A longevity researcher has shed light on a common misconception about one surprising everyday food. Dan Buettner, 64, has spent years studying the habits of 100-year-olds in a bid to help people around the world live longer lives.
In a new TikTok, he acknowledged that while numerous lies exist online, one in particular concerns a staple that unfairly gets a bad name, with the full picture usually overlooked. You may be surprised to hear that such a food is carbohydrates—or carbs—which Dan asserts are critical to longevity.
“There’s a lot of lies on Instagram and the internet, and one of them is that carbs are bad for you,” he said to his 153,800 TikTok followers. “Carbs are arguably the most healthy thing in any longevity diet, but there is a distinction.
“The most unhealthy foods in our diet are simple carbohydrates, the refined grains, the sugars, the high fructose corn syrup. But at the other end of the carbohydrate spectrum you have complex carbohydrates, like beans and wholegrains and tubers.
“Those are the most healthy ingredients in longevity diets – and why do I know this? Because, I know exactly what 100-year-olds have eaten their entire life, and it’s mostly complex carbs.”
The key difference between simple and complex carbohydrates lies in the structure of their sugar molecules. Complex carbs are laid out in lengthy chains and studies indicate that consuming them may help curb temptations to snack on unhealthy treats.
Meanwhile, simple carbs usually have just one or two molecules bonded together. They are broken down quite quickly and used as energy by the body, but can trigger rapid blood sugar spikes.
The European Food Safety Authority recommends that individuals should consume around 260g complex carbs per day, but this can vary depending on your age, sex and activity levels.
Guidance from the American Heart Association adds: “The type of carbohydrates you eat can impact your health. Foods that contain high amounts of simple carbs (added sugars), especially fructose, raise triglyceride levels, which may increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
“…In contrast, complex carbohydrates, such as an apple or a slice of whole-grain bread, take longer to digest and absorb, leaving you to feel fuller longer. These types of complex carbohydrates give you energy over a longer period of time.”
In a previous TikTok, Dan spotlighted beans, whole grains, greens, and sweet potatoes, claiming they are among the best complex carbohydrates you can consume.
Meanwhile, he warned that doughnuts, candy and cookies are products to avoid, as they are often packed with simple sugars. “Both lentil beans and jelly beans are carbs, and the most unhealthy foods in our food systems tend to be very simple carbohydrates,” he said at the time.
“…We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that people who live the longest, that we can actually record, were eating mostly complex carbohydrates. But the problem is the doughnuts and the cakes and the candies give carbohydrates a bad name.
“…You need fat, you also need protein, but you should be eating mostly complex carbohydrates if you actually want to live to 100.”
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