Health Hotline Magazine | August 2024

Enjoy Your Food, Supplement the Rest Following a dietary lifestyle like the MD will provide you with a solid foundation of vita

Longevity & Healthy Aging… and More! According to the World Health Organization (WHO), which looked at mortality statistics over a 30-year peri od, a diet that adheres to the traditional principles of the traditional MD is associated with longer survival. And a review of several studies found that a close adherence to the MD was associated with a significant decrease in general mortality among elderly people. When it comes to healthy aging, the MD has been found to help pre serve muscle mass and bone mineral density, with a high adherence found to be related to a lower incidence of frailty and “functional disability” and better mobility in older adults. And as mentioned, the MD also preserves cognitive function. There are literally thousands of published research studies on different health conditions and the MD. We’ve covered the big ones (cardiovascular and brain health and healthy aging/longevity), but there is a large body of research that shows following the MD supports other aspects of health too, including: healthy sleep (improving sleep quality and duration); reducing the risk of cancer; gut microbiota and immune support; metabolic health; and type-2 diabetes (these are just a few studies from the last three years; there are so many more). The Importance of Adherence A commonality in all of the studies on the MD and health is how closely the subjects actually adhered to the diet—the better the adherence, the better the health benefits. Most studies used a point system to grade the subjects on how closely they followed the diet. One paper analyzed data from a number of studies, dating all the way back to 1966, and calculated the impact the MD has on major disease and mortality. The analysis found that as little as a two-point increase in scores produced statistically significant decreases in disease risk.

mins, minerals, and phyto nutrients like flavonoids, but there are certain factors—like modern

food processing and production, mineral-deplet ed soil, and our modern lives

which can make us quickly burn through specific nutrients—that make supplementing

with a few foundational vitamins and minerals is a must. Supplementing your diet provides optimal amounts of these im portant nutrients, ensuring there are no nutritional gaps and optimizing your health to its fullest. • Vitamin D: The majority of us don’t get enough vitamin D through food alone (for starters, there just aren’t that many food sources). This important vitamin is involved in everything from bone and muscle health to cardiovascular and immune health to mental health, and beyond. • Magnesium: According to the latest accounts, magnesium is a mineral we’re all falling short on. Mineral-depleted soil is one culprit; stress also causes us to burn through magnesium stores quickly. A magnesium supplement will provide extra support for stress, sleep, mood, and muscle health. • EPA & DHA: The omega-3s EPA and DHA are some of the most important fatty acids for maintaining a healthy inflammato ry response in our bodies, and are also nutri ents most of us don’t get optimal amounts of from food alone. The best food sources of these fats are cold-water fatty fish, and while fish is certainly an important compo nent of the MD, you’d have to eat a LOT of fish to get the amounts of EPA and DHA a supplement provides.

For references, visit: naturalgrocers.com/issue-85

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