>> Dr. Terry Simpson: We all want to age well. And if you've scrolled

through TikTok, crapped open a Blue Zone book,

or watched Silicon Valley tech bro inject himself with

goat placenta, you know that the longevity

grift is booming. They are the

best sellers on the New York Times best selling list. But here's

the twist. Science already gave us a working

formula. No grift required.

Welcome to 4Q, where we slice through nutrition

nonsense and serve the facts extra

virgin. We are selling more ice baths, more

infrared saunas, and yes, even beef tallow to

smear on your feast like a paleo moisturizer.

Longevity culture has become a bizarre marketplace of

cold plunges and cow fat. Today, what

actually works for healthy aging and what definitely

doesn't? Before we dive into how to age well,

let us clear something up. While we may

not be able to dramatically extend our

lifespan, we absolutely can

improve our health span the number of years we

stay active, independent, and mentally

sharp. Living better matters

more than living longer. Today on

UM Forku, we're going to make sense of the madness of

longevity.

I am your Chief Medical Explanationist, Dr. Terry

Simpson, and this is Forq Fork

University, where we bust a few myths, make sense of

the madness, and teach you a little bit about food and

medicine,

the boring habits that actually work.

The eternal life fantasy from Pharaoh's two fancy

bottles. For centuries, people have

searched for the secret to eternal life, whether

it was locked in the tomb of a mummified pharaoh,

whispered in the smoke of a witch doctor's hut,

or hidden behind the eternally youthful facade

of Dorian Gray. Today, we have our modern

mystics. They don't wear robes or wave incense.

Well, some of them wave incense, but they wear

scrubs on Instagram. They run wellness

clinics, they give TED talks.

Many of them are selling methylated vitamins,

resveratrol, nmn, and other

compounds with sciency sounding names. People

like Mark Hyman or chiropractors supplement

influencers. People without a PhD between them,

but a warehouse full of pills and potions to

sell. What they're selling isn't much different than

the elixirs and tonics peddled in the

1800s. It's the same promise in

fancier packaging with buzzwords like

sirtuitins, epigenic optimization,

and cellular regeneration. Let's be

clear. There is no magic capsule

to reverse aging. If there were, these

folks wouldn't need a subscription model. They'd get a

Nobel prize. So before you hand over

$89.99 a month for your longevity stack,

ask yourself, is this Medicine

or modern snake oil. Let's start with the

basic unsexy yes.

Supported by every legitimate aging study.

Also yes. Sleep

seven, nine hours. That's when your brain

clears. Metabolic gunk like beta

amyloid, exercise, cardio

resistance training and balance work

all reduce inflammation, preserve brain

function and extend healthspan.

If exercise could be put into a pill,

it would be amazing. Vaccinations?

Yes, really. Syngrix, the anti

shingles, anti herpes zoster vaccine

reduces dementia by 20%.

Covid vaccines reduce

cognitive decline risk and the last

40 studies on statins show they

decrease the risk of dementia by up to

20%. Let's stop pretending that aging

well is a secret. It's mostly lifestyle

and mostly free. The Mediterranean

diet is a science backed

blueprint. If there's one diet with

decades of actual peer reviewed research

behind it, it's the Mediterranean diet.

One large study years ago even showed that the more

a person adhered to the Mediterranean diet by their

score, the greater the benefit and increasing

longevity they had by as much as 9%.

That included their health span.

Let's talk about red meat. A little bit goes a

long way. So before the shirtless Paul

Saladino tries to convince you to grill yet

your fourth hamburger for breakfast, think about this.

Studies that are actually scientifically based

show that if you limit red meat to 4 ounces a day or

less, it's fine. The lower saturated fat

intake you have, the less chronic inflammation you will

get. Increasing amounts of red meat lead to

increasing risk of cancer, heart disease and

type 2 diabetes. And after about 3

ounces, your body won't absorb any more iron or

many of the other macronutrients. The giant

steak. Mostly you're just feeding your colon,

not yourselves. In traditional Mediterranean

regions, meat is a condiment. It is not a

centerpiece. How about olive oil over

butter? Extra virgin olive oil is rich in

monounsaturated fatty acids like

polyphenols. All of them act as a natural anti

inflammatory. And bonus, your arteries and your

neurons will benefit. Whole grains and

legumes. Things like beans, lentils, farro, barley.

They're packed with fiber, plant protein and nutrients. They feed

your gut microbiome, which plays a key role in your brain

health. And unlike refined grains,

whole grains have been associated with less obesity,

less type 2 diabetes, longer life,

less heart disease and reduced cancer

risk. They're also packed with more fiber per

gram than most fruits and vegetables. How

about polyphenol power berries? Dark

leafy greens, Tomatoes, eggplants. These contain

polyphenols that protect your neurons that is the cells in your

brain and those long cells that you don't want to have

neuropathy with. They enhance vascular blood vessel

function, they reduce whole body inflammation, they.

And they stimulate neurogenesis. They

stimulate your brain nerves.

How about a word about wine? Yep, it's on the

Mediterranean diet, but it's one glass

with food occasionally. And let's be

clear, that's 5 ounces, not the

usual 8 ounce pour you get at most restaurants.

And it's meant to be once per day,

max. In fact, if you

don't drink alcohol during the day or

night, you get a Mediterranean diet point.

So a little wine doesn't seem to be a problem.

A lot of wine leads to neuroinflammation.

That headache in the morning leads to

cardiotoxicity, leads to

kidney toxicity, leads to your joints

feeling horrible the next day. One glass is

enough. None is better. Now. Fruits like

berries, grapes, oranges and apples are a daily staple of the

Mediterranean diet. They're rich in vitamins, fiber, polyphenols,

and reduce the oxidative stress that support

cardiovascular and brain health. Unlike juice,

whole fruit provides satiety and a

lower glycemic impact.

Vegetables are a foundation. Think leafy greens, tomatoes,

zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, cucumbers. Eaten in

abundance and variety, they offer fiber, antioxidants,

and the anti inflammatory compounds that reduce the

risk of chronic disease. Aim for multiple

servings a day. And yes, potatoes don't count.

Interesting. You can still score a full point on

the Mediterranean diet. Score one of nine components. If

you just have three and a half servings

of, uh, vegetables, that amounts to about nine ounces

of vegetables. Maybe like the equivalent of several

carrots. Here's what doesn't work, but

sells like crazy. People who think

alcohol is a health food. People who avoid vaccines

and think that that's going to be better for you. People who ignore high

blood pressure and high cholesterol. Let's talk

about that Instagram longevity crowd. What they have

is Botox, hair transplant ring lights,

and still all of them are aging

like everybody else. Why? Because the

Hayflick limit still applies.

Cells only divide so many times. No amount

of powdered elk antler will change that.

How about your mitochondria? Yep, your

mitochondria age. And yes, gurus are selling NAD

NADH supplements like they're the elixirs of

youth. Truth, NAD perks up

mitochondria, but does it extend life? Not

really. If it did, I'd be giving it to my

15 year old dog. And probably be taking it myself.

But if you want to really support your mitochondria, here's

some simple things you can do. Move more,

sleep more, Eat more Mediterranean Style

Diet when you talk about aging

with science and sanity, we don't need a

magic pill. We need movement, Mediterranean style

meals, managed health conditions, and

modern medicine. The science is in.

The question is, will you follow it?

Thanks for tuning in to 4Q.

Subscribe Share Next time someone tells you they have discovered

their secret to immortality, ask if it's peer

reviewed and ask how old the peers are

who reviewed it. Until next time,

do check out our blog associated with this on

4Q and yourdoctorsorders.com eat smart,

age wisely, stay unfiltered. And hey,

if you like this episode, make sure to subscribe to 4Q.

Wherever you get your podcast, leave a review, share it with your

friends, and if you got questions or gripe about food and longevity,

send them my way. I might just feature you in a

future episode. This episode was researched

and written by me, Dr. Terry Simpson. And while I am a board

certified doctor, I am not your doctor.

So if you're planning to make health changes, please talk to a

Western trained board certified physician. Not a

chiropractor, not your supplement dealer, not the gym

bro, and definitely not the Eastern trained shaman.

Our audio production and distribution were handled by our friends at

Simpler Media and the pod God himself, Mr.

Evo Terra. Have a good week everybody.

Hey Ivo, it just bugs me that

wine doesn't count as a serving of fruit.

>> Speaker B: What? Next you'll tell me that

beer doesn't count as a whole grain

heretic. Oh, and that background rumble

that you hear? Uh, that's the ocean. I'm on

vacation in Belize. Cheers.