Immunity, Aging and Metabolic Health

Immunity, aging and metabolic health are topics that all fuse together; but, we tend to focus on the scale or seeking a smaller body size.  We forget that body composition and weight are intimately tied into our immune health and being healthy at an older age!During these trying times of lockdown and fear, we forget that we have a significant amount of control of our immune health.  We have the ability to improve it to combat viruses, the signs of aging, and chronic diseases such as Type II Diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and even cancer. Thus, our choices of food, or choice to exercise or not exercise, or work on getting proper sleep all impact on developing  a ‘healthier self’.  It takes work, both mental and physical, but the outcome on our immune health is massive. Unfortunately there are too many ‘diet wars’ out there, which create confusion. The most important step to lower our weight and improve our immune status, is simply to get rid of processed junk food. Whether chips, crackers or cookies, these foods are very high carb/sugar, and often have significant amounts of seed oils (canola/soy/safflower etc.) which can negatively impact metabolic health. As the hormones insulin and leptin rise (from these foods), we immediately create inflammation in our body (along with promoting weight gain).  I encourage you to listen to Dr. Ron Rosdale (he has many lectures on Youtube) about the effects of insulin and leptin on our immune system.Exercise is a must to slow aging and improve our immunity. Try not to think of it as a tool for weight loss, but an essential lifestyle habit to improve longevity and lower disease risk; humans were meant to move!  Depending on your mobility, get outside for regular walks; if your joints and muscles allow you to more than this, great!  If your knees don't allow you to walk, check out chair exercises on youtube or online - any movement of your muscles will help.  Don’t listen to the inner voice that you don’t feel like it, or it's too cold, or whatever reason; longevity (healthy aging) depends you and I doing something physical on a regular basis.Sleep is so so important. We are over-stimulated with technology; addicted to our smart phones and willing to force ourselves to stay up late checking the internet, not realizing that stopping all TV, smart phone, etc. at least one hour before bed, can be so beneficial to our health; poor sleep hygiene is one of the biggest factors I find in people who are chronically tired.So, more than anything, stop (or significantly reduce) junk food! Exercise regularly and move your body; aim to improve the quality and duration of sleep!  Your long-term health depends on this! Make these 3 things a priority.It's not easy to break habits; just keep trying and never give up trying!Dr. Doug