Growing Younger With The Years. Part 4

Several more years of research on this question convinced us of the value of an ideal combination of: (a) low-fat, high-protein diet, (b) large amounts of Vitamin-B complex together with lipotropic (fat-preventing) agents such as choloine, betaine, and inositol (all members of the vitamin B complex) and (c) nutritional supplements such as liver extract, lecithin, and Brewer's yeast. Since it was now apparent to all medical scientists that the vast majority of the population was already afflicted with atherosclerosis by the time age 50 or 60 was reached, it was clear why this condition ranked first now as the cause of death and illness in the United States. What was not so clear, however, to most investigators and physicians was that atherosclerosis, or the "aging process" as it has so often been called, was responsible for the remarkable prevalence of premature old age, or "getting older." And what was equally important was the incredibly widespread symptoms in those who were past 50 or 60 of fatigue, lack of energy and vitality, nervousness and depression - not to mention a multitude of digestive tract, circulatory, mental, and other disturbances that stemmed from the combination of atherosclerosis and chronic nutritional deficiencies.

To put these realities to the "acid" test, my co-workers and I selected from our hospital research service 102 cases of generalized atherosclerosis and divided them into two main groups. Cases in one group of 40 patients included mostly individuals who had proven atherosclerosis of the brain, heart, and other organs. This group was given the combination of diet, massive amounts of vitamins and nutritional supplements as just described and as outlined in Chapter 5 ("Lecithin and Food Supplements"). Another and identical "control" group of 40 patients, having the same atherosclerotic conditions, was observed for comparison. This group received no dietary or nutritional treatment. Both groups had equal representation of men and women. Their ages also were comparable and ranged from 38 to 80 years. The average age for both groups, however, was 60. This is an ideal age from an investigative point of view, because clinically this age seems to be the one most widely associated with the Symptoms of so-called "aging," as previously described. At the end of one year, we published the results in the December 1953 issue of Geriatrics,] the official journal of the American Geriatric Association. (Gentries is the medical term describing the field of medicine devoted to the health and care of the elderly.) Our findings were as follows:

1. Twenty-five per cent of the group of 40 atherosclerosis cases not treated by our diet and nutritional program had died of complications from Atherosclerosis, mostly in the heart, brain, and kidneys.
2. There were no deaths in the group of 40 cases of athero sclerosis who adhered strictly to the intensive treatment of the diet and massive vitamin-nutritional supplements.
3. What was equally striking in the treated group was the im provement constantly noted in well-being, high spirits, in creased ability to work, to concentrate, and the remarkable vitality that most patients felt. Typical remarks, volun teered by patients after a few months on the treatment pro gram, were: "I feel like I have a new lease on life," "Never felt better in my life," "Doctor, I feel like a million," "It was like charging a rundown battery."
4. The proof that these remarkable improvements were not psychological was also found in comprehensive biochemi cal analyses that my colleagues and I carried out in all these cases. The blood fats and cholesterol levels in the treated series of patients decreased; from a previous, pre-treatment, slightly abnormal level, they developed into ideal blood biochemical levels at the end of a year. The protective phospho-lipids and lipo-proteins rose to very high, ideal levels. Some cases even showed remarkable improvement in their electrocardiograms (the electrical tracings made by a special instrument to measure the health and action of the heart).
5. As our published findings stated at the time, these clinical, chemical, and instrumental findings "indicate arrest or regression of the process of atherosclerosis in the arteries." This was a careful, scientific way of stating that "the evidence indicates that the aging process in the arteries can be stopped or that the arteries may be actually improved and restored to a healthier state." In still other words, it is apparently not beyond the realm of possibility to create a rejuvenating process or a return to a healthier, younger state in the body by adhering to the dietary, nutritional program recommended in this book.

One delightful example among these cases was Professor L., aged 70. A widower, he had taught at universities for a lifetime, was retired, inactive, depressed, and extremely unhappy. He could not work for long without feeling exhausted; his powers of concentration seemed to have gone, he was constantly tired and dispirited. To top it all, he suffered continuously from "indigestion," which he attributed to his own housekeeping, cooking or eating out in restaurants. Thorough examinations and X-ray studies revealed that there was no physical or organic disease present, other than the usual amount of atherosclerosis to be found in a man of his years. He then agreed to follow faithfully our dietary-nutritional program as previously described. Within a month there was already a surprising change. But after three months, his improvement was really remarkable. Gone were all the digestive symptoms. Professor L. literally bounced into the office, the picture of vitality and youthful vigor. He complained he had so much energy he just had to release it, or he felt he would explode! "Doctor," he said, "I simply must go hack to teaching again, I feel so wonderful. Would you please help me fill out these physical examination forms so I can get 'medical clearance'? I did so with pleasure and wished him good luck. A little later he secured a position in a private school. Imagine my surprise and delight when he came to my office smilingly several months later. With him was a charming, matronly widow. They had come in for their Wasserman tests, as required by the law in the State of California for pre-marriage certificates. They were leaving soon for their honeymoon! Apparently it's not only never too late to feel young, but it's also never too late to act and be young!

We all know that when you have such a sense of well-being and feel young, your whole attitude towards life is younger and fresher. One's entire philosophy can change to a more youthful, optimistic one, in place of the stagnating and defeatist attitude that so many older people have. When you feel young, you act young; you want to do youthful things and you think young. This feeling and philosophy of life prevents many mental and bodily ills that are especially apt to afflict elderly people. In this way can you maintain health, vigor, and happiness with the advancing years. It has been said that "There is really no cure for old age; only those who die young escape it." But the low-fat nutritional way of life can really help you "Grow Younger With the Years."