Dr. Eric Villegas, who is 68 years old, is such a scientist. Besides researching how to enable humans to age more healthily, he has also managed to keep his biological age between 48 and 53 through his own lifestyle practices.
Dr. Wilding is the CEO and Director of the Buck Institute, which focuses on aging research.
Over the past 10 years, he has been monitoring his health condition by using wearable devices such as smartwatches, conducting blood tests quarterly, and managing his physical condition based on the results. Currently, in order to extend the duration of intermittent fasting, he is eating dinner earlier than before.
He introduced dietary methods conducive to longevity and the three kinds of food that he tries to avoid as much as possible.
▎Recommend the Mediterranean diet approach
This diet has been rated as the healthiest diet by the US magazine 《US News & World Report 》for eight consecutive years.
Dr. Vildin stated that multiple studies have confirmed that the appropriate and balanced intake of complex carbohydrates (such as sweet potatoes), fats and proteins is of vital importance to health.
The Mediterranean diet is based on the intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish and other sources of low-fat protein.
▎ Avoidable foods:
1、 ultra-processed foods
Dr. Velling followed the advice of the food writer Michael Pollan and believed that one should not eat the food sold in fast food restaurants, nor the food namely "ultra-processed food".
Although the definition of ultra-processed foods is not yet unified, it is generally believed that ultra-processed foods are those made with uncommon materials or by uncommon methods in the home kitchen. Such foods often have low fiber content but contain large amounts of fat, sugar and salt. Studies have shown that this combination makes people feel "exceptionally delicious", leading to overeating.
Although the impact of ultra-processed foods on our health is not yet fully clarified, recent studies have shown that excessive intake of these foods is associated with 32 kinds of health problems such as obesity, cancer and depression.
2、 Juice
Dr. Vildin suggests eating more fruits but does not recommend drinking fruit juice. This is because fruit juice contains a high amount of sugar.
During the process of making juice, the fibrous parts of the fruits are removed. This enables people to consume the amount of juice from multiple fruits at one go, which is something that cannot be achieved when eating the fruits directly.
Consuming foods or beverages containing sugar can cause a sharp increase in blood sugar levels. To regulate blood sugar, the pancreas needs to secrete more insulin. If the situation of a sharp increase in blood sugar occurs repeatedly, the production of insulin may eventually fail to keep up, which may lead to insulin resistance, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Vildin explained that fibers not only help maintain intestinal health, but also delay the absorption of sugar, thereby preventing a sharp rise in blood sugar. "
By eating one orange, the absorption of sugar will be much slower. As a result, the body can cope with it well."
3、 Alcohol
Dr. Vildin used to be a wine enthusiast. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to try the "One Month Abstinence from Alcohol" program. As a result, he found that after giving up alcohol, he not only became energetic but also improved his sleep quality.
Since then, he has never resumed the habit of drinking alcohol.
In January 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated: "There is no safe level of alcohol intake that enables humans to stay healthy."
Furthermore, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General of the United States, released a recommendation in January 2025, drawing attention to the association between alcohol and cancer.
In the United States, alcohol consumption ranks as the third leading cause of preventable cancer after smoking and obesity.
Therefore, this recommendation calls for warning labels to be placed on alcoholic beverages.
Dr. Vildin has proved through his own experience that the speed of aging is not solely determined by genes. By adopting a scientific diet, precise monitoring and continuous self-discipline, everyone can become the "master" of their own healthy age.
Starting from today, every choice you make might be reshaping your future self.
