The relationship between food and longevity

Did you know that food and living longer go hand in hand?  The following tips will explain why what you put in your mouth is so important to your longevity.

• Japan has the longest life expectancy in the world, yet people in the Okinawan Islands in southern Japan enjoy even longer and healthier lives than the average Japanese. Their diet secret? Lots of grains, vegetables, soy and fish; less meat, poultry and dairy. There is, however, no scientific basis to the suggestion by some supplement manufacturers that "coral calcium" is the secret of the Okinawans' longevity.
• Various studies of Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists and Trappist monks — all people who follow a vegetarian diet and engage in a prudent lifestyle — also show that they enjoy increased life expectancy.
• North Americans also seem to be doing something right since they are healthier than they were two decades ago. People over age 85 are one of the fastest growing segments of the population, proving that today you can live longer and healthier if you practice good health habits.

• According to a recent medical study, there's nothing fishy about fish oil's ability to ­protect your heart. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils can prevent sudden cardiac death by blocking fatal heart rhythms, researchers say. Sudden cardiac death accounts for at least half of heart-related deaths.
• Eating fish, particularly fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring and sardines, has long been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Omega-3 fats are credited with keeping arteries healthy and reducing the stickiness of platelets in the blood.
• Elsewhere, researchers found that eating fish more than once a week was associated with a 50 percent reduced risk of macular degeneration in seniors, the chronic eye disease that accounts for one-third of all cases of vision loss that gradually destroys central vision. Studies also indicate that fish oils may protect against Alzheimer's disease.
• To increase your intake of protective fish oils, eat fish several times a week but be mindful of the fact that large fish such as swordfish and shark, may be contaminated with mercury to the extent that frequent consumption presents a risk. People who do not like fish or are allergic to it can look to flax or canola oils for omega-3 fats.