This video explores how lifestyle choices, rather than genetics, contribute to the long and healthy lives of people in Acciaroli, Italy. Dr. Deb Ford discusses five modifiable factors observed in this village of centenarians, including their diet, nutrient intake, low toxin exposure, daily movement, and strong social connections. She explains how these choices positively influence epigenetics, which is how our environment and choices switch genes on or off, promoting longevity and well-being.
Key Takeaways
1
The people in Acciaroli, Italy, have a high percentage of residents living to 100 or older, and they are vibrant and active, not just alive.
2
The secret to their longevity is epigenetics, meaning their environment, lifestyle, and daily choices turn genes on or off, rather than different genetics.
3
Their nutrition is simple, featuring home-cooked, seasonal meals rich in fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and low in sugar and processed foods, which promotes good insulin sensitivity and anti-inflammation.
4
High intake of omega-3 rich fish like anchovies and sardines, along with herbs like rosemary grown in healthy soil, provides essential micronutrients and polyphenols that regulate inflammation and protect DNA.
5
Low exposure to man-made toxins, such as pesticides, plastics, and chemical preservatives, helps prevent oxidative stress and hormone disruption, contributing to cellular health.
6
Daily, consistent low-intensity movement, like walking hills, gardening, and fishing, is integrated into their lives, promoting circulation, strengthening bones, and maintaining muscles without overexertion.
7
Strong social and familial connections, including multi-generational homes and shared meals, lower chronic stress and favorably express genes related to inflammation, immunity, and brain health.
8
We can't always live in a pristine village, but making small, consistent changes in diet, movement, toxin exposure, and social connection can significantly impact our epigenetic health.
9
The five key factors for longevity are whole-food nutrition, omega-3s and micronutrients, low toxin exposure, daily movement, and strong social connections.
10
We are not victims of our DNA but co-creators of our health story through our daily choices, leading to resilience, joy, and longevity.
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0:00
Good morning, friends, and welcome back
0:03
to today's nutrition. I hope you're
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filling this wonderful Labor Day weekend
0:07
with lots of good memories. I'm Dr. Deb
0:11
Ford, this week's guide to exploring how
0:14
lifestyle, nutrition, and mindset can
0:17
totally change the trajectory of your
0:20
health and even your longevity. Today
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I'm going to explore a little bit more
0:25
about my recent trip to one of my
0:27
favorite places on the planet, Achioli,
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Italy. Small little coastal village,
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southern Italy. Nobody speaks English,
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but an incredible percentage of the
0:39
residents live to be 100 or older. You
0:42
heard that right. Not just one or two
0:45
lucky outliers, but an entire generation
0:48
of people thriving well into their
0:51
centinarian years. And here's the
0:53
kicker. They're not just alive. They're
0:55
vibrant. They're walking. They garden.
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They socialize. They work. They enjoy
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life. And oh boy, do they have a sparkle
1:02
in their eyes. If you know what I mean.
1:03
What's their secret? We know it's not
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genetics. Genes are no different than
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ours. It's epigenetics. how our
1:11
environment, our lifestyle, and our
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daily choices actually switch genes on
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or off. There are a lot of analogies,
1:19
but I like the one that genes are like
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the keys on the piano, all 88 of them,
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but epigenetics is how the pianist plays
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those notes. You get to choose the song
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by your daily choices. If you can
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understand the favorable epigenetic
1:38
inputs that shape the health of these
1:41
Italian centinarians, we can take some
1:44
of those principles and apply them to
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our own lives right here, right now. So
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today, I'm going to highlight five
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outstanding modifiable factors as we
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call them that stand out in acharolei
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and things that you can bring to your
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life every single day. So factor number
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one,
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nutrition. That's the cornerstone of
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health. I know I'm a little biased, but
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when you think about what people in
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southern Italy ate back in the 1920s,
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the 30s, and the 40s, when they were
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really forming, that's so much different
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from what fills our grocery carts today.
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Their diets were simple. They could only
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eat what they could get off the land
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from their gardens. Beans and lentils,
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tons of wild herbs, olives, and the
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lettucees, but then also fish caught
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from the sea. Their meals, home-cooked,
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seasonal, naturally rich in fiber,
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antioxidants, and those amazing
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phytonutrients.
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Something fascinating. Bread has always
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been a big part of their diet, but it's
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not the fluffy, high gluten, blood sugar
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spiking bread we buy today. Often it's
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made with the heritage lower gluten
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grains. Sometimes even mixed with
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chickpea or other flowers and fermented
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through sourdough starters. That
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fermentation
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makes bread easier to digest and changes
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the way the body responds to it. So
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bread is not a metabolic burden. It was
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fuel. And even more striking, sugar was
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rare, if nonexistent.
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Processed foods didn't exist. Snacks
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weren't chips and cookies. They were
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maybe figs, nuts, maybe a little cheese
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with olives. This low sugar plantforward
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nutrientdense pattern sent signals to
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their DNA
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forming good insulin sensitivity strong
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anti-inflammation
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pathways kept those cells humming along.
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And then you compare that to the
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standard American diet. Sad.
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ultrarocessed,
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constant snacking, refined carbs, sugar
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everywhere. We are literally programming
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our genes in the opposite direction. But
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here's the good news. You can shift it
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back towards whole seasonal foods. Our
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genes respond fast. Within weeks, we're
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going to see changes in blood sugar,
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cholesterol, inflammation markers, even
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brain function. The key epigenetic
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effect that this nutrient-dense
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lowtoxin diet promotes favorable gene
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expression for metabolic health that we
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suffer from insulin sensitivity that we
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don't have and then total inflammation
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control that has set aolei centinarians
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up for a lifetime of resilience. Okay,
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second thing, omega-3s and micronutrient
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sufficiency.
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That is really an important part.
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Picture this village right on the coast
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where fishing is part of daily life.
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It's great shallow water. I'll bet one
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to two football fields way out there.
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You could literally walk out hip depth
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with your little net and catch dinner.
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anchovies, sardines, other small omega-3
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rich fish or staples. Not just
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occasional treats, these little fish are
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nutritional powerhouses packed with
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omega-3, vitamin D, selenium, iodine,
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even calcium. Unlike today where many
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people suffer from those deficiencies,
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they were getting an abundance of those
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critical nutrients naturally. Why does
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that matter epigenetically?
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Omega-3s that 90% of us are deficient
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in. These omega-3s are like molecular
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peacekeepers. They regulate
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inflammation. They protect the
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telomeres, caps on the very end of your
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DNA that shorten as we age. They even
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help balance neurotransmitters in the
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brain directly involved with how our
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genes are expressed in pathways related
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to heart disease, Alzheimer's, mood
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disorders.
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These fats regulate our very cell
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structure. And it's not just the fish,
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it's their herbs, especially one of my
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favorites, rosemary, which they use
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liberally
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full of these polyphenols that really
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communicate to our genes, plant
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compounds. I love them. They are
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epigenetic messengers, turning on
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antioxidant defenses and detox pathways.
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They're grown also in healthy,
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non-depleted soil. And you've got the
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profile that we should envy and emulate.
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Unfortunately,
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modern diets, the very opposite. Omega6
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from seed oils, very high, very low
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omega-3 intake. And our soils are so
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depleted, they don't even pass on the
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minerals we need. So, the result,
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epigenetic chaos. genes turning on that
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promote inflammation, cancer risk, and
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metabolic dysfunction.
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But again, modifiable. We can start by
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adding at least two servings of fatty
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fish every week, choosing wild caught,
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or supplement with clean bar's omega-3
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source. Cook, grow. Start growing herbs
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in your own kitchen. Rosemary, basil,
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oregano. As they grow, you got to
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harvest them in your kitchen. So, you
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just start throwing them in what you're
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cooking. You'll love it. And also
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seeking out mineral richch foods like
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nuts, seeds, leafy grains. Think of
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every bite as a signal to your genes.
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Stay strong, protect, repair. Okay.
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Factor number three. Basically, low
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toxin, low pollution.
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something that we don't think about very
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often. But boy, in this day and age, we
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must be vigilant against those toxins.
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If you rewind life to ache in the 20s or
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the 30s, you're not going to find
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pesticides sprayed over crops, plastic
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in the kitchen, chemical preservatives
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in the pantry, or exhaust fumes filling
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the air. Their exposure to man-made
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toxins was extremely low compared to
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what we live with now. And that matters
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because these toxin act like bullies in
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the genetic level. They create oxidative
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stress, disrupt hormones, and damage
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mitochondria. Over time, that rewrites
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our epigenetic code in ways that
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accelerate aging, create hormone hell
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and disease. Naturi, not so much. Their
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food grown without chemicals, their
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water clean, air fresh. Even their
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alcohol content was modest, mostly
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dilute red wine with meals, not daily
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cocktails or sugary mixers. Tobacco
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wasn't a major player in their ba daily
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lives back then. Most of their cells got
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a good fighting chance to stay clean,
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resilient, and efficient.
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Not like today. Fast forward here.
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Bodies are bombarded by toxins,
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plastics, pesticides, heavy metals,
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endocrin disruptors everywhere, you name
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it. But again, that's where we have the
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power. We can choose glass over plastic,
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organic over conventional, cleaning
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products instead of chemical cocktails,
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filtered water, and less processed food.
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We can't live in a pristine little
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Italian village, but we can make
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consistent swamps that take down the
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burden. Your epigenetics are listening
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to every signal, and they respond fast.
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One little change that nudges your genes
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in the right direction makes a big
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difference. Small consistent steps,
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that's what matters. Okay. Fourth
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factor. Here's something fascinating.
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The centinarians of Acharoli aren't
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marathon runners. People are seen
10:34
running there today, but back then, no
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marathon runners, no bodybuilders, no
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gym fanatics. They didn't count steps by
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Fitbits or Apple Watch or whatever. They
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didn't spend hours on treadmills.
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Instead, they had daily movement into
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their lives. Imagine waking up in a home
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built on a hillside where every trip to
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town involved walking up and down stone
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steps, carrying from your garden every
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morning, planting, watering, harvesting,
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bending, lifting, carrying nets,
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climbing into boats, cleaning the catch.
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That's the kind of natural movement that
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was part of daily life. consistent low
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inensity activity that you know it just
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promotes circulation, strengthens bones,
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maintains lean muscles, lubricates
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joints, all without the wear and tear of
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chronic overexertion.
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You contrast that to modern life. We're
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sitting for hours at desks in cars on
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couches and maybe we carve out 30
11:37
minutes for a workout. But research
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shows one burst of exercise does not
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cancel out the negative effects of
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sitting all day. Truly, sitting is the
11:48
new smoking. So, here's the lesson. You
11:51
don't have to live in a fishing village
11:53
in Italy. It'd be nice. We can create
11:55
what I call the rolloli effect by
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sprinkling a little movement throughout
12:00
your day. Park further out, take the
12:02
stairs, do some squats while your coffee
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brews. Yeah. Walk around the block after
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dinner or after each meal, garden, play
12:10
with your kids, dogs, grandkids. All
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those little movements and the joy they
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bring have those epigenetic signals that
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say stay young, stay resilient, stay
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strong. Finally, the fifth factor,
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strong social
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familial cohesion.
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This is the last factor that is one of
12:33
my favorites because it touches the
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heart as much as the body. The
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centinarians of Acharoli and really all
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the blue zones weren't just nourished by
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food and activity, but they're nourished
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by connections.
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Life in this little village is deeply
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communal. They don't have satellite
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suburbs. They don't have to get in their
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car to go everywhere. Families live
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close by, even in multi-generational
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homes. Meals aren't rushed. No solo
13:06
affairs in front of a TV. They're shared
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events filled with laughter and
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storytelling and companionship.
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Neighbors knew each other. Elders
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weren't isolated. They were included.
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They were engaged. And we know from
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modern research that social connection
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is one of the strongest predictors of
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longevity. In fact, loneliness and
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isolation increases the risk of early
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death as much as smoking or obesity.
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That's how powerful connection is.
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Epigenetically, social bonds lower
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chronic stress. And chronic stress is as
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bad as chronic inflammation. When you're
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feeling safe and supported and loved,
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your body doesn't churn out excess
13:56
cortisol day after day. Instead, stress
13:59
hormones stay balanced and the genes
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that regulate inflammation, immunity,
14:04
and brain health are expressed
14:07
favorably.
14:09
Social connection literally rewires your
14:12
biology for resilience.
14:15
Scientifically the epigenetic effect of
14:18
positive social connections and reduced
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chronic stress will improve cortisol
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regulation hippocample function and that
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is your memory and also promotes the
14:30
longevity gene expression like cert one
14:34
if you're into those genetic snips.
14:36
Think about the flip side on our culture
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today isolation is common. Families are
14:42
spread out all across the country. Meals
14:45
are eaten on the go. Seniors live alone,
14:47
disconnected from community. This
14:50
loneliness isn't just sad, it's harmful
14:53
on a cellular level. It changes the way
14:56
genes fire. Changes so much, making
15:00
disease more likely. So, what can we do?
15:02
We can't live in a little seaside
15:03
village, but we can intentionally build
15:06
connection into our lives wherever we
15:08
can. Go out to eat with family and
15:10
friends. Maybe start a walking group in
15:13
your neighborhood. Attending church.
15:16
Research shows attending church adds
15:19
years to your life. Join a community
15:22
class. Volunteer. Call your kids, your
15:25
grandkids, or better yet, eat meals with
15:27
them as often as possible. Prioritize
15:30
relationships as much as you prioritize
15:34
food and exercise because they're
15:36
critical for your health. The
15:39
centinarians of Acharoli weren't relying
15:43
on modern medicine. In fact, you're
15:46
really hardressed to find anything
15:48
medical. No fancy supplements or
15:50
cuttingedge technology. Except now you
15:52
see phones everywhere. But back in the
15:55
day, their secrets were simple,
15:57
consistent, and profoundly powerful.
16:00
Recapping. Number one, nutrition rooted
16:03
in whole foods. Number two, omega-3s and
16:07
micronutrients. Lots of herbs, small
16:11
fish, mineral-rich soil. Number three,
16:14
low toxin exposure, clean air, clean
16:18
water, clean food, minimal chemicals.
16:22
Number four, movement baked into daily
16:25
life. Constant natural activity. And the
16:29
fifth thing, strong social and familial
16:32
cohesion which gives purpose and meaning
16:36
and love. These are the inputs that
16:39
shaped their biology and have given them
16:42
the gift of a long vibrant life. And the
16:45
best part, they are modifiable. You
16:48
don't have to move to Italy or wait
16:50
until science invents the longevity
16:52
pill. You can start right where you are
16:55
now. Every small step that you make
16:58
sends powerful signals to your genes.
17:01
Every bite, every step, every hug, it
17:04
all matters. It is the beauty of
17:06
epigenetics. We're not victims to our
17:09
DNA. We are co-creators for the health
17:13
story that our body expresses. So, let's
17:16
write that story. Make it one of
17:20
resilience, joy, longevity. Just like
17:24
those centinarians of Acharoli, we can
17:27
live a long life, a strong life, and
17:31
enjoy every step of the journey. So,
17:34
thanks for joining me on this little
17:36
exploration of the epigenetics of
17:39
longevity. I'm Dr. Deb Ford and this has
17:42
been today's nutrition. Until next time,
17:45
keep making those daily choices, the
17:48
ones that lead to extraordinary
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Acciaroli and Epigenetics (Part 2)
Deb Ford DCN RDN
12 views
Sep 5, 2025
17:52
Where people live well to 100 and beyond. Yes, you heard that right. That’s not just one or two lucky outliers—that’s entire generations of people thriving well into their centenarian years. And here’s the kicker: they’re not just alive, they are vibrant. They walk, they garden, they socialize, they work and they enjoy life and ...oh boy, they have a sparkle in their eyes, if you know what I mean. What is their secret? We know it’s not just genetics. Their genes are no different than ours. It is epigenetics. How our environment, lifestyle, and daily choices actually switch genes on and off.