07 Jun
Flourish, Wise Gurus

WWB Wise Guru Q&A Series: Join the Younger Youniverse and Age Backwards with Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, Author of Younger You, Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better

 

I am very excited to present my next WWB Wise Guru Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, and explore her new book YOUNGER YOU-Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better with her. When you pick up the book and peruse the back jacket you will find praises from top doctors in functional medicine and leading scientist in the field of nutrigenomics. Here’s why…

AGING BACKWARD?

The reason this book is so respected by the top experts is it is backed by solid clinical research. Additionally, Dr. Fitzgerald has found a way to take her complex epigenetics research and make it accessible to a mainstream audience. The cherry on top is she includes an actionable prescriptive longevity program to support your genes and aging backward. Got your attention there I bet! Aging backward sounds a little science fiction, doesn’t it? But don’t be intimidated, and just think of YOUNGER YOU as a longevity health program backed by solid science.


FINE TUNING YOUR OWN GENES

Through her groundbreaking research Dr. Fitzgerald has unlocked the proof that we can slow down the aging of our bodies through specific lifestyle intervention. How do we do this? Her study and clinical research points to supporting our epigenetic patterns ( how our genes are expressed or not) via a finely tuned diet and healthy lifestyle behaviors. You might be thinking, “oh no not another diet” but hang on because Dr. Fitzgerald has done her best to show you how to partner her longevity program with other diets ( vegan, paleo etc) you may be currently following.

YOUR BIO-INDIVIDUALITY MATTERS

Since 2012, I have stood by my belief that we are all bio-individuals. My consistent mantra at WWB has always been ‘no one can live your life as well as you’. Over the years I have worked hard at curating and presenting authors and experts who are advancing wellness culture, and are committed to educating you on how to cultivate your own wellness wisdom and lifestyle. I’ve always encouraged you to glean and synthesize, because not every wellness prescription or diet is going to be totally right for you. Part of cultivating wellness wisdom is practicing discernment, and honoring our own bio-individuality. I love that Dr. Fitzgerald respects bio-individuality and offers options so you can can benefit from her respected longevity program.

                                                 The Nutrigenomics Game Changer

Whether you adopt the full program she recommends or not, Dr. Fitzgerald will help you understand the importance of nutrigenomics and  how you can age backwards with the power of precision nutrition and simple lifestyle habits. If you could age healthy, wouldn’t you want to live longer? I think we all can say yes to that question! YOUNGER YOU will be your secret weapon against unnecessary suffering, unnecessary meds, and unnecessary procedures. Don’t wait around for a magic pill, live life well now and reduce your bio-age!

 

NOTE: Dr. Kara Fitzgerald is a Naturopathic physician and if you would like to learn more about her training, you can visit the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges website for more information. The link I have provided illustrates and compares the differences between NPs, MDs, DO’s and NPs. Dr. Fitzgerald is also a trained IFM Certified Practitioner.  If you are also just learning about Functional Medicine I invite you to visit the IFM institute’s website and learn more. Put simply, Functional Medicine determines how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root causes of disease. Many of the authors I have featured here at World Wise Beauty are Integrative and Functional Medicine physicians.

 

 

Laura Connolly, Founder of World Wise Beauty

 

 

Lauroly Q- Thank you Dr. Fitzgerald for writing such a comprehensive science backed guide to living well and aging backward. You refer to yourself as a holistic/physician/lab geek, but you did distill the science very well. In the first half of YOUNGER YOU, you laid out the foundation of your research carefully so we can follow your excellent program! Hopefully my overview got everyone on the same page, so we can dive into the key takeaways of your book. Let’s start with the main concepts of your book, which discuss bio-age and DNA demethylation. Can you share what these words mean in the world of longevity epigenetics?

Dr. Kara Fitzgerald: Sure! Epigenetics is the science of gene regulation. That is, how our bodies turn genes on and off. DNA methylation is a key way our body actually enacts this process (when methyl groups- a carbon with three hydrogens– are placed on a gene, that gene is generally off, conversely when methyl groups are not present on a gene, that gene can be turned on) Turns out that this area- which genes we are turning on and off– makes a bigger difference than what genes we actually have. This is revolutionary. We used to think that our genes were our fate- ie, dictated whether we’d be healthy and live long or not- now we know that it’s how our genes are regulated that is primary. And here- in the world of epigenetics- we have lots and lots of say. How well we live really does dictate how long we will live. We want healthy, happy genes on (ie, genes that limit inflammation, maintain good muscle, associated with optimal brain function, protect us from cancer – and on and on- we want these genes ON and genes that can promote illness to be turned OFF as much as possible) Longevity epigenetics- we could say that this term has to do with studying optimal patterns of gene expression associated with living a long and healthy life.

Lauroly Q- You emphasize in the book that one of the most important things to understand is age is the single biggest risk factor for every chronic disease. You say in the book “unfortunately with every passing year the door to disease opens wider”. Someone might think “oh I’m old therefore I will have these illnesses.” I took your statement as the aging process makes us more vulnerable in general to all disease. Can you offer more context into how optimizing epigenetic patterns may prevent disease and slow down your gene’s triggers from the aging process? Your book title tagline is ‘reducing your bio-age and living longer, better’ No promises of immortality but definitely a proposition we are all willing to consider!

Dr.Kara Fitzgerald: Our study showed that our diet and lifestyle program changed epigenetic patterns (specifically DNA methylation) towards something more youthful (specifically, our study participants reduced their biological age by over 3 years as compared to controls in only 8 WEEKS!). Research conducted at the lab of David Sinclair out of Harvard shows that aging actually starts with disordered epigenetic patterns, and reversing these epigenetic patterns restores youth. Thus, the root cause of aging starts with epigenetic changes. While our program won’t lead to immortality, it does help restore some youthful patterns to the epigenome. This is a first of its kind finding.

Lauroly Q- One of the things I love in your book YOUNGER YOU is your constant reminders throughout that diet alone won’t impact your biological age. It’s the synergy of lifestyle factors that really add up to slowing down aging and avoiding illness, right?

Dr. Kara Fitzgerald: Yes, the full program is what works: eating well, sleeping well, some exercise, stress reduction/meditation. All SO, SO, important. All of these pieces influence epigenetic expression towards something more healthful and youthful, something that has the chance to reduce risk of chronic diseases like cancer and enable us to live longer, better. Our study specifically looked at DNA methylation to measure these changes, a cornerstone epigenetic process.                   

Lauroly Closing: What a pleasure it has been to feature YOUNGER YOU and your groundbreaking research. I should mention here that the second half of your book is dedicated to your diet program and excellent nutrition longevity education. Thank you for sharing your longevity expertise and presenting a better itinerary for the aging journey. It’s exciting to be alive and getting older as we explore 21st century medicine with you. I encourage everyone to read this book and follow Dr. Fitzgerald on your social channel of choice, as she is always sharing wellness wisdom. She’s a true wellness passioneer. More please!

Dr. Kara Fitzgerald Closing: Thank you so much, Laura! I am thrilled to be a featured expert. I think the take home message is that WE CAN DO THIS! You don’t need to understand all the science, but do know that YOU can, by the choices you make every day, direct your gene expression towards something that enables vibrant health for your lifetime! Your genes are not your fate!