But how can it be explained? Our health, and therefore our longevity, depend on the speed with which our organism is able to return to a state of balance (what we call homeostasis) after undergoing any sort of change or stress. This return to equilibrium requires the triggering of thousands of chemical reactions in a matter of seconds. In order to accomplish this, our organism uses specific proteins, called enzymes, which will initiate, catalyze or repress certain chemical reactions depending on the situation. Our organism will acquire these proteins by activating certain genes which will in turn order their production. This is where our diet matters: it will influence the activation of certain genes and the repression of others depending on the specific demands for homeostasis.

Our diet influences our gene expression, and therefore our health and our longevity. Having a healthy and balanced diet is a necessary precondition to having a long life. Avoiding fast carbs, with high glycemic indexes, is by far the highest priority: sugar is a serial killer, and we must learn not to get anywhere near it. The second priority is fighting silent inflammation, another serial killer, but far more insidious than sugar. You will need to hunt out all pro-inflammatory foods, and favor anti-inflammatory foods. The third priority is to avoid foods which cause chronic illnesses and cancer and to favor foods which protect us from these diseases: less fat, less salt, less red meat, more fruits and vegetables, more fish, more spices.