Doctor heal thyself… Genetics professor reveals how he keeps his health in tip top shape

UPDATED:

21:05 GMT, 13 October 2012

Tim Spector is Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College, London

Tim Spector, 54, is Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College,
London, and author of Identically Different: Why You Can Change Your
Genes.

He is married to consultant dermatologist Veronique Bataille.
They live in London and have two children.

EAT A VARIED DIET

I’ve had to change my diet because I travel so much it is unfeasible to be vegan, but it taught me to look further than the steak and chips on a restaurant menu.

There is evidence which shows that the more diverse your diet, the healthier your gut bacteria – which can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.

DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH

Rather than not drink alcohol at all, it’s better to drink up to three units a day if you’re a man, or two if you’re a woman.

That’s why I haven’t given up the booze. It’s believed that an antioxidant found in red wine, resveratrol, may help to counter the ageing process.

A SPORTING FUTURE

My grandmother passed down some bad genes – she had diabetes.

I’m aware of the hereditary nature
of the condition and know that I need to keep an eye on diet and
exercise as you can actually switch off these genes.

Cheers: Drink to your health

I’ve always exercised, but it’s better to do little and often rather than one huge blast every week, so I cycle to and from work.

VITAMINS – IF YOU MUST

When I gave up meat I became deficient in B6 and B12, which can be quite dangerous and may cause anaemia.

However, I think that you should only take vitamins if you have a confirmed deficiency, rather than popping lots of multivitamins on the off-chance.

GO VEGAN AND THRIVE

I decided to change my lifestyle after a frightening experience earlier this year.

I was on holiday in the Dolomites and felt dizzy when I got to the top of a mountain: when I got back down I was seeing double.

It transpired that I had high blood pressure. I was given various medications to lower it, but rather than commit to long-term pill-popping I looked at dietary options.

Having read a lot of diet books and concluded that most are rubbish, I decided to try a low-protein vegan (and fish) diet. It sounds drastic but in four months I lost 12lbs and managed to get off some of the tablets.