one longevity supplement that contains 10 key ingredients shown to have a positive impact on healthspan, as validated by scientific studies. To find out more, visit juvicell.com

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

Cliff Bleustein: Walk fast, live longer

If you're a fast walker, you're likely to live longer. The correlation between walking speed and lifespan has been widely studied and is a good indicator of our general physical condition and the number of years that we are able to enjoy optimum health.  "It is a wonderful predictor," says, Dr. Cliff Bleustein, Global President and CEO of AposHealth, a home based exercise program aimed at helping patients with their mobility. In this episode we delve into the importance of a healthy gait, sometimes described as the sixth vital sign. Dr. Bleustein explains the link between the natural ability to take a brisk walk and maximally performing bodily systems, such as the heart, lungs and musculoskeletal. 

Recorded: January 26, 2021 | Read a transcript and show notes at the LLAMA podcast website.

Topics covered in this interview include:

• Dr. Cliff Bleustein's "eclectic" career, encompassing surgery, research, business and healthcare consulting. 
• Making the shift from treating patients to the business of healthcare 
• Treating osteoarthritis of the knee by changing the way people walk 
• Earlier health management of chronic conditions to improve health outcomes
• Rehabilitation based on physical therapy rather than surgery 
• Purposely including short bursts of exercise during the day for optimum health and maintenance of muscle mass
• The cumulative impact of exercise
• Gait - the sixth vital sign and predictor of long life. 
• Walking speed as an indicator of health
• The daily activities that cost nothing and promote physical health 
• The impact of Covid-19 on general healthcare, and the switch to telemedicine 
• Future problems caused by plummeting activity levels during the pandemic 
• The physical and emotional health impact of taking fewer steps a day through working at home
• Why healthcare facilities should be considered safe for preventative interventions, even as Covid continues to be a threat
• Taking small steps every day to pursue health and longevity. 
• there are only so many things we can control.  Don't worry! 

This episode is brought to you in association with JUVICELL, the all-in-one longevity supplement that contains 10 key ingredients shown to have a positive impact on healthspan, as validated by scientific studies. To find out more, visit juvicell.com

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.