Lifestyle and Medicine Extend Healthy Life Through the Same Biology
Over the last couple of weeks, we have reviewed lifestyle changes that switch off mTOR and activate AMPK. Exercise does it more directly. Antioxidant foods like virgin olive oil and beans do it indirectly. They neutralize the oxidants produced when we convert food into energy. That reduces oxidant activation of EGFR (the epidermal growth factor receptor) in the diagram. EGFR switches on mTOR and switches off AMPK. All the red boxes increase oxidant production. All the green boxes either reduce oxidant production or they impact mTOR and AMPK directly. That simple diagram helps you understand why calorie reduction, intermittent fasting, exercise, stopping smoking, lisinopril, losartan, statins, metformin, spironolactone, and SGLT2 inhibitors like Jardiance all prolong healthy life and reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease or cancer. It is all tied together. It is not only about reducing risk factors, but also about protecting cells and organs. Jardiance was developed for diabetes control, but it dramatically lowers risk of heart failure and kidney disease progression whether the patient is diabetic or not. It works by switching on AMPK.