Live to 100?! (Here’s How to Do It!)

If you want to discover the key to living a long, healthy life, the best way to find it is to study people who have had a long, healthy life.

Centenarians.

Researchers have discovered that people who live to be older than 100 years old have 15 times more of a certain bacterium in their guts, compared with young adults.

And this makes perfect sense…

Because having more this healthy little bug can SLASH your risk of heart disease—the number one cause of death in the US.

It’s been more than ten years since researchers discovered that people who live to be more than 100 years old have an abundance of a good bacterium in their guts called Eubacterium limosum.

In fact, they have more than 15 times more of this bacterium than young people do.

But no one knew exactly why this bacterium was so beneficial—until now.

In a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers revealed that E. limosum helps prevent the production of a chemical called TMA (trimethylamine) that is tied to atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries that causes heart disease.

That’s because it produces an enzyme that stops other bacteria from converting L-carnitine (a beneficial nutrient) into TMA (a harmful one).

Less TMA means less risk for atherosclerosis.

Less atherosclerosis means a longer life.

This research is extremely timely, as people are finally starting to wake up to the fact that the bacteria in your gut—your microbiome—influences practically every area of your health.

That it would play a major role in reducing your risk of heart disease—and ultimately promoting a longer life—just makes sense.

The best way to promote beneficial bacteria in your gut is to practice seasonal eating, eat plenty of fermented foods, and cut sugar out of your diet.