
Many times when I explain Mike Fremont's longevity, the typical reply is that, "Gosh, he must have good genes." Or, "How lucky he is." Well, yes, he is lucky to have discovered the secret of good health and a meaningful long life but he can't ascribe it to good genes as you'll read in his blog below.
Mike's Weekly Message: Sojourning with nature schedule, week of June 30, 2013:
Sun. Run 10
Mon. Quien sabe?
Tue. Run 5 or 10
Wed. Race canoe 3
Thurs. Run 5 or 10, or do 10K race
Fri. Race canoe 3
Sat. Qui sait?
Previous week:
Sun. Ran 5
Mon. Raced canoe 3
Tues.Ran 10
Wed Raced canoe 3
Thu. Walked 5, ran 5
Fri. Raced canoe 3
Genetics? How Much of a Factor?
I wish I had the genes. If I had I would have been some kind of athlete, in wrestling, skiing, or tennis whilst young, or marathon running or canoe racing before I was 70. My fastest marathon was 3:20 at age 60. By then I'd run marathons for 11years with singular lack of distinction. The world record for a 60-year old man was 2:36. See what I mean? I don't have the athletic genes.
How about the health genes? I was a sickly undersized kid with serious asthma, got colds and flu and bronchitis and pneumonia.
In effect the only thing that prevents disease is our immune system. Mine clearly was not genetically superior. My world and national running records didn't begin until I was 81. As I see it, my change to a plant-based diet, at age 69, cleared my immune system of obstacles and permitted my abundant good health. It became so good that from 1991 to the present I have not had a cold, headache or stomach ache. Almost immediately after the diet change I lost the arthritis I had had in the neck, shoulder and fingers, the chapping of lips and hands in winter. The diet has to be responsible.
About the genes threatening breast cancer, an extremely important statistic would be what proportion of those with BRCA -1 or -2 genes get breast cancer who follow a plant-based diet, versus omnivores. Perhaps there have been such studies. If the cancer has been with us too long
before we change diet we may be forced to mastectomies. In other cases something so drastic as a diet change might seem preferable. If I had those unfortunate genes I would get onto the new feed ASAP!