Living a longer and healthier life is easier than you think

Most diets are based on the "eat less/move more" paradigm.

If life really were that simple we'd have cracked the problems of being overweight and all the related illnesses decades ago. But sadly the reverse is true and it is estimated that 50% of US adults are either diabetic or prediabetic.

Here in the UK we're not far behind our American cousins. The simple truth is that hunger, satiety and the decision to burn or store food (as fat) are all under hormonal control. Hence no conventional diet has been proven to work for more than a few months and also explains why the adage "You can't outrun a bad diet" is absolutely true. I don't know about you but as soon as I hear the word "diet" it makes me hungry, perhaps miserable and I know I can't sustain it.

Ask yourself why animals in the wild are never fat? Ask yourself why the remote tribes of hunter-gatherers (the Hasda Indians for example) are never fat? It's because they rely on their hormones to act as nature intended and maintain a steady, healthy weight.

ProLongevity isn't a diet at all – it's a sustainable lifestyle. Using the technology of the sensor, working with your body, we establish which foods spike your sugars. We then work with you and coach you to pick healthy alternative food choices. As we have already seen, the reaction to individual foods and combinations of foods is unique to every individual, which is why all the "One Size Fits All" diets are doomed to fail. With ProLongevity no-one goes without the food they enjoy and no-one goes hungry. It's all about re-balancing your body's natural systems (without the use of drugs)

When you eat carbohydrates such as sugars and starches your body breaks them down to glucose, which is the simplest form of carbohydrate. The glucose then travels around your body in the bloodstream and is used for energy by your brain and your body.

However, if there is more glucose than immediately needed it gets pushed into your fat cells where it is stored as tri-glyceride fat (literally 3 molecules of sugar). The level of glucose in your blood is your blood sugar level. Raised blood sugar levels are actually toxic to the cells, and the entire bloodstream is designed to hold only one teaspoonful of sugar at any time- that’s a tiny amount in 8-pints of blood. So, like many other bodily functions (breathing; blood pressure etc) blood sugar levels are extremely tightly controlled by various hormones, notably insulin.

When your sugar levels increase, this causes insulin levels to increase. Insulin pushes excess glucose into your fat cells. So higher levels of insulin will cause more weight gain. Keeping your sugar well controlled will reduce the amount of insulin your body releases and so reduce the amount of glucose that gets pushed into your fat cells.

Also, if you no longer get sugar crashes, you'll no longer get those tricky food cravings. All of which makes dieting much easier.

Big spikes in sugar levels have been linked to being overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, dementia, cancer and many other diseases.

When your sugar levels are crashing, you may become distracted and lose focus. Your body is warning you that your sugar will get too low, so wants you to focus purely on finding food. By keeping your sugar and insulin levels in balance, you'll not get distracted by your stomach, and will have better focus throughout the day.

When your sugar levels increase, this causes insulin levels to increase. Insulin pushes excess glucose into your fat cells. So higher levels of insulin will cause more weight gain.

Keeping your sugar levels balanced will reduce the amount of insulin your body produces and so reduce the amount of glucose that gets pushed into your fat cells. Also, if you no longer get sugar crashes, you'll no longer get those tricky food cravings. This also makes dieting much easier.

Crashing sugar levels, especially when they fall below your baseline (the level when you wake up) can make you hungry and irritable. Another downside of these crashes is that having the discipline required to fight these crash cravings and not gorge on cakes, chocolate and ice-cream all the time can be very hard.

When your sugar levels are crashing, you may become distracted and lose focus. Your body is warning you that your sugar will get too low, so wants you to focus purely on finding food. By keeping your sugar and insulin levels balanced, you'll not get distracted by your stomach, and will have better focus throughout the day.

There are many factors involved, including genetics, lifestyle and insulin sensitivity. However, emerging science has discovered that a strong predictive factor is the gut microbiome (the bacteria in your gut). This is a hot topic of research with new discoveries coming out every week.

We will give you a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Each sensor lasts for 2 weeks and attaches to the back of your arm. You will barely notice it and you can have showers, baths, and even swim without a problem. (In fact the same sensor is in widespread use by small children who have type-1 diabetes. Its easy to use and painless.

As a matter of interest, we've noticed that Theresa May - who has type-1 diabetes - also uses one. You can put the sensor on yourself at home or we will help you. It comes with an applicator which has a tiny hair-like probe which goes just below the skin. This doesn't go into your blood, just the fluid around your cells. A free App on your smartphone communicates with the sensor and uploads the data to a secure server.

You can access all the information and, if you chose to share it with us, we use it to guide you on your personalised healthy food journey