108: You're Probably Vitamin D Deficient & Why It Matters With Steven Gundry, M.D.
b'Want to live longer? Us too. Steven Gundry, M.D., is here to tell us how to do just that.\\nAs a heart surgeon and best-selling author, and author of the new book The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age, Dr. Gundry is doing what it takes to live a long, healthy life.\\nWhen he was on the mbg podcast last February, he talked about avoiding lectins, grains, and sugar\\u2014all tentpoles to his New York Times best-selling book The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in \\u201cHealthy Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain. Now, he\\u2019s back with even more insight on bettering our health and debunking the many myths of longevity.\\nAt the core of our conversation is the microbiome. In his practice in California, Dr. Gundry has been seeing what he calls \\u201csuperolds\\u201d or people living beyond 100 years old. He\\u2019s found the common denominator in these individuals is a diverse, healthy microbiome. \\u201cIt\\u2019s actually the microbiome, and its interface with the wall of your gut that will determine what happens to you,\\u201d Dr. Gundry shared.\\nWhile it may seem genetics determine our health and longevity, he pointed out that our genome only plays about 6 percent into what\\u2019s going to happen to us and about 94 percent is related to our lifestyle: the food we eat and the people we\\u2019re surrounded by. In simple terms, it means we can do something to change the trajectory of our health.\\nOn his list for how to live to 100 and beyond is getting enough Vitamin D. \\u201cPeople with the highest vitamin D levels have the longest telomeres,\\u201d he explained. These DNA-protein structures protect our chromosomes and the longest ones are the most telling of our longevity. Unfortunately, there\\u2019s a high chance you\\u2019re not getting enough as 80 percent of Southern Californians are Vitamin D deficient (that says a lot). Dr. Gundry pointed out that it can take 40,000 IU a day of Vitamin D to raise someone\\u2019s Vitamin D levels, which he says is vital to our health.\\nThis episode will leave you with more knowledge about what\\u2019s going on in your gut and inspire you to make changes that could add years on your life.\\nTo contact Colleen or Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here!\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'