As the majority of Americans get older their bodies deteriorate, or "age." Thus, we can conclude that aging is the cause of the decline. Who would argue with that? Old people—not young people—have hearing loss, vision loss, memory loss, wrinkled and drying skin, heart disease and arthritis, loss of motor skills, Alzheimer's, reduced activity level, weaker immune systems, bone loss, and on and on. However "association" and "cause," are not interchangeable words, especially in this case, because the evidence tells a different story.
According to longevity theorists, humans have a genetically programmed maximum life expectancy of 120 years. Our average life expectancy in this country is 75 years. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association one—half of adults, or 100 million Americans, suffer from some form of a chronic disease. The average American's quality of life is beginning to diminish 10-15 years prior to death, or at about age 60. In short, we are "living" but up to half of our full potential.
Our bodies are comprised of 100 trillion cells, each cell having a life of its own, a life that entails eating, working, reproducing, and dying—just like us. Given we consume five pounds of food per day, 140,000 pounds of food in a lifetime, how could anyone dismiss the potential influence that our fuel has on our bodies? Read on to get a taste.