While there’s no single food that can guarantee a long and healthy life, Dr Michael Mosley explained that one food group seems especially potent. Drawing on the latest research and advice from leading experts, the doctor shared the “anti-ageing” foods to eat daily.
Dr Michael Mosley has cemented his name as the weight loss guru who offers invaluable diet advice.
The doctor has just filmed a series where he examines ageing and the role food plays in overall health.
While making the new documentary, the expert spoke to some of the world’s leading scientists who are researching ways to slow, or even reverse, the ageing process.
Surprisingly, Dr Mosley reached the conclusion that genetics play a relatively small part in ageing, with lifestyle being far more important.
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The expert found that eating for a healthy microbiome is crucial if you want to age well and survive well beyond the average lifespan.
Your gut microbiome describes the collection of all the genetic material from the microbes in your gut, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other small organisms.
Dr Mosley penned for the Daily Mail: “We know that what, and how much, you eat play key roles in whether you stay healthy or not — but what seems to be equally important is the impact this food has on your gut microbiome.”
Don’t just take the doctor’s word for it, as research, published in the journal Nature Aging, found that the healthy centenarians had a very diverse mix of bugs in their guts.
The researchers from Guangxi Academy of Sciences in China compared the microbiomes of 1,575 people, aged between 20 and 100.
The findings revealed that the healthiest centenarians had particularly high levels of a bacterial species called bacteroidetes, Dr Mosley explained.
He added: “This bug has previously been linked to slimness, and is present in far smaller amounts in the guts of people who are overweight.
“Bacteroidetes seem less good at absorbing the fat we consume than other gut bacteria, so people who have more of it tend to remove more calories from their bodies.”
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Previous evidence links even more benefits to a healthy gut, ranging from a strong immune system to lower levels of inflammation.
To boost your microbiome with “anti-ageing” foods, Dr Mosley recommended eating a largely plant-based, fibre-rich diet, which packs a lot of “different-coloured fruit and veg”.
When it comes to bacteroidetes and other “good” bacteria, the doctor advised to eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir and kimchi daily.
On the flip side, foods rich in sugar tend to have the opposite impact on ageing and your gut health.
In a previous interview with Express.co.uk, Dr Sunni Patel, from Dish Dash Deets shared that striving for a variety of fermented foods is key.
From kefir to sauerkraut and from kombucha to miso, there are many fermented foods that can help you get a diversity of good gut bacteria.
Dr Patel said: “The best approach is to start little and often to build up your tolerance to fermented foods as too much in one go can cause more gas, bloating and other gastrointestinal issues.
“I typically suggest one tablespoon of fermented foods with a meal or 150 to 250ml of a fermented drink.”
