Professor Luigi Fontina, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Health for Life Research Department at the University of Sydney in Australia, has told Independent Urdu in an exclusive interview that 90 percent of diseases can be prevented. A change in lifestyle possible through
They say that a 100-year-old can have the same health and stamina as a 40-year-old, but for that, he will have to change his way of thinking about life.
Professor Luigi Fontina is an internationally recognized medical scientist and nutrition and health expert in humans Long life He is considered one of the world’s top scientists in the field of We asked him in an exclusive interview what constitutes a good diet and how we can change our lifestyle to live a healthy life.
Anyway, New Year is here and it is a time when people make many promises to themselves to improve their lives. Professor Fontina also gave useful tips for people to improve their health.
Question: Professor Fontina, thank you very much for your time. You often describe the global health system as a ‘sick care system’ rather than a ‘health care system’, on which trillions of dollars are wasted every year. Can you tell us what is wrong with this system and how it can be fixed?
Answer: Don’t get me wrong, we have made tremendous progress in modern medicine and have treated many deadly diseases with antibiotics, vaccines, statins, anti-hypertensives, but the diseases we see in hospitals now. They are chronic diseases, not infectious diseases. There are many causes of these chronic diseases which are related to unhealthy lifestyle.
What we are doing now is that we train our doctors to diagnose diseases when they have already occurred and we treat them with drugs and surgery.
However, we believe that the only way to make our health system sustainable is to invest in disease prevention, as many common chronic diseases are preventable. World Health Organization Claims that 80% of heart disease, diabetes and stroke are preventable, my own figures say the rate is over 80%, maybe closer to 90%.
The World Health Organization also claims that around 40% of cancers are preventable, I reckon the actual rate is even higher.
Question: Coming to Pakistan. The traditional diet in Pakistan and the subcontinent consisted of grains, milled flour and vegetables, but in recent years the trend has shifted towards western food and fast food, sodas and sugary drinks like juices have become part of the diet. What are its effects?
Answer: It has had a huge impact. The fact is that the rate of type 2 diabetes is very high in Pakistan and India, but even higher than in the United States. There are several reasons for this. The main reason is that in those countries food was limited and people exercised a lot, but when they came to the kind of diet that you mentioned, which is very sweet, very high fat, ultra-processed food. , in addition, this greatly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
People walk in Islamabad’s F Nine Park in this April 29, 2020 photo (AFP)
Diabetes causes heart disease, stroke, kidney diseases, neurological diseases and cancer. This is a huge problem in India (and Pakistan) as there is an epidemic of ‘central obesity’. This means that the waist is expanding which is not a good thing. This increases the risk of diabetes and many other chronic diseases.
Q: What can we do to change this?
Answer: There are several ways. First comes exercise, which is a must. Before moving to Sydney I worked at the University of Washington in the US. We did some groundbreaking research there that found that six days a week of one hour of exercise, such as running, cycling, swimming, can reduce your belly fat by 40% and your body’s glucose levels. Great improvements can be made, reducing the risk of heart disease.
So exercise is a must. People should understand that exercise is a powerful medicine that should be taken every day. Start with a small amount and slowly increase to one hour per day. It includes both endurance and resistance exercises. Also you have to change your diet. You should go back to your traditional Indian/Pakistani diet, which includes brown rice instead of white rice.
You should reduce fat, you are consuming too much fat, ie vegetable oil. When you cook your lentils or fry other things, use a lot of vegetable oil. This vegetable oil and ghee are very high in calories. Refined carbs, sugary drinks and a diet high in fat and oil are bad, increasing the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and inflammation, and shortening the lifespan.
Q: You mentioned exercise, but many people don’t have access to gyms and exercise equipment, so many people, myself included, prefer just walking.
Answer: That’s exactly right. Walking, running, all are fine. For example, I’ve just cycled an hour here in Sydney. You don’t need to go to the gym. I don’t go to the gym myself. I do biking, swimming, running, brisk walking, plus you can do elastic bands with light weights attached. And you can do some resistance exercise with the help of your body. You don’t need to go to the gym. You can exercise at home.
Q: What about climbing stairs?
Answer: Climbing stairs is great. I get up from the chair every half hour, after every hour, go up a few stairs, it’s good exercise. Five minutes here, five minutes there, it all counts.
If you don’t go to the gym, cancel your membership and get into the habit of exercising or walking at home (File photo: AFP).
You should understand that if you spend your life completely sedentary, your metabolism slows down. We have shown in research that the amount of mitochondria in the body increases when you exercise. Mitochondria are the organelles inside our cells that convert calories—starches and fats—into energy. As you become more fit, your mitochondria increase in number, and they become more active. For example, if you spend an hour sitting, you burn 300 calories. After six months (of exercise) you will burn 600 calories in the same hour (of sitting), because you are now fitter.
It takes time to build fitness and build the body’s ability to increase metabolic rate.
Answer: You have written in your book ‘The Path to Longevity’ that a 100-year-old can gain the same strength as a 40-year-old. How is this possible because when we think of a 100-year-old person, we think of a lot of illness and suffering. So how can a 100-year-old person have the strength of a 40-year-old person?
Answer: When I was working at the University of Washington, we did a lot of research on why we age. We can now better understand which pathways cause damage to the body (due to aging). We know that 20 percent of 100-year-olds do not have any disease. We know that (humans) can live very long lives without disease. As I said, we are analyzing many of these pathways. If we get proper exercise from a young age, which includes a variety of exercises, eat a healthy diet, reduce calories and consume the right amount of fiber, we can reduce the breakdown of the body and live a long, disease-free life. May increase the possibility of reaching a long life.
We have a lot of data on this, which supports these findings. This is what I have described in my book.
People shop at a restaurant in Karachi, March 23, 2023 (AFP/Asif Hassan).
Q: This means you have to change your entire lifestyle, not just a few days. But another problem I see is that good food, delicious food is one of the joys of life, but if you cut out your favorite foods, you’re depriving yourself of one of life’s great pleasures. . How to solve this problem?
Answer: This is not correct. You can eat very healthy and delicious food without affecting your quality of life. There are foods that have natural fiber, plus you can continue to use your spices, you have pulses, kabuli gram. You can consume less fat, including mono-saturated fatty acids, you can eat fish that is cooked in a healthy way, without frying, without butter or ghee, you can use brown rice instead of white rice. Can be used, you can eat milled bread instead of wholemeal bread. So it is not true that eating healthy food means you should eat junk food. This is a myth. For example Mediterranean diet It is a very healthy food, which is also very tasty.
You can cut out the unhealthy ingredients in your diet and continue to use the healthy ingredients, keeping your spices flavorful and the food interesting.
Question: What do you think about spices, because we use a lot of chillies, turmeric and other such spices in our food. Are they healthy?
Answer: Of course, they are healthy. You can continue using them. Spices are not a problem. The oil and starch you are using are the problem, not the spices. I love your spices. I like Indian, Pakistani spices very well. With their help, food becomes very interesting. There is no problem with them.
Question: You know the New Year is coming. This is the occasion when many people make many promises to themselves. What three or four tips would you give people to have a healthy 2024?
Answer: The first advice is that many chronic diseases can be avoided by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Whether you have bad genes, or bad luck, you can improve with diet and exercise and meditation. Yoga, breathing techniques, pranayama, etc. are extremely powerful ways to regulate various pathways of health and longevity, as I describe in my book. I have a website, which is about that. This is for those who want to know more about it. I also have a YouTube channel.
So again, diet, exercise, meditation, yoga, breathing techniques are powerful medicines to prevent chronic diseases. Food is not the only thing, but the combination of all these physical, metabolic, psychological and spiritual efforts, all of them are very important.
You have to start step by step, for example when you go to school you start with one subject and you keep on expanding, you do experiments, so you can improve your health step by step. There are, but you have to start the journey. You have to see how I start the journey, how to make small changes in diet, how to exercise, how to do mindfulness, how to do yoga. In this way, I can reduce the risk of diseases step by step and increase the possibility of living a long, happy and healthy life with my friends, relatives, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It can be done. Just start step by step.
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2024-09-06 06:21:14
90% of Diseases Can Be Prevented: Expert Reveals Secrets to a Healthy Life
As the world grapples with the burden of chronic diseases, a renowned medical scientist and nutrition expert, Professor Luigi Fontina, has shared a groundbreaking revelation: 90% of diseases can be prevented through a change in lifestyle. In an exclusive interview with Independent Urdu, Professor Fontina, Head of the Health for Life Research Department at the University of Sydney in Australia, emphasized the importance of adopting a healthy diet and regular exercise to prevent chronic diseases.
The “Sick Care System”
Professor Fontina lamented the current state of the global health system, dubbing it a “sick care system” rather than a “health care system”. He pointed out that the focus is on treating diseases after they’ve occurred, rather than investing in disease prevention. The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke can be prevented, while Professor Fontina believes the figure could be as high as 90%. Furthermore, he stated that around 40% of cancers are preventable, with the actual rate potentially being even higher.
The Impact of Western Diets on Pakistani and Indian Health
The traditional diets in Pakistan and the subcontinent, consisting of grains, milled flour, and vegetables, have given way to Western-style diets and fast food. This shift has led to an alarming rise in type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. Professor Fontina attributed this to the high sugar and fat content of Western diets, which significantly increases the risk of diabetes and other health problems.
Exercise: A Powerful Medicine
Exercise is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle, and Professor Fontina stressed its importance. He cited research that showed six days a week of one hour of exercise, such as running, cycling, or swimming, can reduce belly fat by 40% and improve glucose levels. He recommended starting with small amounts and gradually increasing to one hour per day, incorporating both endurance and resistance exercises.
A Return to Traditional Diets
Professor Fontina advocated for a return to traditional Indian/Pakistani diets, which emphasize brown rice over white rice, and reduce the