Speaker 1:
Welcome to The Dr. Gundry Podcast, where Dr. Steven Gundry shares his groundbreaking research from over 25 years of treating patients with diet and lifestyle changes alone. Dr. Gundry and other wellness experts offer inspiring stories, the latest scientific advancements and practical tips to empower you to take control of your health and live a long, happy life.
Steven Gundry:
Did you know that nearly one in four adults worldwide report feeling lonely? Loneliness is a silent epidemic, and it’s doing more than just making us feel down. It’s actually shortening our lifespans. In fact, the health risks of loneliness are comparable to smoking or obesity. But here’s the good news. If you’re feeling disconnected, you’re not alone, and there are powerful ways to turn things around. That’s exactly what we’re diving into in this special episode. What’s even more fascinating is this, some of the world’s healthiest countries have a secret weapon against loneliness. Strong, vibrant communities. I’ll reveal who the healthiest countries are, the traditions that keep their people thriving, and how you can adopt their time-tested habits to enrich your own life. Stay tuned because by the end of this episode you’ll uncover how building stronger relationships and making simple lifestyle shifts could be the ultimate key to living a longer, healthier life.
The silent health crisis that nobody’s talking about, loneliness. There’s this silent health crisis that’s affecting millions of Americans and across the globe, and it’s not what you would expect. It’s not heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. It’s actually loneliness. You might not think of loneliness as a health issue, but it turns out it’s more dangerous than most of us realize. I actually had an entire 50 minute episode on this very topic with Marta Zaraska, an expert on the subject, and it was eye-opening. Today, I’m going to share with you some of the most interesting points from that conversation, and if this resonates with you, I really encourage you to check out a full episode for more insights. All right, now the real health risk of loneliness. Get this in a Meta Gallup poll survey, nearly one in four adults reported feeling lonely. I mean, that’s a staggering number of people facing this invisible health threat.
Chronic loneliness has been shown to significantly increase the risk of stroke in older adults according to a study led by the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Public Health. But here’s what’s fascinating. We as humans are actually a self-domesticated species. That means over time we evolved to select for milder temperaments although it may not feel that way during the political season. And because of this, we’re equipped with a range of social hormones like oxytocin and serotonin that directly impact our health. We’ve literally evolved to thrive in social groups. In fact, part of my research for my thesis as an undergraduate at Yale was on the social evolution of humans and how we actually evolve to become social creatures. So I’ve been fascinated in this well over 50 years. Now when we’re isolated, our bodies suffer. Studies show that isolation actually causes weakness and fragility, and people who aren’t hugged very often actually are more susceptible to viruses.
I caught a cold on my trip to Malta last week. I guess I didn’t hug enough passengers, but I was socially isolated on a plane. Now how about how severe a health risk is loneliness compared to say, diet or exercise? Well, studies have shown that people who are lonely have a 65% increased risk of dying compared to people who don’t feel lonely. So what? Well, it turns out that diet and exercise actually only decreases your risk by about 40% of dying. So hugging and being in a social group is actually more important as a health parameter than diet and exercise. And let’s face it, we really have not made that an important part of our lives for most of us. Now, this is also brought out in studies of the blue zones. Now the blue zones are those areas of the world where people live a long time.
And as you probably know, I was a professor at Loma Linda University for much of my career, and Loma Linda is the only blue zone in the United States. And one of the fascinating things I learned while being at Loma Linda is the intense community of the Adventists. And these folks flock together, meet together, talk together, and they are a very, very tight-knit community. And this tight-knitness is very similar to all the other blue zones that have been studied. And it’s this sense of community, it’s this getting together of community, it’s this shared community that really quite frankly may be the strongest effect of all the blue zone, not the diet, not food that they’re eating, not the exercise, but it’s this shared sense of community. And I learned a lot about that while I was at Loma Linda. So before we go on, make sure to share and subscribe if you’re enjoying what you’re hearing today.
Okay. So loneliness is a big problem. What can you do about it? Well, you’ve heard me say this again. I’m going to say it again. Last week I wrote a prescription for it again. Get a dog. Dogs help loneliness. Dogs actually will listen to you. If you complain to your dog, they actually will appear interested. There are studies in dogs and humans showing that looking into the eyes of your dog actually increase your production of oxytocin, the love hormone, and look into your dog’s eyes. The other thing that’s great about dogs is you got to take your dog for a walk usually twice a day. And invariably, you will run into other dog walkers. And if your dogs are anything like my dogs, your dogs are going to sniff the butts of the other dogs. And while they’re sniffing their butts, you and that other human or other humans get to engage in conversation or at least look into the other people’s eyes.
And this is a great opportunity to have a sense of community and you might find out who’s in the neighborhood. Here in California we talk about fences make good neighbors. However, coming from the Midwest, I can tell you that one of the huge attributes of being a Midwesterner is there are very few fences and there are very few impediments to getting to know your neighbors. Wherever we moved in the south or the Midwest, there was always somebody coming over to greet you. There was always some neighborhood activity, whether it was a barbecue, whether it was a get-together with kids, there was always some excuse to mingle. Unfortunately, that’s not as true in California. So if you don’t have a way to meet the neighbors, make up a way. Maybe your neighbors meet you in a social situation, join a group. I joked in one of my earlier lectures that I used to give, join the group of father’s against drinking alone on a Friday night.
And that’s your group. Join a group at a hospital, become a volunteer. I’ll give you a personal example of my father. My father retired as an executive from Mutual Omaha Insurance and moved to San Diego. Guess what he did? Number one, he joined the zoo, San Diego Zoo and became a volunteer. He joined the local hospital and became the director of volunteers. But get this, he actually became a greeter at Walmart. Kid you not. A high-powered executive was a greeter at Walmart. Now why did he do that? Because he understood the incredible importance of these interpersonal connections of joining groups. He got satisfaction from it, he gave satisfaction from it, and he actually made it to 91 in great shape. So there’s really important information to be gotten from joining groups. There’s all sorts of other ways. My mother had a dog that she took to the hospital as a therapy dog.
And again, it’s a great way to interact with humans. It’s a great way to give back to hospitalized people. A lot of children in hospitals will urge you to come and join, work with the kids who are hospitalized. You can volunteer at a library, you can volunteer as a poll watcher. You can volunteer. There’s always looking for help. And all you got to do is look into your community and the resources that are there to make you join something. Pick up a new hobby. There’s always opportunities to join language groups, painting groups, book reading groups, libraries support book reading. Anytime that you can join in a group, your health will soar. And don’t be afraid. There’s lots of people who want to meet you and you won’t be alone. Even if you don’t open your mouth, you’ll actually get the benefit of being around other people.
And fun fact, the more people you interact with, the more microbes, the more bacteria you share and the more shared bacteria, the more diverse your microbiome is. And if you listened to me long enough, the more different bugs you have in your microbiome, the better you are off long-term for survival. So join a group. One last thing. Jimmy Carter just turned 100 and after his presidency, what did Jimmy Carter do? He joined Habitat for Humanity. And here’s another opportunity to get out and work together with people. Here’s the other thing that’s missing. You’ve got to reach out to your old friends. We’ve become a very disconnected society partially because of COVID, but partially because of social media. We learned sadly during COVID that classroom activity beats Zoom calls for educating children, for socializing children, for socializing us. And study after study from big corporations have found, yeah, you can successfully work from home, but in terms of getting people in an area where they exchange information, improves productivity, improves thinking processes.
So the eye to eye just on social media just doesn’t make up for person to person contact. So find a way to meet an old friend. It’s great to check up on YouTube, but arrange to meet, go have a cup of coffee. Why? Because you’ll actually probably hug that person. And hugging is really important. There are old, old studies showing that baby monkeys who are deprived of hugging do not develop well. They become sickly and even fake things that they could hug, improve things. So hug your dog, hug your wife, hug your spouse, hug anybody, and hug them a lot. Finally, not a day goes by when I’m out to lunch, out to dinner that I see most of the family members not interacting with the people at the table they’re with, they’re interacting with their phone. It’s so sad that you’re sitting there with four people, six people, and everybody is like this, not interacting.
Surely you’ve got something to talk about besides interacting with your phone. So have a phone free dinner. Make it a rule if you’ve got a family that there’ll be at least 15 minutes where the phones are put aside and off and use the phone as reward for actually interacting with your family. It’ll go a long way in actually providing a relief from the loneliness that you are suffering, your kids are suffering and your dog is suffering. So that’s it for today. Again, if you like what you hear, make sure to share and subscribe and I’ll see you next week. Now, you might think the world’s healthiest countries and communities are all of the famous blue zones, but here’s the twist. And you may have read the chapter in Gut Check. These places do not have exceptional longevity. And believe it or not, the ones that do have exceptional longevity don’t eat what is described as blue zone people eating.
Now, Sardinia may be the one exception. So stay tuned to discover which countries really lead the pack in health, and more importantly, how you can adapt their diet and lifestyle habits to boost your own well-being. First on our list is Andorra, a little tiny gem nestled between France and Spain and the Pyrenees Mountains. Now this is a little tiny country, but it boasts the highest life expectancy in the world with many citizens living into their 90s. In fact, both men and female have late eighties, like 89.5% average lifespan. It’s the longest average lifespan of any country. Now, interestingly enough, their Andorrans embrace a diet rich in olive oil, nuts, but get this, they eat a ton of goat and sheep cheeses and yogurts, and they eat sausages several times a day. These sausages have been traditionally prepared using fermentation techniques. And just so you realize, these guys eat what everybody else says you shouldn’t eat, cheeses and sausages.
But in fact, studies show that this diet produces some of the longest living people in the world. By the way, they live in a mountainous community and most of them are sheep and goat herders walking up and down the hills every day and walking is by far one of the best ways to reduce your mortality. Now, so this is not a typical Mediterranean diet, but we’ll get to the Mediterranean diet with the next country. All right, the next country or principality is Monaco. And in Monaco is Monte Carlo, perhaps best known for its casinos, but it actually has an exceptional healthcare system and preventive care and Monte Carlo residents have the second-highest lifespan of any country study. Now, I’ve had the pleasure of operating many times in a hospital where there is an amazing surgeon who trained me in one of his operations, Vincent Dor.
Interestingly enough, at Vincent Dor’s Hospital, which is literally a half a block from the casino, patients get a lot of fresh seafood, vegetables, olive oil, and minimal sugar, and get this, every patient is gifted with a bottle of red wine from Dr. Dor’s own vineyard. Now, periodic fasting is also very common in Monte Carlo and research by my colleague, Dr. Valter Longo from USC shows that the practice of intermittent fasting can lower the risk of chronic diseases and slow the aging process. Now, Dr. Longo thinks that their good health is due to their extremely good healthcare system. He and I disagree because having eaten and lived right next door to Monte Carlo, I can tell you that it’s their diet, not their healthcare system. That’s different. Their olive oil use is exceptional. Their fish and shellfish consumption is exceptional. And as I’ve said many times before, they have a salad with every meal, and that salad is loaded with vegetables that are part of the not only cruciferous family like arugula, but loaded with inulin containing foods from the chicory family.
In fact, I have never had a salad in the south of France or in Italy or in Monte Carlo that doesn’t have radicchio, Belgian endive, frise or other of the chicory family vegetables. And I think that combination moved them to the top of the list, not their healthcare system. Finally, something that might surprise you, Singapore. Singapore has rapidly emerged as one of the world’s most prosperous countries with an outstanding healthcare system and quite a commendable diet. Singapore’s public health initiatives promote regular exercise and limit unhealthy food options through effective almost draconian public health policy. If you’ve ever been there, I call it Disney World on steroids. The urban design actually encourages walking and cycling, fostering active outdoor living. The Singapore diet is rich in fresh produce, lean proteins, and very limited access to processed sugars and fats. Studies reveal that the fiber-rich and low sugar diet in Singapore significantly reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. And interesting, some very interesting studies have come up looking at the Singapore diet.
People who eat a lot of mushrooms dramatically lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. And a curry study was done in Singapore showing the people who had one curry meal per week had a dramatic reduction in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, just one curry meal a week. Of course, curry has multiple good compounds such as curcumin, turmeric, and black pepper and garlic, and these compounds are notable for their effect on good brain health. Finally, I want to bring up one city that I visited, Foreign Nutrition Conference, Toulouse, France, home of the Airbus Corporation. Now, Toulouse is known for the French paradox because surprisingly, Toulouse has incredibly low rates of heart disease. In fact, the lowest rate of heart disease in all of France, which has a notably low rate of heart disease despite a higher dietary fat intake. Toulouse is the home of foie gras. Toulouse is the home of sausages and cassoulet, the resident savor moderate amounts of red wine rich in polyphenols, complemented by healthy fats from olive oil and foie gras.
Believe it or not, there is actually a foie gras diet that has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, the “bad cholesterol” and raise HDL cholesterol promoting better vascular health. So the Toulouse diet, despite being rich in what would appear to be horrible foods, actually is one of the best diets you can eat. And by the way, Toulouse is kind of around the corner from where we started, Andorra. Maybe those cheese eaters and sausage eaters and foie gras eaters and red wine drinkers know something that we ought to pay attention to. Finally, Scandinavia. Now, it’s no surprise that Scandinavia almost always ranks among the happiest and healthiest regions of the world. They always top the scale for high life satisfaction and excellent healthcare. And the Nordic diet has become now famous because it really focuses on the use of root vegetables, fatty fish, and seasonal berries.
Now, studies have shown this diet can significantly lower inflammation and improve blood sugar regulation even in individuals who do not lose weight. The beneficial effects have been attributed to the unique combination of the dietary fats which are higher in long-chain omega-three fats and lower in omega-six saturated fats. Now, interestingly enough, a study involving participants over the age of 50 showed that those who followed a Nordic dietary pattern actually improved their cholesterol levels and had better blood sugar regulation compared to a control group.
Now the concept of open-air living encourages year-round outdoor activities. And if you’ve ever been there both in the summer and winter as I have, these guys are out no matter what the temperature is, and they have an incredible activity level even in the dark and cold. There’s also an amazing high level of social trust, and as I mentioned before, trust in one another and trust in social engagement and outdoor engagement is associated with much lower rates of mental illness and stress. Plus, studies have shown that the Nordic diet supports better physical performance in older adults, ensuring independence and enhancing the quality of life as they age. And quite frankly, that’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid is the sedentary being ended up in a nursing home that all of us fear the most.
Now it’s time for the question of the week. The question of the week comes from at gibbonscommunication6302 on my nut butter video. They asked, “I have heard you can pressure-cook peanuts to destroy the lectins. If so, please give some direction on how long to do so.” Well, that’s a very good question, and yes, lectins can be destroyed by pressure-cooking. I personally have never pressure cooked peanuts, but if you pressure-cook them according to bean directions, you should be fine since they actually are a bean.
Now it’s time for the review of the week. The review of the week comes from at marcosvandal2797 on my YouTube video on eggs. He says, “I started the video with low expectations since I think I already know as a consumer all about eggs I should know, but to my surprise, I learned quite a few things. Very interesting. Thank you.” Well, thanks very much, Marcos. I always try to keep you up to date with the latest research, the latest findings. My views of eggs certainly have changed over the last 20 years. There’s some good stuff and bad stuff we all should know about and so thanks. I’ll keep at it.
Speaker 1:
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