A family of cardiologists on the heart of longevity

Charles Guttas, M.D., is a working cardiologist at the age of 83.

While he’s enjoyed a long career caring for the hearts of his patients, he never lost touch with his own. The involved husband, father of four and grandfather of seven still enjoys family gatherings and is known to spend a whole day in his garden.

His 49-year-old son, fellow Mills-Peninsula cardiologist Jeffrey Guttas, M.D., attributes his father’s longevity to a healthy diet and dedication to simplicity.

“Instead of emphasizing material achievements, which are often serviced with much stress, my father kept things simple and fulfilling on a human, emotional level,” he said.

The younger Dr. Guttas points to two evolutionary concepts key to family health. The first concerns diet and the second stress - two factors that are linked to heart disease, still the number one cause of death in the U.S.

“The foods that allowed our ancestors to live through famine 1,000 years ago are killing us today,” he said, referring to refined grains and sugars that have become prominent in the modern diet. “We need to return to a basic diet with nutrient dense, colorful high-fiber foods and cut out the corn syrup and white flour.”

We have also become over-reactive to modern stressors such as traffic or difficult encounters, he said.

“We inherited the genes of our ancestors that tell us to flee or fight as if we were confronted with a saber toothed tiger – but it’s just a red light. So, we have to learn to relax.”

Both of those concepts could be addressed in part with a return to the family meal, the doctors say.

“We’re so over scheduled that families are eating fast food at little league games instead of sitting down for a relaxing meal and connecting with each other,” Jeffrey said.

The elder Dr. Guttas points to a few additional concepts that have made a difference to his own health and happiness – communication, humor, zeal for life and love.

“Be nurturing, caring, giving and forgiving – not taking and forsaking,” is one of the mottos he lives by and teaches his grandchildren.

While such claims may seem to live outside the realm of science, researchers looking at longevity have found some of these attributes in places called “blue zones” (bluezones.com), where people commonly live and stay active past the age of 100.

Funded by National Geographic and the National Institutes on Aging, American explorer Dan Buettner and his Quest Network, Inc., have been taking teams of scientists to study blue zones around the world for the past five years.

Family and social engagement are among the commonalities shared by blue zones including Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan, and a group of Seventh-day Adventists living in Loma Linda, California.

“A lot has been said about the Mediterranean diet, but these cultures also have close family ties in addition to an absence of processed foods,” Jeffrey said.

“Socialization is important because humans are tribal,” Charles adds. “It begins with family and then extends to other groups, clubs, etc. Family is the wellspring of our joy.”

The youngest member of the family, Jeffrey’s son Alec, is 14 and a freshman at Burlingame High School. He’s benefited not only from knowledge passed down from his father and grandfather, but also from seeing his two sisters and four cousins go to college and motivate each other to succeed.

“I love being part of a large family,” he says.

And if Beuttner’s longevity studies prove true – he’ll have many long years to enjoy it.

For a complete list of Mills-Peninsula cardiologists, visit www.mills-peninsula.org/healthpoint.