Monday, 27 September 2021

What is the healthiest diet?


Sleiman al- Mal from Lebanon is a man claimed to be over 125 year old.  He walks over 2 miles every day, cooks, cuts wood and keeps busy.  He is also a smoker and has been smoking for over 80 years.  Sleiman attributes his success to his magic tea that he drinks every day. He makes the tea himself using these four ingredients that he claims can bring a dead man to life.  The five ingredients include – Carob, Thyme, Quinoa, Anise.  He also believes that physical activity, proper rest and a healthy diet help increase one’s life span.  Sleiman swears by pure olive oil, honey and goat ghee that he considers an elixir for good health and long life.

Jeanne Calment, 122, cycled and was active in fencing until age 100.  She rose at 6:45am - prayers / calisthenics, quit smoking at 117, glass of port at night (or wine), diet rich in olive oil, was a noted chocoholic.  She also credited her long life to laughing frequently, smearing olive oil on her skin, and eating a kilo of chocolate per week.

Magomed Labazanov, 122, sawmill worker, passed away in 2012, recommended wild garlic.

Dharampal Singh Gudha, 119, from Meerut in India, athlete, although there is a major controversy happening regarding his real age.  His secret to a long and healthy life?  Avoiding fats, sugar and caffeine, drinking cow's milk, having herbal chutney and eating fresh seasonal fruits.

Sarah Knauss, who died at age 119 in 1999.  "She's a very tranquil person and nothing fazes her," Knauss' daughter said of her.  "That's why she's living this long." 

Chiyo Miyako was the resident of Yokohama, Japan, who lived up to 117 years.  Chiyo credited her longevity to eating eel, drinking red wine, and never smoking.

Nabi Tajima, Japanese, lived for 117 years.  According to Nabi, her longevity was due to sleeping soundly and eating delicious foods.  She mostly eats ramen noodles and rice mackerel sushi.

Emma Morano died at the age of 117 in Italy on 15th April 2017.  In one of her interviews, she revealed that the secret to her longevity is eating three eggs every day - two of them being raw along with some raw minced meat.  She is said to have followed the same diet for 90 years, consisting of fresh pasta, a dish of raw meat, and three eggs per day.  She also drank a glass of homemade grappa, and ate chocolates.  She also thought positively about the future and always tried to stay worry-free.

Violet Moss Brown of Jamaica at the age of 117 years, her diet included lots of fish, mutton and locally-grown produce like sweet potatoes, oranges and mangoes.  "When people ask what I eat and drink to live so long, I say to them that I eat everything, except pork and chicken, and I don't drink rum and dem tings."

Jiroemon Kimura was a resident of Kyōtango, Japan who lived till the age of 116 years.  Kimura attributes his robust health to eating following the ‘hari hachi bu’ style of eating taught by Confucius, that instructs people to eat until they are 80% full.  In other words, you stop eating before your hunger is completed satiated.  In addition, he also followed a habit of going for long walks early in the morning after waking up.

Fredie Blom, 116, regular smoker, labourer, walking, cycling, dancing, meat every meal (favourites include sheep heads and chicken), lot of veg, gave up alcohol, retired in his 80s.  Blom offered one reason for his remarkable health: "There's only one thing - it's the man above [God]. He's got all the power.  I have nothing.  I can drop over any time but He holds me," he said. 

Jiroemon Kimura, who died at the age of 116 in 2013.  His personal motto was "eat light to live long," owing to the Confucian practice of "hara hachi bu," meaning to eat only until one is 80% full.

Susannah Mushatt Jones passed away at the age of 116 years in 2016.  She attributed her longevity to a breakfast of four pieces of bacon and eggs every morning.  She relied on four strips of bacon along with scrambled eggs and grits every morning for breakfast.  Like other supercentenarians, she also took minimal medications even in old age, only consuming a multivitamin and one pill for her blood pressure.

A Tennessean suffragette born in 1896, Besse Cooper died in 2012 at age of 116.  She attributed her long life to "minding her own business and not eating junk food".

Weaver Was from Arkansas, USA lived till 116 years.  Weaver credits her long life to, “Trusting in the Lord, hard work and loving everybody.”

Antonio Gerena Rivera was a resident of Florida, United States who lived till the age of 115 years.  According to her family, Rivera’s secret to a long life was the family genes and regular brandy drinking until she was 110.

Christian Mortenson, 115, "Friends, a good cigar, drinking lots of good water, no alcohol, staying positive and lots of singing will keep you alive for a long time".

Susan Elizabeth Gibson was a resident of Alabama, United States who lived till 115 years.  She credited her longevity to eating pickles, vinegar, avoiding medicine, and doing things that she enjoyed.

Van Andel-Schipper, 115, herring every day and orange juice. "Don't smoke and don't drink too much alcohol.  Just a small advocaat with cream on Sundays and holidays.  And you must remain active, positive attitude, 'no point in moaning'.

Puerto Rican Emiliano Mercadeo del Toro died in 2007 at the age of 115.  Mercado credited his long life to his sense of humor and a diet heavy in funche - a creamy island dish made from cornmeal, butter, and milk.  Funche is a Puerto Rican dish made from cornmeal, milk and butter and served with codfish stew.  He consumed funche every day as a habit.  Mercado also claimed that his sense of humor was probably responsible for his long life, and he would tell jokes and humorous anecdotes almost to the end of his days.

Before her death in 2015 at the age of 115, Massachusetts resident and supercentenarian Bernice Madigan told anyone who asked the simple recipe for her extraordinary longevity: no children, no stress, and a daily spoonful of honey. 

Walter Breuning, a resident of Montana, United States lived up to 114 years.  In an interview taken when he was 110, Walter says the secret to a long life is to 'keep your mind and body moving all the timek.  In other words, plenty of physical activity for the body and mental activity for the mind.  Walter performed daily calisthenics almost till the end and kept himself occupied mentally by listening to the radio.  Interestingly, Walter dressed in a suit and tie every single day!

Bernando Lapallo, 114, credited his long life to a number of things including his motto: 'moderation and obedience' and 'keep the colon clean'.  He once said his diet was fruit, vegetables and fish.  It included no red meat, greens every day, oats, fish 2 or 3 times a week, barley, rice, black beans, blueberries, veg, fruit, extra virgin olive oil, cinnamon, chocolate, honey, garlic, lamb once a year, cream (made from cow's milk) with oats in the morning and a green smoothie, Bible-reading, walk 2 miles a day ( he says he didn't eat chicken or dairy, but then elsewhere it says he had occasional chicken and put cream (made from cow's milk) on his oats).  He believed in the therapeutic properties of olive oil and used to rub his whole body with olive oil after a shower in the morning and used it as ointment.  Had peanut butter on a piece of wholewheat toast every day.  For snacks for guests he kept some nuts on hand.  Recommended 2 glasses of vegetable juice a day.

Delphine Gibson, a resident of Pennsylvania, United States, who lived till 114 years.  Delphine credited her long life to good food, her faith in God, and her church.

Adele Dunlap passed away on 5 February 2017 at the age of 114.  She loved to eat everything, also very fond of oatmeal.

Atlanta pediatrician Dr. Leila Denmark lived to 114 years old before dying in April 2012, retiring from her work only 11 years before, at the age of 103. Her advice on achieving such longevity was simple: "Most of all, you have to love what you're doing.  Anything you have to do is work.  Anything you love to do is play." 

Brazilian Maria Gomes Valentim da Silva, who was born in 1896 and lived to the age of 114, said her secret to a long life was looking after herself before others, plus sticking to a breakfast of fruit, coffee, and bread.

Dominga Velasco was a Mexican-American super centenarian who lived in Oakland, California who lived for 114 years.  When asked about her key to aging well, she said, “Be happy”.

Adelina Domingues of San Diego lived to become the oldest living person in the U.S. before her death at age 114 in 2002.  Among her most frequently dispensed pieces of advice for women wishing to emulate her longevity was to refrain from wearing makeup or going to beauty shops and to avoid dating.

Mississippi Winn became the oldest living African-American until her time came too, in 2011, shortly before her 114th birthday.  She avoided dairy products and took one aspirin and vitamin per day, and though she didn't offer any one "secret" for longevity like others on this list, she shared some things in common with them, like being unmarried and, by all accounts, an upbeat person who avoided getting upset and instead "took things as they'd come."

Cora Hansen was an American-born Canadian super-centenarian who lived up to 113 years.  She credited her longevity to good genes, regular walks and a lifestyle that avoided cigarettes and alcohol.

Frederick Harold was a resident of New York who lived up to 113 years.  He credited his long life and health to eating bee pollen and honey every day, along with the occasional nip of whiskey.  He also said that bee pollen and honey kept him fit and free from arthritis.

Goldie Michelson was a Jewish Russian-American super-centenarian who was a resident of Massachusetts, United States.  She lived up to 113 years.  Goldie credits her long life to taking long walks on a daily basis.  In her own words, “I was a great walker – four or five miles every morning, weather permitting.  I never used a car if I could walk.  One of the great joys of life was when I sold my car.”

Masazo Nonaka of Japan died in 2019 at age 113.  Nonaka credited eating sweets and soaking in his family's hot springs on the island of Hokkaido for his long life.  His daughter, in contrast, said it was because he lived without undue stress.

Grace Jones of Bermondsey, 113, is quoted as preferring "good, English food, never anything frozen" and enjoys a glass of sherry with friends from time to time.  Grace attributes her long life to avoiding stress in life and staying free from negative thinking.  She was also very particular about taking a tot of whiskey mixed with water every night that she believes kept her hale and healthy.  She also eat only fresh foods.

Yisrael Kristal, 113, who is also an Holocaust survivor says he eats pickled herring everyday.  Kristal's daughter explained his habits, "His attitude to life is: Everything in moderation. He eats and sleeps moderately, and says that a person should always be in control of his own life and not have his life control him, as far as this is possible." 

Daisey Bailey was an African-American supercentenarian born in 1896 and who died in 2010 at the age of 113, leaving behind 20 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.  In true grandmotherly fashion, Bailey said her longevity was due to her practices of always praying, loving, forgiving, and eating vegetables.

The villages of Chengmai on China's Hainan island province have one of the highest ratios of residents exceeding 100 years of age, more than 200 out of a total population of 560,000.  In 2013, the great-granddaughter of one such resident named Li Aizhu, born in 1900, said her grandmother's purported secret was eating lots of peanut oil — a good source of vitamin E and antioxidants that can reduce risk factors for heart disease and high blood sugar.

Robert Overton, 112 in 2018, coffee, whiskey, cigars, milk, corn, fish, soup (in the video I can see can's of Campbell's soup on his shelf as well as another brand with chunky veg), ice cream (every day), Church.  Richard believes that being happy, as in doing what feels good, and keeping stress at bay are the keys to a long life.  Stress he believes is the ticket to an early grave.  Overton eats ice-cream every night, smokes fat cigars (although he never inhaled the smoke), 4 cups of coffee and whiskey every day.

Spanish-American Salustiano Sanchez held the title of oldest living man for a time before his death in 2013 at the age of 112.  The Grand Island, New York resident's hobbies included gardening, crossword puzzles, and gin rummy, but he credited his longevity to a regular diet of one banana and one Anacin — a pain reliever of aspirin and caffeine — per day.

On her birthday in 2015, New Jerseyan Agnes Fenton celebrated her 110th year on Earth with a beer — the beverage she claims as one of the keys to her longevity.  Before her death at 112, Fenton said she drank three Miller High Lifes and a shot of Scotch whiskey per day, and also that she makes sure to "keep in touch with God and do the right thing, that's all I know."

Among the oldest men to have ever lived, Benjamin Harrison Holcomb credited his longevity to always eating a big breakfast, though his lack of vices — he never drank — certainly didn't hurt either.  Holcomb died in 2000 at the age of 111.

New York supercentenarian Duranord Veillard, who lived to 111, had his own morning routine consisting of five to seven pushups and a breakfast of oatmeal, fruit, and tea.

Bonita Zigrang of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, died in 2015 at age 110.  Her secret, she said, was "Just being nice to everybody."  Her son agreed, saying "I attribute it to Mother never letting anyone bother her."

Joyce Wooding, a 110-year-old woman said the secret to a long life was "healthy living, outdoor activities and fresh food".  "My father was a farmer and we lived a very healthy life with a lot of homegrown food, our own pigs, hens and a big garden," she said.  "We spent a lot of time outside, not sitting with computers and things like they do today.  We were out most of the time and had a very healthy upbringing with the best of food you could wish for - no takeaways or anything like that."

Ralph Tarrant, 109, smoked until he was 70 and likes a whisky.  His favourite meal is cottage pie.

Scotland resident David Henderson was believed to be the U.K.'s oldest man before his death in 1998 at the age of 109.  According to the BBC, he attributed his longevity to porridge, prunes, and never going to bed on a full stomach.

Scotland's oldest living woman Jessie Gallan passed away in 2015 at age 109, shortly after telling The Times her secret was eating porridge every morning as well as "staying away from men.  They're just more trouble than they're worth." 

Formerly the oldest living active investor before his death in 2015, New Yorker Irving Kahn lived to age 109 and gave a multifaceted answer on his secrets for living longer: "First, you need a nutritious diet, with a lot of vegetables and salads. Second, get plenty of fresh air.  Third, don't drink.  I drink at most one glass of wine every three months.  Fourth, you have to always stay in motion, be open, get to know people from all over the world.  And, fifth, have a lot of interests and learn things that you can't do yet — that keeps you young!"

Fauja Singh, 108, a simple vegetarian diet and eating in moderation, ‘child portions’ or less than half of what an adult would typically eat.  His diet consists of phulka(wheat bread), pulses, green vegetables, yogurt and milk.  He also drinks a lot of water and loves his ginger tea.   He goes to bed early and prays before bedtime to keep his mind free from negative thoughts.  To keep fit, he walks four hours every day, refrains from taking any form of medication and when he does get ill, he lets his body heal by taking enough rest and eating a light meal of porridge and other easy to digest foods.

Before he died in 2019 at age 108, Anthony Mancinelli of Newburgh, New York, held a unique world record — that of world's oldest barber.  "Everybody asks me; even the doctor asks me. He thinks I've got a secret.  I said, 'If I had a secret, I'd have given it to my brothers,'" explained Mancinelli.  "Only one man knows the secret. He says, 'Who's that?' I said, 'The Man above.'"

Olive, 106 - Seventh Day Adventist, soy milk, cycling until age 97, then swapped to 30 minutes on a stationary bike at home every day, mostly vegan in the later part of her life with occasional chicken or fish when going out to eat, avoids sugar and fats (uses Veganaise), doesn't overcook veg, doesn't oversalt, makes her own bread (buys the grain, and grinds her own flour).  Never used coffee or alcohol, no cheese, occasionally eats non-dairy cheese made with soy, won't eat black pepper, vinegar, avoids hot foods, plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, beans, garbanzos, brown rice, soy milk, and whole wheat bread are all nourishing.  "Many believe that in order to gain protein, we need to add meat to the diet but this is not true.  Beans and whole wheat bread, taken together, constitute a complete protein.  Never takes a large meal late at night, doesn't take medication of any kind."

Ruth Gruber was born in 1911, before women had the right to vote, and went on to become a legendary photo-journalist, foreign correspondent, and author before dying at the age of 105.  Her advice to increase one's longevity was true to her journalistic efforts: "never, never, never, never retire." 

Pearl Cantrell of Richland Springs, Texas, died in 2014 at the age of 105, but not before crediting her unusually long life to an unexpected source: bacon. "I love bacon, I eat it everyday," she said.

Before his death at age 105 in 2017, Japanese centenarian Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara was one of the world's longest-serving physicians and published more than a dozen books after his 75th birthday, including one high-seller titled "Living Long, Living Good."  His many tips for staying fit into old age include always planning ahead, sharing what you know, retiring late, always taking the stairs, and drinking orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil every morning.  He said 'Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy'.  For breakfast he had a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil, for lunch he had cookies and glass of milk or nothing at all, for dinner he had fish and rice and veggies, and lean protein twice a week; never retired, stood up giving lectures, climbed stairs 2 at a time.  

Jack Reynolds, a Derbyshire resident, at 105, his secret to long life: Jack credits his long life to drinking whiskey on a daily basis.  Jack has whiskey with his tea in the morning and two shots of Grouse (scotch whiskey) with lemonade at night.  He also believes in hard work and sticking to a routine when it comes to eating and taking rest.

St Anthony, 105, Bread, salt and water, no meat nor wine, ate at most only once a day, and fasted through two or four days.

A veteran of World War II who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr., George Boggess died in 2016 at the age of 104.  He credited his long life to an active lifestyle.  "I attribute my longevity to a great extent to walking," he said, "not being in the back of the car strapped down." 

One of the first successful female entrepreneurs in Dallas, realtor Ebby Halliday died in 2015 at age 104 and echoed some others on her list in explaining her longevity, "Don't drink. Don't retire." 

Chief Tecumseh Deerfoot Cook — who led the Pamunkey Indian Tribe for more than four decades before his death in 2003 at age 103 — offered some more unconventional dietary advice that those wishing to duplicate his longevity might find difficult to follow: "Eat plenty of raccoons and muskrats and drink Pamunkey River Water," he said when asked for his secret, "but lay off the possum."

Dr Elsworth Wareham, 103, Aside from having adopted a whole food plant based vegan diet many years ago, Dr. Wareham mentions keeping a positive, optimistic attitude as one of the secrets for longevity.  Animal products and dairy never really appealed to him.  Suggests that anyone with a cholesterol below 140 and who stays active, something he does by gardening, is very unlikely to develop coronary heart disease.

The last surviving participant of the first U.S. Masters golf tournament in 1934, Samuel Henry Ball, aka Errie, died in 2014 at age 103, attributing his longevity to, "Hav[ing] a good wife.  Plenty of exercise.  Good thoughts.  Minimal drinking but and a couple of Scotches every night."

Ancel Keys, 101, championed the Mediterranean Diet (high in unsaturated fats and full of legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts) 

Another supercentenarian who never worried about ingesting ice cream and other sweets, Paul Marcus was 101 years old when he offered perhaps the most accurate answer for how to live over a century: luck. "One, you gotta have good genes. Two, you gotta be God-damned lucky for 100 years.  And three: Try not to eat anything that's healthy.  It's true.  I eat whatever I want."

A 101 year old was once asked his secret to a long life and he said one spoonful of olive oil in his tea every morning.  He was digging his garden at the time.

A native of Yonkers, New York, Morris Lensky was born in 1911 and died in 2012 at the age of 101.  When asked how he survived so long, Lensky answered simply, "You have to be lucky, but I made the best of things when bad things happened.  I also ate prunes every single day."

Tao Porchon-Lynch, 98, is the oldest yoga instructor in the world.  She is a vegetarian but occasionally eats lobsters and shrimp.  She loves to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and drinks a glass of wine with her food.

Jack Lalanne, 97, fruit and veg, whole wheat toast, fish, lean protein, egg whites, big salads, no butter, brown rice, 2 meals a day, no dairy, no coffee, 10 raw veg and 5 fruit a day, bodybuilder who set records (worked out  2 hours day)

My 84 year old Great Grandmother tells me to walk at least an hour per day and to keep your mind active will help you live a very long life.

Areas in the world where there is a high proportion of centenarians:

Hunza In Pakistan - meat or fish is rare, dairy used sparingly, 80% raw veg, eat breakfast and lunch only, flax and walnuts and apricot seeds, very active life in mountains.

Japanese - seafood, vegetables, soybeans, soy sauce, rice, and miso soup, eat a small quantity of a wide variety of foods, he mentioned eating 30 different kinds of food a week.

Tarahumara runners - mostly eat beans, maize, squash, and other greens.  Eat freshwater fish and chicken (less than 5% of their diet).  Run up and down hills and mountains, always in motion, annual festival is a running event. 

Blue Zone centenarians in Okinawa, eat something from the land and something from the sea every day - 15-20% fish, fruit and veg, sweet potatoes, seaweed, bitter melons, tofu, garlic, brown rice, green tea, and shiitake mushrooms.

Blue Zone centenarians in Sardinia - The Italian island of Sardinia is one of five "Blue Zones," or regions identified as having the world's highest concentrations of centenarians, and thus there have been numerous efforts to document what aspects of the local culture contribute to this trend of longevity.  Residents credited their clean air and locally produced wine, while researchers found living past age 100 was most highly correlated with pastoralism, or shepherding livestock — a lifestyle associated with high consumption of goat's milk and sheep's cheese, about 15 pounds per year.

Blue Zone centenarians in Ikaria - plant-based Mediterranean-style diet, avoid anything processed, Meat on rare occasions and moderately, instead they eat wild fish and seafood, Mainly consume vegetables and legumes on a daily basis, some extra virgin olive oil, Lunch typically beans, potatoes, greens, seasonal vegetables, One or two glasses of wine, Tend a garden daily, A breakfast of goat’s milk, wine, sage tea or coffee, honey and bread, Lunch almost always beans (lentils, garbanzos), potatoes, greens (fennel, dandelion or a spinachlike green called horta) and whatever seasonal vegetables their garden produced; Dinner was bread and goat’s milk. At Christmas and Easter, they would slaughter the family pig and enjoy small portions of larded pork for the next several months.

Blue Zone centenarians in Nicoya - The traditional diet on the Nicoya Peninsula consists of black beans, bananas, plantains, papaya, squash, pejibaje, yams, and homemade corn tortillas.  Nicoyans eat black beans pretty much every single day and they are often paired with white rice.  Compared to other blue zones, their diet includes the most meat (mainly chicken and pork), eggs (mostly fried) and corn (mainly tortillas).  And they eat more fruit.  Do not use nutritional supplements.  Gianni Pes, an epidemiologist, believes that steep streets, zeal for family, reverence for elders, a matriarchal culture in which women bear most of the family stress, and a simple traditional diet explain much of this longevity.  

Blue Zone centenarians in Loma Lindi - Loma Linda is a community of Seventh Day Adventists, which means in addition to avoiding smoking, drinking and media, the religious population follows what they call a “Biblical diet.”  Those who follow this diet live, on average, 10 years longer than those who don’t.  The diet relies on grains (such as oatmeal and whole wheat bread), nuts, fruits such as avocados, dates, and figs and vegetables.  They skip anything with added sugar and drink only water or soy milk.  While many folks in Loma Linda follow a vegan diet, some of them eat small amounts of meat and fish, like salmon.  The ones who do include fish live longer than the vegans.

On the Blue Zones, Dan Buettner writes:  I’ve examined dietary surveys of each region and inventoried their foods of the past century.  Until the late 20th century, these diets consisted almost entirely of minimally processed plant-based foods—mostly whole grains, greens, nuts, tubers, and beans.  People ate meat on average only five times a month.  They drank mostly water, herbal teas, coffee, and some wine.  Notably, they drank little or no cow’s milk; soda pop was largely unknown to them.  A healthy diet is just one part of a web of longevity-promoting factors that also include having a circle of lifelong friends, a sense of purpose, an environment that nudges one into constant movement, and daily rituals that mitigate stress.

Diet of a gymnast (according to USA Gymnastics):  recommended to eat fruit, veg, water, lean protein.  About 5-8g of carb for kg of body weight (otherwise will be chronically fatigued and performance will suffer).  The ideal diet for a gymnast is one that contains at least 2,000 calories and is low in fat, high in complex carbohydrates and high in fiber.  Carbs should make up about 60-70% of total caloric intake, protein 10-20%, fats 25-30%.  Carbs are food energy, fuel for muscles, which includes fruit, veg, legumes and whole grains.  Protein helps muscles recover and repair and can be animal or plant sources (quinoa is classed as a protein).  Sources of healthy fats include nuts and nut butters, avocados, walnuts, almonds, tuna, salmon, and food cooked in olive oil.


Common themes:

Olive oil (a spoonful a day), milk, fresh fruit & vegetables, oatmeal, corn, barley, whole wheat bread, beans, some fish, lean protein, meat, bacon, eggs,

Some vegans do live into their 100s but Dan Buettner notes that in Loma Lindi those that add some fish to their diet live longer than the pure vegans.

Avoid sugar.  

Avoid alcohol, or drink in moderation.

Avoid stress.

2 meals a day, not over-eating, not going to bed on full stomach, moderation.

Belief in God, going to Church, prayers, forgiving attitude, loving everybody.

Keep moving - gardening, calisthenics, cycling, walking, driving, dancing, retire in 80s or not at all.

Keep mind active.

Laughter.


Fat v Sugar

Ancel Keys was the person who pushed fat as the cause of heart disease (based on his Seven Countries Study), but some argue that he cherry-picked countries, and ignored the role of sugar which may have a significant factor in the cause of heart disease.  The role of sugar and added sugar in heart disease was put forward by John Yudkin but he was bullied out of the field by Ancel Keys likely because it was a competing theory that Keys didn't want to succeed.

Other comments about Olive Oil:

I have used 3 Tablespoons every morning with a big breakfast for 16 months.  I have lost the weight I needed to loose even eating anything I want and my mind has improved.  Also my Cholesterol is perfect according to my Doctor, the first time in my whole life.  LDL is 100 and ratio is 1.  Generally I feel more energetic and able to get work done on my computer that I was slacking on before.  This with being 88 years old.  I feel like I have a long life to live.

I’ve been using extra-virgin olive oil for 25 years it works like magic all my friends are dying and I’m still here at 90.

I have been having a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for 3 and 1/2 months, every morning.  This has helped my IBS and my joint pain so much!  Everyone should take this.  It is not too late to start now!

Since a child, I’ve been told to take a spoon of olive oil a day. This remedy is practiced in Mediterranean and Hispanic cultures. 

I take every morning 1.5 tablespoon and put it it my oatmeal porridge for more than 10 years now. 


source: mostly the internet: