The three best ways to stay young at heart

Three is a number with a lot of power: There are three dimensions (length, depth, width); three parts to time (past, present, future); we live on the third planet from the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth).

But for you, the most powerful threesome is found in a trio of ways to roll back your RealAge — by 35-40 years by the time you’re 85! They’re from 2015’s three best medical articles on reversing aging, which focus on: increasing your grip strength; periodic calorie reduction; and eating plenty of DMB (3,3-dimethyl-1butanol).

Grip strength: Grip strength (or weakness) may indicate your rate of aging better than your weight, LDL cholesterol level or blood pressure! And improving grip strength may boost muscle tone, circulation and heart strength. Check out Dr. Roizen’s Nutty Rice Bucket Challenge at nuttyricebucket.org to change gripe into grip!

Periodic calorie reduction: A short-burst diet plan — four or five days of 1,000 calories or less a month — seems to be a smart move for folks without chronic health problems (check with your doc). Researchers at the University of Southern California tested the diet strategy and found that after three months, folks had improvements in markers linked to a lower risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. (In animal models, stem cells’ telomere length actually increased.)

EatDMB: Extra-virgin olive oil contains DMB. It stops gut bacteria from turning chemicals in red meat and egg yolks into TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide), a heart-clogging substance that ages you prematurely.

Follow this trio, and you’ll be getting a younger RealAge!