#34: Hormesis: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You… Live Longer?

If you thought diving into a pool of ice-cold water was a terrible idea then boy, I’ve got some news for you.

Ever heard of hormesis? Hormesis is essentially: “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” - or rather “what doesn’t kill you makes you live longer.”

Bear with me.

It’s All About Putting Your Body In A Perceived State Of Adversity

This ‘state of adversity’ may sound as though you need to fight off some grizzly bears or trail the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. But it’s not the case.

To be quite honest, you don’t actually have to damage your body. You only need to convince it, at least, that some shit is about to go down.

Hunger, exercise and stressful environments (like jumping in ice-cold water) are all great ways of inducing this ‘perceived state of adversity’. In doing so, you will trigger longevity genes to ‘switch on’ and protect the body.

The philosophy behind environmental hormesis was very aptly explained by Dr David Sinclair during an interview with renowned cardiologist - Dr Steven Gundry.

“Hormesis Activates Longevity Pathways” - Sinclair

Longevity genes are ‘switched on’ in harsh times. And many of these genes are known to produce sirtuin enzymes.

Sirtuin enzymes are legendary protectors of the body. They safeguard cell identity, boost mitochondrial efficiency and repair the body (the DNA, in particular).

Hormesis activates genes that produce these enzymes. Now the only question is, how can we get our bodies to ‘think’ they are in a state of danger?

How Can We Trigger Hormesis?

A good old-fashioned training session is my personal favourite. Especially if you’re doing something like martial arts training. What screams ‘adversity’ more than one-on-one sparring?

There are other things you could do. One popular way you could induce hormesis is by eating less often. Now that doesn’t mean you should go and starve yourself. But maybe eating six meals per day is a tad much.

In his interview, Sinclair referenced a colleague who performed a study that had him give 10,000 mice diets of varying carbohydrate, fat and protein ratios. Remarkably, the mice that lived the longest were the ones who had access to food for only two hours per day.

I guess maybe it really isn’t just what you eat, but when you eat, too.

Sitting in the sauna and mixing it up by jumping into cold water after is another way to trigger this stress. Extreme environments are famous for inducing a state of hormesis.

Did You Know That Eating ‘Stressed Plants’ Can Also Help?

Resveratrol was termed as a xenohormetic molecule because any time humans consumed it, it offered protection through various mechanisms.

When plants are ‘stressed’ they make resveratrol and other molecules like it. And what these molecules do, is truly remarkable.

It has been proposed that when humans eat plants producing these nutrients, our body begins to ‘think’ that our food supply is running out. So eating foods high in resveratrol can ‘simulate’ an environment of dieting, if not also exercising.

Gundry, whose company produces an extra virgin olive oil that boasts up to thirty times more polyphenols than conventional olive oils, was in full agreement of this philosophy.

“Great wines come from vines that are stressed. They’re planted in rocks, under water, and face considerable competition. So who says you can’t do this with olive oil?'“ he said.

Sitting around all day and eating crap foods are sure ways to water down our bodily defenses and miss out on the advantages wrought by hormesis. Unfortunately, this is a lifestyle cherished by around three quarters of those around us.

Maybe one of the ways we could extend our lifespan is to give our bodies the odd challenge.