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Its even simpler. Exercise (specifically, aerobic type) is the main thing you need. A good exercise regime gives you a lot of leeway in the diet aspect especi

Its even simpler. Exercise (specifically, aerobic type) is the main thing you need. A good exercise regime gives you a lot of leeway in the diet aspect especially if you don't overeat (since your caloric burn will be high enough on the regular to not have to deal with issues like too much carbs). It also helps you sleep as you get tired and can fall asleep easier, and reduces stress levels, which is very important in regards to longevity. There also have been studies that link brain function deterioration with lack of oxygen, and people with higher VO2max values are at a lower risk of cognitive decline. Something as simple as cycling to the office instead of taking the car can have extremely positive effects.

Swizec 4y ago
Don’t forget all the evidence suggesting adult neurogenesis specifically from running. As for VO2max, Levitt had a longevity researcher on his podcast who found that a high VO2max (used as a proxy measure) is causally related with higher impacts on 5 year all cause mortality than smoking. In the good direction. As in: being in shape reduces your risk of death more than smoking increases it. Sauce: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/adding-ten-healthy-years-to-your-life/ https://freakonomics.com/podcast/adding-ten-healthy-years-to...
- swalling 4y ago
  It's not just a longterm effect of VO2max improvements, which is a physiological metric that is quite slow to improve and realistically has upper limits based on your age and sex. It's also that aerobic exercise acutely improves brain function. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9256523/#:~:text=There%20is%20evidence%20that%20acute,89%5D%E2%80%93%5B92%5D https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9256523/#:~:tex...
- o_____________o 4y ago
  Figured that would be Peter Attia. https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/ https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/ His podcast is amazing but can be dense and technical at times. He's evidence based and would probably fit in with the HN crowd.
  - matwood 4y ago
    I enjoy listening to Attia talk about his longevity research. He's why I finally started doing IF, and someone I looked to when I moved from power lifting (can't do it forever lol) to a more longevity based exercise program. Then I randomly got really into jiu-jitsu because why not.
  - pastor_bob 4y ago
    Peter Attia got me into having a weekly MRI and wearing a dexcom 24/7. Costly, but great stuff.
    - o_____________o 4y ago
      Weekly, seriously? What's the background with that?
david2ndaccount 4y ago
Cycling has its own risks as it can reduce bone density if you cycle instead of walking or other forms of exercise.
- decodebytes 4y ago
  How much Cycling do you have to do for that to become a credible risk though? I am imaging quite a bit more than a daily commute.
  - nradov 4y ago
    Cycling doesn't directly cause loss of bone mineral density. Ride as much as you like. The issue is that some people use cycling as their only form of exercise. For bone health you need to mix in other high impact exercises such as running and weightlifting.
- ActorNightly 4y ago
  Make every other ride a mountain bike ride and you will have no issues with bone density.
orev 4y ago
You can’t outrun a bad diet. It takes a lot of exercise to burn off excess calories, and virtually no effort to simply not consume them. I understand that health is more than just calories, and you can come to the same conclusion about other bad things like trans fats, alcohol, etc. If someone had to choose only one thing to do for health, a healthy diet is far more important than exercise.
- sudosysgen 4y ago
  While you can't easily burn off excess calories, a good amount of muscle mass can significantly increase your metabolic rate as well, so there are effects from repeated exercise beyond just calorie consumption.
  - kriops 4y ago
    Citation needed because “significantly”. Studies I have seen in this (not my field) indicate that the effect is measurable, but basically negligible. The ancestor comment saying to do cardio is right. Strength training is also important for health, but for different reasons (motor function, bone density, etc.). The act of strength training also burns some calories, regardless of resultant muscle mass.
    - sudosysgen 4y ago
      Yes, I do have a citation : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931407/#!po=8.33333 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931407/#!po=8.... Every extra kg of muscle is estimated to contribute 21kcal/day to the RMR. If you put on, say, 15kg of muscle over a few years (quite doable if you are very sedentary and have low muscle mass), that's an extra 300kcal/day. Add in 30 mins of biking a day, and say 100 cal from strength training on average, that's a good 600-700 calories per day!
- lukemercado 4y ago
  > It takes a lot of exercise to burn off excess calories, and virtually no effort to simply not consume them. > and virtually no effort to simply not consume them. I don't think this is true. The executive function required to manage the dopamine cycle that food generates is incredibly taxing. I honestly think this is a result of our food systems being incredibly optimized to drive purchasing decisions... Separately, this reminds me that I should eat some veggies.
mft_ 4y ago
I'm not disagreeing that aerobic exercise is important and beneficial, but to add: there is also data correlating other exercise behaviours (stretching, strength training) with positive health and longevity outcomes. Also, quite significant benefits can be achieved via HIIT, which is anything but aerobic.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
graypegg 4y ago
I can totally vouch for this in my valueless opinion study of n=1. I’ve always eaten “a little bad” diet. I don’t think I eat too much, and I keep things mostly balanced, but I tend to eat quite late, and carbs and calories was always something I’d just take down without considering totals for a day or week. Was totally fine when I was walking to work every day, and doing a lot outside. Early COVID era, with the same diet, I started ticking up in weight, and wasn’t feeling great. Once adding more exercise to my routine I slowly returned to my baseline. Maybe I could be doing better with a better diet, but I was kind of shocked by how much of an effect ~1hr of walking a day had on me.

Swizec 4y ago

Don’t forget all the evidence suggesting adult neurogenesis specifically from running. As for VO2max, Levitt had a longevity researcher on his podcast who found that a high VO2max (used as a proxy measure) is causally related with higher impacts on 5 year all cause mortality than smoking. In the good direction. As in: being in shape reduces your risk of death more than smoking increases it. Sauce: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/adding-ten-healthy-years-to-your-life/ https://freakonomics.com/podcast/adding-ten-healthy-years-to...

swalling 4y ago
It's not just a longterm effect of VO2max improvements, which is a physiological metric that is quite slow to improve and realistically has upper limits based on your age and sex. It's also that aerobic exercise acutely improves brain function. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9256523/#:~:text=There%20is%20evidence%20that%20acute,89%5D%E2%80%93%5B92%5D https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9256523/#:~:tex...
o_____________o 4y ago
Figured that would be Peter Attia. https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/ https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/ His podcast is amazing but can be dense and technical at times. He's evidence based and would probably fit in with the HN crowd.
- matwood 4y ago
  I enjoy listening to Attia talk about his longevity research. He's why I finally started doing IF, and someone I looked to when I moved from power lifting (can't do it forever lol) to a more longevity based exercise program. Then I randomly got really into jiu-jitsu because why not.
- pastor_bob 4y ago
  Peter Attia got me into having a weekly MRI and wearing a dexcom 24/7. Costly, but great stuff.
  - o_____________o 4y ago
    Weekly, seriously? What's the background with that?

david2ndaccount 4y ago

Cycling has its own risks as it can reduce bone density if you cycle instead of walking or other forms of exercise.

decodebytes 4y ago
How much Cycling do you have to do for that to become a credible risk though? I am imaging quite a bit more than a daily commute.
- nradov 4y ago
  Cycling doesn't directly cause loss of bone mineral density. Ride as much as you like. The issue is that some people use cycling as their only form of exercise. For bone health you need to mix in other high impact exercises such as running and weightlifting.
ActorNightly 4y ago
Make every other ride a mountain bike ride and you will have no issues with bone density.

orev 4y ago

You can’t outrun a bad diet. It takes a lot of exercise to burn off excess calories, and virtually no effort to simply not consume them. I understand that health is more than just calories, and you can come to the same conclusion about other bad things like trans fats, alcohol, etc. If someone had to choose only one thing to do for health, a healthy diet is far more important than exercise.

sudosysgen 4y ago
While you can't easily burn off excess calories, a good amount of muscle mass can significantly increase your metabolic rate as well, so there are effects from repeated exercise beyond just calorie consumption.
- kriops 4y ago
  Citation needed because “significantly”. Studies I have seen in this (not my field) indicate that the effect is measurable, but basically negligible. The ancestor comment saying to do cardio is right. Strength training is also important for health, but for different reasons (motor function, bone density, etc.). The act of strength training also burns some calories, regardless of resultant muscle mass.
  - sudosysgen 4y ago
    Yes, I do have a citation : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931407/#!po=8.33333 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931407/#!po=8.... Every extra kg of muscle is estimated to contribute 21kcal/day to the RMR. If you put on, say, 15kg of muscle over a few years (quite doable if you are very sedentary and have low muscle mass), that's an extra 300kcal/day. Add in 30 mins of biking a day, and say 100 cal from strength training on average, that's a good 600-700 calories per day!
lukemercado 4y ago
> It takes a lot of exercise to burn off excess calories, and virtually no effort to simply not consume them. > and virtually no effort to simply not consume them. I don't think this is true. The executive function required to manage the dopamine cycle that food generates is incredibly taxing. I honestly think this is a result of our food systems being incredibly optimized to drive purchasing decisions... Separately, this reminds me that I should eat some veggies.

mft_ 4y ago

I'm not disagreeing that aerobic exercise is important and beneficial, but to add: there is also data correlating other exercise behaviours (stretching, strength training) with positive health and longevity outcomes. Also, quite significant benefits can be achieved via HIIT, which is anything but aerobic.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

graypegg 4y ago

I can totally vouch for this in my valueless opinion study of n=1. I’ve always eaten “a little bad” diet. I don’t think I eat too much, and I keep things mostly balanced, but I tend to eat quite late, and carbs and calories was always something I’d just take down without considering totals for a day or week. Was totally fine when I was walking to work every day, and doing a lot outside. Early COVID era, with the same diet, I started ticking up in weight, and wasn’t feeling great. Once adding more exercise to my routine I slowly returned to my baseline. Maybe I could be doing better with a better diet, but I was kind of shocked by how much of an effect ~1hr of walking a day had on me.