0:00:12.916,0:00:14.781
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

0:00:14.934,0:00:17.790
Let me start right away[br]with a heretical question.

0:00:17.790,0:00:20.236
Why should you study gerontology at all?

0:00:20.239,0:00:23.332
I think anyone funded by the taxpayer[br]should ask themselves

0:00:23.332,0:00:27.269
if they can possibly give anything[br]back in return to society at some point.

0:00:27.283,0:00:28.686
The answer is quite clear.

0:00:28.686,0:00:30.055
We now know

0:00:30.055,0:00:32.411
that the lifespan to be expected[br]at time of birth

0:00:32.411,0:00:36.667
is only about 25%[br]attributable to genetics,

0:00:36.667,0:00:41.366
which means there must be some kind of[br]environmental influences, dietary factors,

0:00:41.382,0:00:45.300
that have influence on the ageing process.

0:00:45.314,0:00:47.360
Why do we still know so little?

0:00:47.360,0:00:51.068
Why are we bombarded[br]with confusing messages

0:00:51.078,0:00:52.976
from those in the field of nutrition

0:00:52.985,0:00:55.241
that partially contradict each other?

0:00:55.253,0:00:56.832
Something everyone will remember:

0:00:56.844,0:01:00.167
15 years ago, it seemed the culprit[br]had been found, namely fat.

0:01:00.167,0:01:03.039
People thought that if fat[br]were eliminated from our diet,

0:01:03.039,0:01:05.541
we'd all become slim[br]and grow old in good health,

0:01:05.541,0:01:09.113
which led to the appearance[br]in American supermarkets

0:01:09.113,0:01:13.194
of ridiculous, mile-long shelves,[br]loaded up with various low-fat products,

0:01:13.194,0:01:15.006
which did nothing to change the fact

0:01:15.006,0:01:17.815
that Americans became[br]more obese year by year.

0:01:17.815,0:01:20.670
Then they said: 'Ah no,[br]fat's not the issue!

0:01:20.670,0:01:22.066
It's carbohydrates.'

0:01:22.066,0:01:27.311
Which then led to strays into the likes[br]of the paleo diet, the low-carb diet,

0:01:27.311,0:01:30.235
the Atkins diet and so forth.

0:01:30.235,0:01:33.835
There's always some new dietary fad[br]being announced with undue fanfare.

0:01:33.835,0:01:35.355
(Laughter)

0:01:35.355,0:01:37.463
Where do these ideas originate?

0:01:37.463,0:01:42.160
They come about, I believe,[br]at least partially,

0:01:42.160,0:01:47.542
in that we allow[br]questionable journalistic formulations

0:01:47.556,0:01:51.575
to inflate singular anecdotal cases[br]to the level of scientific knowledge.

0:01:51.716,0:01:54.751
Here's a typical example[br]for a single-case anecdote.

0:01:54.751,0:01:57.319
You all know this man.

0:01:57.378,0:02:01.154
In 1968, a widely read newspaper[br]published a new feature:

0:02:01.154,0:02:05.292
The top 10 most prominent death[br]candidates for the coming year.

0:02:05.292,0:02:06.803
(Laughter)

0:02:06.803,0:02:10.895
Keith Richards was nominated[br]for first place for seven years,

0:02:10.895,0:02:13.095
then the newspaper[br]hit the end of the road.

0:02:13.110,0:02:14.437
(Laughter)

0:02:16.655,0:02:18.371
Or this lady here, Jean Calmet.

0:02:18.371,0:02:21.438
The oldest human known[br]to have ever lived on Earth.

0:02:21.438,0:02:23.051
[She was] 122 years old.

0:02:23.051,0:02:25.509
I know, there are people around[br]claiming to be 600,

0:02:25.518,0:02:28.270
but can't find their birth certificate[br]just at the moment.

0:02:28.277,0:02:34.097
Jean Calmet actually did turn 122,[br]and she stopped smoking at 117.

0:02:34.121,0:02:35.541
(Laughter)

0:02:35.541,0:02:37.548
But she started again at 118.

0:02:37.548,0:02:39.438
(Laughter)

0:02:39.438,0:02:44.420
Only to finally follow[br]the path of virtue at 120

0:02:44.420,0:02:45.877
and stop smoking for good.

0:02:45.877,0:02:47.750
She then died at 122.

0:02:47.750,0:02:49.039
What does this tell us?

0:02:49.039,0:02:51.563
Not that cigarettes are healthy,

0:02:51.573,0:02:54.846
rather it tells us[br]that ageing is very complicated,

0:02:54.856,0:02:57.114
and we need clear, meaningful statistics.

0:02:57.129,0:02:59.627
We need simple, experimental systems,

0:02:59.627,0:03:01.916
and we need to ask simple questions.

0:03:01.916,0:03:04.827
A very simple question[br]and a very simple fact

0:03:04.827,0:03:06.922
that is maintained in various countries:

0:03:06.922,0:03:08.931
Women grow older than men.

0:03:09.151,0:03:10.538
What's the reason for this?

0:03:10.659,0:03:12.224
We now know.

0:03:12.224,0:03:15.169
It's due to testosterone,[br]the sex hormone,

0:03:15.169,0:03:18.096
that is produced in the male epididymides.

0:03:18.240,0:03:20.526
There is a very simple evidence for this:

0:03:20.526,0:03:24.042
Castrated men grow just as old as women.

0:03:24.543,0:03:26.991
Now, everyone can decide for themselves -

0:03:26.991,0:03:28.045
(Laughter)

0:03:28.045,0:03:30.852
whether that's a viable path[br]for anti-ageing.

0:03:30.861,0:03:32.470
Austria is a free country.

0:03:32.470,0:03:34.740
Don't worry, there's better advice coming.

0:03:34.740,0:03:35.871
(Laughter)

0:03:35.871,0:03:41.004
Generally, we should be careful[br]not to confuse correlation with causality.

0:03:41.012,0:03:45.819
Sounds complicated, but can be illustrated[br]with normal questioning techniques.

0:03:45.819,0:03:48.900
Someone visits a 100-year-old[br]grandmother and asks,

0:03:48.913,0:03:52.732
'What have you done differently[br]or eaten for you to have grown so old?'

0:03:52.787,0:03:55.578
Ah, this grandmother has smoked[br]ten cigarettes a day.

0:03:55.578,0:03:57.773
That must be the secret to her old age.

0:03:57.773,0:04:00.619
Perhaps the ten cigarettes[br]did not harm her,

0:04:00.630,0:04:02.060
or perhaps they did harm her,

0:04:02.066,0:04:05.402
and the grandmother may have[br]lived longer without the 10 cigarettes.

0:04:05.420,0:04:09.142
Even cold, hard statistics[br]are not always meaningful.

0:04:09.142,0:04:11.983
There is, for example,[br]strong statistical evidence

0:04:11.993,0:04:14.858
showing that people[br]who go on pottery courses in Tuscany

0:04:14.869,0:04:16.536
grow older than people who don't.

0:04:16.552,0:04:17.579
(Laughter)

0:04:17.581,0:04:19.415
It's reproducible. Indisputable.

0:04:19.418,0:04:21.726
Is it to do with the Tuscan clay?

0:04:21.750,0:04:25.260
No, it's because the people[br]have enough money in their pockets

0:04:25.260,0:04:28.952
to take care of themselves at their age[br]with their age-related diseases.

0:04:28.959,0:04:33.140
If, however, I put an additive[br]into the food of one group of lab animals,

0:04:33.150,0:04:35.853
and this group then lives 20% longer

0:04:35.858,0:04:38.945
than a control group[br]that didn't receive this additive

0:04:38.959,0:04:41.604
but was otherwise treated[br]exactly the same,

0:04:41.630,0:04:48.000
then I have probably found[br]a causal factor in their diet.

0:04:48.012,0:04:51.498
And such experiments[br]have indeed been done.

0:04:51.510,0:04:54.262
I must tell you that the ageing[br]study community is very divided.

0:04:54.262,0:04:57.175
But where I agree with my opponents

0:04:57.175,0:04:59.731
is that regular fasting[br]prolongs your life -

0:04:59.731,0:05:02.731
and that works for[br]the most diverse organisms.

0:05:02.731,0:05:04.399
Take, for example, bacteria.

0:05:04.399,0:05:07.420
Here you see a graph[br]showing the lifespan of bacteria.

0:05:07.420,0:05:10.380
When they fast, shown here[br]by the dotted line,

0:05:10.380,0:05:12.364
then they live significantly longer.

0:05:12.364,0:05:17.525
The same applies[br]to yeast, worms, flies, mice

0:05:17.525,0:05:21.025
and just recently, two years ago,[br]it was shown in the US

0:05:21.025,0:05:22.693
that it even applies to apes.

0:05:22.693,0:05:25.314
The issue here is not about being slim.

0:05:25.314,0:05:28.250
It also holds for lovers[br]of rich cuisines.

0:05:28.250,0:05:31.375
This is a different experiment[br]that was done in the United States.

0:05:31.388,0:05:32.493
What was done here?

0:05:32.510,0:05:36.844
One group of mice was fed[br]with a high-fat diet,

0:05:36.844,0:05:39.024
a kind of McDonald's diet,

0:05:39.039,0:05:42.004
whereby they got so many pieces[br]of cheese day and night,

0:05:42.004,0:05:44.573
that, who might wonder,[br]the mice became fat, sick,

0:05:44.573,0:05:47.953
and had severe fatty liver[br]and bad liver values.

0:05:47.955,0:05:53.703
A second group of mice[br]was fed the same amount of cheese,

0:05:53.703,0:05:56.153
except this group had intermediate breaks.

0:05:56.153,0:05:58.646
They were not allowed[br]to eat anything during the day,

0:05:58.646,0:06:00.242
but double the amount at night.

0:06:00.242,0:06:03.094
These mice were slim, healthy[br]and didn't have fatty liver.

0:06:03.118,0:06:06.366
Even though both groups of mice[br]consumed the same number of calories,

0:06:06.390,0:06:08.083
both ate the same amounts,

0:06:08.094,0:06:10.438
one is sick and the other healthy.

0:06:10.438,0:06:12.415
What's actually happening there?

0:06:12.436,0:06:18.485
A process called cellular self-cleaning,[br]or autophagy, is switched on.

0:06:18.509,0:06:21.294
Whenever you cease to supply food[br]to organisms or cells,

0:06:21.294,0:06:25.077
then the organism begins to break down[br]unnecessary components in the cell,

0:06:25.077,0:06:27.182
or damaged components,

0:06:27.186,0:06:29.395
in order to regain energy from them.

0:06:29.406,0:06:30.462
And that makes sense.

0:06:30.473,0:06:31.909
It looks like this:

0:06:31.922,0:06:34.957
You can see how garbage sacks[br]regularly form in the cell,

0:06:34.966,0:06:37.643
mainly surrounding scrap[br]that accumulates with age,

0:06:37.649,0:06:39.848
which then assimilates[br]with the [cell] 'stomach'.

0:06:39.848,0:06:42.036
These components are chopped[br]into small pieces

0:06:42.036,0:06:44.983
and are ready to be used[br]as energy by the cell again.

0:06:44.983,0:06:48.752
By doing so, damage that accumulates[br]with age is kept within limits.

0:06:48.768,0:06:55.191
It's just the molecular equivalent[br]of catharsis, or purification of the soul,

0:06:55.197,0:06:57.494
of which fasting people often report.

0:06:57.505,0:06:59.341
So, to bring this all together,

0:06:59.351,0:07:02.688
regular fasting prolongs life[br]in the most diverse organisms,

0:07:02.688,0:07:07.443
and it can probably be assumed [br]that this works for humans as well.

0:07:07.443,0:07:11.097
From this we learn that you shouldn't,[br]as recommended in dietary magazines,

0:07:11.220,0:07:14.949
fight every little feeling of hunger[br]with about 20 small portions a day.

0:07:15.092,0:07:17.908
No, when you're hungry,[br]you should tell yourself:

0:07:17.908,0:07:20.574
'Maybe the autophagy[br]has just been started.'

0:07:20.580,0:07:23.103
Greet hunger like a friend.

0:07:23.106,0:07:25.376
This also makes[br]evolutionary biological sense.

0:07:25.398,0:07:28.684
What did humans do[br]for 99.99% of human history

0:07:28.685,0:07:30.671
when they were hungry?

0:07:30.684,0:07:32.489
Exactly, they went hunting.

0:07:32.499,0:07:35.585
We regularly go hunting[br]in the fridge when we're hungry,

0:07:35.585,0:07:38.464
and that for sure goes against biology.

0:07:38.531,0:07:42.255
Now, we know, of course,[br]it's already to be found in the Bible,

0:07:42.255,0:07:45.714
in Matthew, chapter 26, verse 41:

0:07:45.714,0:07:48.738
'The spirit is willing,[br]but the flesh is weak.'

0:07:48.738,0:07:51.975
Paradise looks entirely different to us.

0:07:52.101,0:07:55.736
Here already shown by Jan Brueghel[br]in a depiction of a medieval paradise:

0:07:55.736,0:07:57.556
The three guys here are doing well,

0:07:57.556,0:07:59.589
they eat all day,[br]let themselves be served.

0:07:59.589,0:08:02.723
That is, you might say,[br]what's wished for in the imagination.

0:08:02.725,0:08:06.934
With that in mind we began[br]searching for substances

0:08:06.934,0:08:09.235
that switch on the molecular[br]response to fasting,

0:08:09.258,0:08:11.420
even though the organism is eating.

0:08:11.452,0:08:14.872
This could be of interest to people[br]whose willpower is not strong enough

0:08:14.872,0:08:17.616
for an occasional fasting break.

0:08:17.628,0:08:21.417
And it could possibly save us from one[br]of the hardest crossroads of life.

0:08:22.929,0:08:24.906
(Laughter)

0:08:27.745,0:08:31.575
The question is this: Can we switch on[br]the fasting response, the autophagy,

0:08:31.595,0:08:34.236
the cellular self-digestion,[br]even when we are eating?

0:08:34.254,0:08:36.986
We have examined many hundreds,[br]close to 1000, substances,

0:08:37.005,0:08:38.059
natural substances.

0:08:38.077,0:08:40.711
We have in fact found one,[br]which is called spermidine.

0:08:40.711,0:08:44.399
Spermidine is a substance that occurs[br]naturally in any organism,

0:08:44.399,0:08:48.294
but also decreases as the organism ages.

0:08:48.294,0:08:50.604
It is found most abundantly in the skin.

0:08:50.604,0:08:51.797
People in their thirties

0:08:51.806,0:08:54.486
already have significantly less[br]spermidine in their skin

0:08:54.501,0:08:55.852
than 25-year-olds.

0:08:56.054,0:08:59.302
If we now add spermidine to human cells,

0:08:59.302,0:09:00.879
you see the following:

0:09:00.879,0:09:04.383
This is a human cell,[br]the cell body, the cell nucleus.

0:09:04.383,0:09:06.126
We add spermidine to it,

0:09:06.140,0:09:09.766
and we see many thousands of these tiny[br]garbage sacks developing in the cell,

0:09:09.780,0:09:12.951
which clean up the scraps[br]that accumulate with old age.

0:09:13.477,0:09:16.068
Fasting cells would look[br]exactly like this.

0:09:16.068,0:09:18.501
And this works in[br]the most varied organisms.

0:09:18.501,0:09:21.656
Here, for example, shown [br]on part of a fly's muscle.

0:09:21.987,0:09:24.103
So, we've found a substance,

0:09:24.103,0:09:27.591
that switches on the molecular[br]fasting response, the autophagy.

0:09:27.591,0:09:30.821
Does it mean that organisms[br]with it live longer?

0:09:30.821,0:09:32.652
The answer once again is yes.

0:09:32.652,0:09:36.368
You see here a typical[br]survival curve of a fly population.

0:09:36.370,0:09:38.925
These are simple drosophila, fruit flies.

0:09:38.925,0:09:42.267
They all die within 80,[br]about half are dead within 40 days.

0:09:42.267,0:09:45.500
Whenever we add spermidine[br]to the drinking water, here in colour,

0:09:45.500,0:09:48.256
the insects grow older and survive better.

0:09:48.256,0:09:52.339
We also know that human cells[br]that we have taken from donors ex vivo

0:09:52.349,0:09:56.934
survive about three times as long[br]in culture if we introduce spermidine.

0:09:56.978,0:09:59.091
Latest studies also suggest

0:09:59.096,0:10:01.902
that spermidine even prolongs[br]the lives of whole mice.

0:10:01.908,0:10:05.356
And it's not only life expectancy[br]but also disease-free life expectancy,

0:10:05.368,0:10:08.012
as these mice are significantly[br]more immunocompetent.

0:10:08.029,0:10:11.407
Of course, now you will want to know,[br]where spermidine is found?

0:10:11.407,0:10:14.814
As the name suggests,[br]it was discovered in sperm.

0:10:14.814,0:10:17.001
It appears there in high concentration.

0:10:17.001,0:10:19.673
But I can console you, [br]there's a lot of spermidine

0:10:19.673,0:10:23.943
also in wheatgerm, fresh green pepper, [br]mushrooms, cheese,

0:10:23.943,0:10:26.410
and a product made[br]from fermented soybeans,

0:10:26.410,0:10:29.797
which enjoys high regard in Japan,

0:10:29.797,0:10:32.655
the so-called 'Natto'.

0:10:33.035,0:10:34.475
We then asked ourselves,

0:10:34.475,0:10:36.598
if spermidine helps[br]against ageing processes

0:10:36.598,0:10:38.583
by cleaning up the scraps,

0:10:38.593,0:10:41.536
does it then possibly also help[br]against neurodegeneration?

0:10:41.544,0:10:46.799
You must know that the common denominator[br]of all neurodegenerative diseases

0:10:46.820,0:10:51.772
is that protein junk accumulates[br]in the brain in old age.

0:10:52.382,0:10:54.739
We've indeed done[br]experiments in relation to this.

0:10:54.739,0:10:55.911
You would be surprised.

0:10:55.911,0:10:57.808
We did these on fruit flies.

0:10:57.808,0:11:00.622
Fruit flies also become forgetful [br]when they grow old.

0:11:00.622,0:11:03.663
They have more protein junk[br]in their brains when they grow old,

0:11:03.663,0:11:06.753
and the molecular mechanisms[br]responsible for memory

0:11:06.753,0:11:08.235
are very similar to humans.

0:11:08.256,0:11:10.092
Now you may well be asking yourselves:

0:11:10.099,0:11:12.918
'How the hell did this guy[br]measure the memory of fruit flies?'

0:11:13.287,0:11:14.857
This is the experiment

0:11:14.857,0:11:18.244
that we did together with Stefan Sigrist[br]of the University of Berlin.

0:11:18.244,0:11:21.106
You take 100 fruit flies[br]and trap them here,

0:11:21.106,0:11:23.480
give them a scent they love:

0:11:23.480,0:11:24.832
Plum -

0:11:24.832,0:11:27.314
and let them indulge themselves[br]in this plum scent.

0:11:27.314,0:11:31.139
Then you take the same flies,[br]let them advance into the next chamber

0:11:31.139,0:11:34.418
and give them another scent[br]they love, cherry.

0:11:34.418,0:11:36.275
We let them savour the cherry scent

0:11:36.275,0:11:38.608
while we give them a sugar treat.

0:11:38.608,0:11:40.035
Classic reward experiment.

0:11:40.035,0:11:43.034
Then take the same flies[br]and put them in here.

0:11:43.034,0:11:45.964
Then they take the lift down,[br]you see it here.

0:11:45.964,0:11:47.613
When they arrive at the bottom

0:11:47.613,0:11:49.844
you expose them[br]to the plum scent from one side

0:11:49.844,0:11:51.683
and to cherry scent from the other.

0:11:51.683,0:11:53.771
Where do they all go?

0:11:53.771,0:11:56.281
Obviously towards the cherry scent.

0:11:56.281,0:11:58.819
Except for these two, they're idiots.

0:11:58.819,0:12:00.668
(Laughter)

0:12:00.668,0:12:04.328
Or, let's say, they have character:

0:12:04.328,0:12:08.811
I love my plum, and I won't be corrupted[br]by such a disdainful reward.

0:12:08.849,0:12:09.950
(Laughter)

0:12:09.950,0:12:13.526
Okay, that would be a facet of character[br]that increases with age -

0:12:13.526,0:12:14.856
not only in flies.

0:12:14.856,0:12:17.369
(Laughter)

0:12:17.369,0:12:21.905
We found, in fact, that we could return[br]the memory capacity of the flies

0:12:21.905,0:12:25.690
back to their juvenile levels[br]by feeding them spermidine,

0:12:25.696,0:12:28.922
and that the protein accumulations[br]that had built up in their brains

0:12:28.931,0:12:30.169
were broken down again.

0:12:30.861,0:12:33.458
This means that spermidine[br]not only helps against ageing

0:12:33.458,0:12:36.449
but also ultimately against[br]other diseases associated with age.

0:12:36.473,0:12:39.404
This is important because we want[br]to extend disease-free life,

0:12:39.404,0:12:41.530
not just life expectancy,

0:12:41.530,0:12:44.250
since there's no sense[br]in extending life spent in agony.

0:12:44.370,0:12:46.041
I don't want to leave you

0:12:46.041,0:12:48.626
before giving you a few practical tips

0:12:48.626,0:12:50.651
on how you might stay younger.

0:12:50.651,0:12:52.689
Again, occasional fasting.

0:12:52.689,0:12:55.260
It's not about losing weight.

0:12:55.260,0:12:58.895
By the way, there is already a group[br]of 20,000 people in Austria,

0:12:58.895,0:13:01.121
who eat one day and not the next.

0:13:01.121,0:13:03.683
That is the so-called '10in2 Community'

0:13:03.683,0:13:06.512
under the leadership[br]of Bernhard Ludwig and Erwin Haas;

0:13:07.102,0:13:10.495
and they keep to it quite well,[br]which means it's practicable.

0:13:11.357,0:13:13.553
Avoid sugar shocks.

0:13:13.553,0:13:15.060
It's not about carbohydrates,

0:13:15.060,0:13:18.318
complex carbohydrates[br]don't seem to be dangerous at all.

0:13:18.453,0:13:20.289
It's really about sweets.

0:13:20.289,0:13:24.366
It's now established that sugar shocks[br]are enough to bring about diabetes,

0:13:24.366,0:13:26.269
even if you're slim.

0:13:26.269,0:13:31.204
It is also known that sugar[br]can speed up the growth of tumours.

0:13:31.204,0:13:34.472
Here you see a worm[br]population ageing away.

0:13:34.472,0:13:36.290
After 30 days all are dead.

0:13:36.290,0:13:41.492
Small doses of glucose are enough[br]to cause a pro-geriatric effect.

0:13:41.515,0:13:43.444
That's just one example,

0:13:43.444,0:13:45.954
it works similarly in all organisms.

0:13:45.954,0:13:49.062
Eat fruit and vegetables regularly.

0:13:49.062,0:13:51.981
Avoid supplementing[br]with too many vitamin tablets,

0:13:51.981,0:13:53.887
or with vitamin tablets altogether.

0:13:53.923,0:13:57.120
It's known that vitamin A[br]and vitamin E supplementation

0:13:57.123,0:13:58.871
can cause cancer.

0:13:58.871,0:14:01.576
That might not apply to Vitamin D.

0:14:01.576,0:14:05.129
During winter we might easily[br]suffer from low vitamin D levels,

0:14:05.129,0:14:08.715
since Vitamin D production[br]requires sunlight acting on the skin.

0:14:08.904,0:14:11.947
Exercise at least three times[br]a week for half an hour.

0:14:11.947,0:14:13.180
That's trivial.

0:14:13.180,0:14:16.103
Cigarettes, despite the initial[br]anecdotic examples,

0:14:16.103,0:14:20.129
cost you, according to epidemiological[br]studies, 10 to 15 years of your life.

0:14:20.159,0:14:21.892
In this online era,

0:14:21.904,0:14:23.950
give yourself time to relax occasionally.

0:14:23.950,0:14:26.020
The influence of praying[br]and blood pressure

0:14:26.020,0:14:28.090
on life expectancy is established.

0:14:28.090,0:14:30.576
Because monks live[br]almost as long as women.

0:14:30.734,0:14:32.184
(Laughter)

0:14:33.510,0:14:38.697
People who drink alcohol in moderation[br]live longer than non-drinkers.

0:14:38.697,0:14:41.477
Wine drinkers live longer[br]than beer drinkers,

0:14:41.477,0:14:44.417
but beer drinkers still[br]live longer than non-drinkers.

0:14:44.417,0:14:46.647
(Laughter)

0:14:48.079,0:14:52.874
(Applause)

0:14:54.118,0:14:56.994
Only drinkers of spirits[br]die earlier than non-drinkers.

0:14:57.442,0:14:58.651
Why's that?

0:14:58.657,0:15:01.437
People suppose it has something[br]to do with some substances.

0:15:01.445,0:15:02.782
No, no, it's very simple.

0:15:02.782,0:15:04.950
If there's a grease spot[br]on the window here,

0:15:04.950,0:15:07.580
I'd clean it off[br]with an alcohol-based solution.

0:15:07.580,0:15:10.435
Something similar probably[br]happens in our vascular system.

0:15:10.435,0:15:13.248
Fatty deposits, cholesterol-plaques,

0:15:13.248,0:15:16.067
could potentially be[br]dissolved away by alcohol.

0:15:16.067,0:15:19.095
That's why alcohol, especially,[br]has a cardio-protective effect.

0:15:19.095,0:15:22.763
Having a partner or a family[br]is associated with longevity.

0:15:22.763,0:15:24.871
You shouldn't live near a busy street.

0:15:24.876,0:15:26.905
You might be thinking[br]'particulate matter'.

0:15:26.909,0:15:29.206
It's not about[br]particulate matter, but noise.

0:15:29.215,0:15:30.409
It's measurable.

0:15:30.417,0:15:32.606
The closer someone lives to a busy street,

0:15:32.611,0:15:35.086
the more stress hormones[br]there are in their blood.

0:15:35.093,0:15:37.672
Even if someone says,[br]'I've got used to it.

0:15:37.680,0:15:40.190
I sleep well. The noise[br]doesn't affect me.'

0:15:40.203,0:15:43.978
That's not true, he still has more stress[br]hormones in his blood, which is bad.

0:15:44.954,0:15:48.996
Exposure to the sun should be limited[br]to avoid skin damage.

0:15:49.026,0:15:53.563
We now know that garlic[br]is good for metabolism.

0:15:53.563,0:15:56.023
Above all it lowers cholesterol.

0:15:56.023,0:16:01.433
We also know that onion and garlic[br]protect mice against infectious disease.

0:16:01.433,0:16:04.011
Incidentally, our grandmothers[br]already knew that,

0:16:04.011,0:16:08.574
when they tormented us with onion broth, [br]for sure not without good sense.

0:16:08.970,0:16:14.157
Several studies show that dark chocolate[br]can act to protect against dementia.

0:16:14.157,0:16:16.914
Just recently, a nice study came out

0:16:16.914,0:16:20.894
that showed that half a bar[br]of dark chocolate a day

0:16:20.907,0:16:23.763
can bring the ability to remember[br]of a 60-year-old

0:16:23.772,0:16:26.944
back to the level of a 30-year-old.

0:16:26.948,0:16:29.117
It's thought coffee[br]may have similar effects.

0:16:29.118,0:16:31.161
However, there's less data[br]supporting this.

0:16:31.169,0:16:34.147
There are studies that show it[br]to be true, and some that don't.

0:16:34.147,0:16:36.956
It's clear that coffee[br]protects against diabetes

0:16:36.956,0:16:40.200
thus maintaining your metabolism.

0:16:40.200,0:16:43.900
Coffee also is a great help[br]when fasting, as it triggers autophagy,

0:16:43.900,0:16:47.716
as we have been able to show[br]with Guido Kroemer from Paris.

0:16:48.218,0:16:50.768
A great, extensive study,

0:16:50.768,0:16:54.469
which involved 100,000 people[br]being examined over 15 years,

0:16:54.469,0:16:58.030
showed that people who eat[br]a handful of nuts every day are likely

0:16:58.030,0:17:01.585
to lower their probability[br]of death by 20%.

0:17:01.585,0:17:04.501
That is a hefty figure[br]to come from an epidemiological study.

0:17:04.501,0:17:11.343
It holds for almonds, Brazil nuts,[br]pistachios, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts,

0:17:11.343,0:17:14.297
pine nuts, walnuts, but not for peanuts,

0:17:14.297,0:17:16.826
which, botanically speaking,[br]are really legumes.

0:17:16.826,0:17:19.136
As nuts they are only pretenders,

0:17:19.136,0:17:20.874
they're actually from legume pods.

0:17:20.882,0:17:22.964
So it doesn't hold for peanuts.

0:17:22.979,0:17:25.939
The next point is a bit delicate.

0:17:26.497,0:17:30.563
Avoid the ingestion[br]of too much animal protein,

0:17:30.563,0:17:32.411
meat and dairy products,

0:17:32.411,0:17:35.205
but only if you're between[br]45 and 65 years old.

0:17:35.885,0:17:38.482
A great new study shows

0:17:38.482,0:17:41.586
that if you ingest too much[br]animal protein between those ages,

0:17:41.586,0:17:45.371
you increase your risk of cancer[br]to as much as if you were a heavy smoker.

0:17:45.371,0:17:49.247
It's not true for the years after that,[br]when animal protein is good for you,

0:17:49.247,0:17:52.587
and it's not true, of course,[br]for growing children and teenagers,

0:17:52.587,0:17:54.598
who need animal protein,

0:17:54.598,0:17:57.852
and not for pregnant women[br]and those who want to become pregnant.

0:17:57.857,0:18:01.400
Avoid food dogmatism in general.

0:18:01.400,0:18:03.590
Whatever you do keep yourself trim.

0:18:03.597,0:18:04.690
(Laughter)

0:18:04.700,0:18:07.724
Friedrich Nietzsche[br]knew this and said:

0:18:07.724,0:18:15.063
'Objection, evasion, joyous distrust,[br]and love of irony are signs of health;

0:18:15.063,0:18:18.816
everything absolute belongs to pathology.'

0:18:20.066,0:18:27.120
This is Mr. Salvatore Caruso,[br]who has kept somewhat to this regime

0:18:27.419,0:18:29.539
and has reached 108 years of age.

0:18:29.539,0:18:32.758
He's from my native region,[br]Calabria, from a neighbouring village.

0:18:32.777,0:18:35.081
He's never got sick[br]and is doing very well.

0:18:35.111,0:18:38.211
He's not a paradigmatic[br]isolated case, he's no anecdote,

0:18:38.211,0:18:41.149
as he actually lives at a place

0:18:41.149,0:18:44.445
where exceptionally there are[br]many healthy hundred-year-olds.

0:18:44.454,0:18:48.343
He followed the nutritional rules[br]I gave you today.

0:18:48.343,0:18:51.451
Among all the experiments described,

0:18:51.451,0:18:53.693
we shouldn't overlook one important fact.

0:18:53.693,0:18:55.783
Namely, that the main problem with ageing

0:18:55.783,0:18:58.549
never appears to be[br]a completely biological problem,

0:18:58.555,0:19:02.026
but rather one involving society,[br]and thus one addressed by psychology.

0:19:02.042,0:19:05.014
Old people aren't left[br]to do much by themselves,

0:19:05.014,0:19:07.924
and that could be one[br]of the most fatal errors of our culture.

0:19:07.924,0:19:10.546
Dostoevsky wrote[br]the greatest novel of world literature

0:19:10.546,0:19:11.818
one year before his death:

0:19:11.825,0:19:13.542
'The Brothers Karamazov'.

0:19:13.549,0:19:17.596
A work which contemporary critics[br]praised for its youthful freshness.

0:19:17.596,0:19:19.957
Thank you for your attention.

0:19:19.957,0:19:22.332
(Applause)