My mother died last year of a devastating cancer at the age of 80. My grandmother, my aunt and my uncle never reached this milestone, cancer took them down before. My cousin was not yet 50… Cancer is unfortunately part of my family history. I wondered what I could do to improve my chances of healthy aging.
I discovered that the advances in the field of longevity are mind-blowing. I’m not talking about cosmetic surgery that gives the illusion of eternal youth. No, I’m talking about adding several “real” years to one’s life.
Around the world, especially in the United States, billions of dollars are being invested in research into longevity and anti-aging: cellular reprogramming, genetic modifications, development of molecules that repair cells and reverse aging. Among the most recent advances: a pill that simulates physical training in mice, developed by a researcher at the University of Florida. Losing weight and building muscles effortlessly may be coming soon!
Financed by generous investment funds, science is tackling old age on all fronts. Saudi Arabia alone invests up to US$1 billion per year through the Hevolution fund. In March, experts in the field of longevity will attend a summit in Florida. On the program, conferences with evocative titles: “Can we slow down and reverse aging? », “Young forever”, “Slow down the speed of biological aging as much as possible”. Old age, for many, has become a “disease” that must be eradicated. At all costs.
We are still far from the day when we will be able to meet our great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren, but there is valuable information to be gleaned from this quest for eternity. Principles that ordinary people can apply in their daily lives and which will make a real difference in 10, 20 or 30 years.
As the D saysr Louis Bherer, director of the EPIC center at the Montreal Heart Institute, interviewed for this file: “We are taught to plan for our old age by investing in our RRSP from a very young age, why don’t we apply the same principle for our health? »
Running at 100
“I think my 6-year-old son is part of the first generation of immortals,” Mario Tremblay tells me. The founder of the RobotShop company is aware that his comments will raise eyebrows among many. He still agreed to talk to me because longevity is a subject that fascinates him. His goal ? Live to be 120, even 150 years old. In health.
A few years ago, the entrepreneur launched MedFuture, with the aim of offering medical services to help people live healthier lives longer. Initially, the idea was to open a clinic with a storefront. “I didn’t have the services I wanted in the private sector,” explains this trained engineer who spent several years learning about the subject. But the businessman came up against the strict rules that govern the practice of medicine in Quebec, very different from those in the United States where there are many of these “longevity” clinics. One of the best known, Fountain Life, is preparing to open a branch in Toronto. Its slogan: “100 years is the new 60…”
Longevity clinics offer essentially the same services, at a high price: a complete assessment of your health (blood tests, scan, bone densitometry, microbiota analysis, etc.) accompanied by a program tailor-made for your needs. “Quebecers who wish to have access to this type of medicine must engage in medical tourism,” laments Mario Tremblay.
Currently, MedFuture is a digital platform that offers its customers a personalized program based on their blood test. “Within a few weeks,” explains Mario Tremblay, “we will be able to offer personalized dietary supplements based on the analysis of your biomarkers. And if all goes well, other services will be added over time. »
Mario Tremblay applies what he advocates. “I put the odds on my side,” he said. His priority: sleep. “I go to bed around 8:30 p.m. and I protect myself from blue light in the evening. » He eats early – around 5 p.m. – to give his metabolism time to digest before going to bed. He allows himself a glass of wine on occasion. “The idea is not to eliminate pleasures, but destructive behaviors,” he explains.
Up at 5 a.m., Mario Tremblay slowly starts the day with a little light therapy, meditation and writing in his journal. “You have to prioritize yourself before responding to the demands of others,” he says. A follower of the Mediterranean diet, he practices intermittent fasting and workouts (a mix of cardio, strength training and balance exercises), but he has abandoned all extreme sports like skydiving that he practiced when he was younger, question to reduce the risk of accidents.
In addition to following this fairly demanding lifestyle, he ingests between 30 and 40 supplements daily, which he has manufactured according to his own parameters, established according to the measurement of his biomarkers.
It must be said, the issue of supplements is controversial. Longevity champions promote it, but the effects may vary between individuals.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The Dr Louis Bherer, director of the EPIC center at the Montreal Heart Institute
A person who has deficiencies may benefit from a vitamin or mineral supplement, but it is difficult to predict the effect in a person without a deficiency.
The Dr Louis Bherer, director of the EPIC center at the Montreal Heart Institute
The Dr Bherer recognizes, however, that discoveries in the field are continuing. The COSMOS study, published last December, reveals, for example, that taking daily multivitamins can have a positive impact on the memory of people aged 60 and over. Metformin, a medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes, may have protective anti-aging properties. Rapamycin, resveratrol and NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, to name a few, are also part of the pharmacopoeia of longevity champions for their supposed positive impacts on energy and against aging. “Research is progressing,” observes Dr.r Bherer. I would like to say to you “stay tuned”…”
Mario Tremblay makes a distinction between his chronological age and his metabolic age, which he attributes to his strict lifestyle and taking supplements. “I’m 52 years old, but I have the metabolism of a 41-year-old man,” he says. At age 50, I was diagnosed with cervical spondylosis and my doctor advised me to stop running. Instead, I stopped the osteoarthritis medication he had prescribed and ran 50 km, he tells me. My goal is to add one kilometer per year until I’m 100… so I can run with my son. »