LUC MONTAGNIER: THE ANTI AGING IS A CULTURAL REVOLUTION
Immun' Age
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In another recent interview held took the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition, Professor Luc Montagnier not only supports the importance for the individual to practice the standards to combat the effects of aging (diet of substances antioxidants, use of supplements, the practice of physical activity, smoking cessation ...), but, reflecting the importance of the social phenomenon, supports the need for intervention by the state in culture to anti aging through public campaigns, to pass involving the school, the training of doctors, television. In short, a real cultural revolution, mental, which we hope will happen soon!
The interview
Below, the translation of the interview:
BCFN: We are in the company of Professor Luc Montagnier, Nobel Prize for medicine in 2008. Professor Montagnier,Thanks for agreeing to participate in this discussion organized by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition. We can say, in short, what are the priorities that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to food, nutrition, health and prevention?
LM: Of course it depends a bit 'cultures and regions of the planet. There are entire regions where people are starving or nearly so, and where, for example, the problems of water scarcity can be catastrophic. At the same time, the fact that the sea level could rise to global warming and flood farmland is unfortunately a big problem for these populations. In these cases, one can hardly speak of excess nutrition. Conversely, there is another part of the world where it is certainly possible to speak of excess nutrition. In our countries, in particular, the number of obese people continues to grow, and those suffering from diabetes, because the type 2 diabetes is a result of excess power, and especially of sugary drinks, for example. Therefore, the priority is to try to educate the people in these cases, and especially young people not to stay glued in front of the television for hours drinking Coca-Cola or, if you do not want to advertise, sugary sodas. That's why I think the first priority is education and training. The education that comes from the school, but of course, the families, because children often follow the habits of their parents. The second thing is actually public campaigns to balance your diet, balancing power and above all provide more antioxidants. It is absolutely important. Are years that argue that oxidative stress, the excess of free radicals derived from oxygen attack our lipids, our proteins, our DNA, causing enormous damage and consequently a large number of diseases. This symptom is found in brain diseases (Parkinson's disease), tumors in cardiovascular diseases. This is why it is very important to rectify this with the excess intake of natural antioxidants, and from food. These antioxidants are found in fresh fruits, vegetables, but also in the extracts of plants, in numerous extracts of plants, plants that do not necessarily are themselves edible. So there is a whole research that needs to be done and started to find products that currently are not considered drugs, but rather supplements, and that one day maybe I will become because it will be demonstrated the effects through rigorous clinical testing. Therefore, research in this field is very important, but it requires a lot of time and money and the big pharmaceutical companies are not interested because you can not get patents for natural products. Here are some 'these are the priorities that I would see in the case of food. So obviously balance and moderation are really keywords. Balance means that you can obviously also eat meat, fish, vegetarian does not mean being alone, of course, but eat in moderation. Here you are.
BCFN: We talked about the importance of education, but in general it is difficult to promote a lifestyle more responsible, healthier, especially among young people, perhaps in part because of marketing that goes exactly in the opposite direction. What do you think?
LM: I think that is right, but I still see messages on television inviting you to eat fruits and vegetables. In France, at least, this type of message is broadcast in public television, the public television channels, which can offset some of this excess marketing. It should also be noted that the large supermarket chains have understood this and have begun to put products on the shelves antioxidants. Here, however, there is the problem not, or should not lead people to believe that consuming many antioxidants, in increasing numbers, will be able to solve its problems. Medical supervision is required for the recruitment of antioxidants, because it is not obviously food. And this requires a medical prescription. Reigns currently some confusion, from which we hope to come out with the definition of natural products and a medical supervision after that will be conducted clinical trials of such products, depending on the person. Why is it necessary that these treatments are adjusted properly. These are statements that care should be adapted according to the genetic characteristics of the person, his environment. And then based on the tests that will be conducted on the same subject, before prescribing antioxidant supplements. You still have to create a scenario and I am sorry that the medicine he currently little interest.
BCFN: What are the actors who will play the main role in this process?
LM: I think actually that the campaigns promoted by public authorities are important. In this sense, you can also provide financial incentives from politicians who hold decision-making: a points system, for example, to be allocated according to the behavior of people who meet a certain diet, or certain medical consultations, which of course will not be made mandatory, but will be encouraged through, for example, to tax credits. Of course later need to train doctors. Doctors, for their part, are not prepared for this kind of new medicine, preventive. And least of us who are not accustomed to go to the doctor when we are sick, but only in times of crisis. Instead we should learn to go when you are sick.
BCFN: As a researcher, in your opinion, what can we expect from the years to come, say the next five years?
LM: Well 'I hope that my proposal is understood and developed. Of course I'll try to work on it. But it will take a long time. It is a cultural revolution, mental, which may take several tens of years, I think. And I repeat, you must also fill the gap with the poor countries and the poor countries that do not have all the ability to balance their diet. You see it often in Africa: Africa is full of fruits and vegetables, rich in vitamins, and unfortunately people do not eat them, eat only a few grains and then have an unbalanced diet and also suffer from oxidative stress, that favors infections because their immune system is not in optimum condition precisely because of the imbalance food. So from this point of view there is much to do.
BCFN: So you say that we know the direction to follow, but we need time to reach the goal.
LM: It takes time and mobilizers, like you, like me, to try to reverse the current trend, a very dangerous trend.
BCFN: Thank you Professor Montagnier.
Immun' Age
See all supplements antioxidants