"It ain't fun getting' old... but it beats the alternative." Surprising new research indicates that a low carb diet may help us live longer. Since some of my friends have been so rude as to suggest that I'm "older than dirt" I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about aging... especially how to slow it down.

"The Anti-Aging Solution" seminar featured Vincent Giampapa, M.D. cofounder of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, which now has more than 2,000 physician members. The seminar included the usual anti-aging strategies that we are familiar with but don't always practice, such as reducing stress, eating the right foods, taking natural health supplements, heart vitamins and of course getting enough exercise.

Then it started to get real interesting. Doctor Giampapa and his associates have taken these strategies to a new level by showing how our genes are affected by our lifestyle. Since I a proponent of the low carb eating approach, the role that sugar and other refined carbohydrates play in prematurely aging us was especially fascinating. The typical American diet of white flour products, snacks and fast foods quickly turns into glucose creating a domino effect, which plays havoc with our healthy heart goals.

Although the clinical studies showing the connection between low carb diets and longevity are recent, the evidence is very compelling. Dr. Cynthia Kenyon, a noted anti aging researcher at U.C. San Francisco, has conducted an amazing experiment. Dr. Kenyon turned down the activity on a single gene in lowly earthworms and extended their life by an astounding 600%.

What is so interesting about this gene is that the human counterpart is a critical network of genes known as the insulin gene pathway which influences aging, fat storage and metabolism.

Here's how it works. Sugar is toxic to cells, (as a sweet-o-holic it pains me to write this) and this glucose overload causes the cells to become insulin resistant over time. When this happens you develop diabetes and are susceptible to a host of other life threatening diseases. Medical researchers tell us that the vast majority of overweight people suffer from insulin resistance.

"High carb diets are lethal because they produce high levels of insulin and prevent your body from burning fat," says Jonny Bowden, a certified nutrition specialist and author of the book, "Living the Low-Carb Life."

Research data consistently finds three common factors in people who are mentally and physically fit and live to be at least 100 years old. The first is low triglycerides, the second is high levels of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), and the third is a low level of fasting insulin.

"A low-carb diet improves all these variables," says Bowden. "So bingo, you just hit your three longevity bull's-eyes. Add exercise and sleep, which are proved to raise HDL, and you've got it made!"

Sounds like a good plan to me. Take advantage of these strategies to slow aging and improve your heart health for life!