‘There’s No Silver Bullet’: The Longevity Lie A Doctor Wants You To Stop Believing

Longevity is the buzzword of the moment, it seems; everyone from millionaires to the Vatican appears to be obsessed with learning the secrets of living longer.

Still, while some of the advice is attention-grabbing, expert after expert seems to swear by the same basic rules. Eating well, getting enough high-quality sleep as possible, staying social, and exercising are all backed by research.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that former Embarrassing Bodies host Dr Dawn Harper, an author, GP, and health and wellbeing ambassador for Rangeford Villages, says there’s a whole genre of longevity advice she never listens to.

The doctor doesn’t like talk of “superfoods”

“I am a firm believer that there is no one single silver bullet that will enhance your chances of living a long and healthy life,” Dr Harper tells HuffPost UK.

“So when I read claims that a single ‘super food’ will achieve just that, I tend to glaze over.”

The doctor’s own approach to eating well is far less limited than just sticking to the fruits and veggies of the moment, she adds.

“At home, we adhere to a plant-based diet, thinking of the protein on our plates as the side dish and the vegetables as the main event and we try to eat a rainbow,” the doctor shares.

The British Heart Foundation is even tougher on the term.

Calling “super foods” a “myth,” the foundation bluntly states; “Superfood is a marketing term created to help sell products.”

UK legislation even restricts the term from appearing on food packets because of how misleading it can be for customers.

There may not even be one “super” diet

Some say the Mediterranean diet is key for a longer life; others swear by an Okinawan eating style.

But Harvard professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Dr Frank Hu, says “eating healthy doesn’t mean following a rigid formula.”

The more important thing is to find the whole foods you enjoy, try to cut down on the amount of processed foods you eat, and enjoy more fruits, veggies, and nuts, the expert advises.

The way to “actually improve their enjoyment and also long-term adherence to dietary patterns,” Hu said, is to “be more flexible and enjoy the healthy diet.”