|
|
|
|
Healthy Aging -
Most people probably think of aging as a gradual
physical decline from middle age onward, eventually
matched by a slowing down of the ability to learn or
perform intellectually. |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
| Home
>
Health
>
Lessons from Earth's elders (pg
1) |
|
| |
Lessons
From Earth's Elders
The
oldest people on earth share their wisdom on living a long and
healthy life.
By Jeanie
Lerche Davis
WebMD Feature
At age 115, Bettie
Wilson is a walking miracle, a study in sturdiness.
Scientists have long been fascinated by people like her,
the oldest of the old. What are their secrets? How do
some manage to avoid the diseases that cut short most
lives?
Today, about 450 people
in the world are past 110, according to The Gerontology
Project, an Atlanta-based independent research group
that has tracked and documented the ages of these
supercentenarians. Many more have hit the full-century
mark: about 50,000 people in the U.S. alone and 100,000
worldwide, according to the Boston-based New England
Centenarian Study.
Photojournalist Jerry
Friedman has searched out 50 of the oldest of the old,
and shares his photographs -- as well as their stories
-- in his book,
Earth's Elders: The Wisdom of the World's Oldest People.
He found many in the U.S. -- in the Upper Midwest, the
Northeast, the deep South -- and also in India, Japan,
Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Mongolia.
From these encounters,
Friedman uncovered common threads -- personal traits,
habits, and attitudes that may offer secrets to
longevity. What he found, scientists tell WebMD, matches
what the research studies are showing. There is a
pattern to longevity that we can control, to some
extent. Quite simply, it means taking better care of
ourselves -- plus staying active, curious, and confident
that things will work out.
The
Common Threads
Genetics clearly were
critical to their long lives, Friedman reports. "It
might skip a generation, but clearly the genetic
component was in each of them." Each had siblings,
parents, or grandparents who had lived a century, or
nearly so.
 He
found optimism, humor, faith, and resiliency in each,
despite the harshness of their lives - disease,
prejudice, wars, famine, and blizzards. Each was born to
rural life where hard physical work was the constant. It
provided a healthy diet -- fresh vegetables, fish, soy,
and grains, although none was ever a big eater, Friedman
notes. Rural life also gave them a strong family spirit,
he tells WebMD. "For the most part, they talked in
glowing terms about their childhoods. Their lives back
then were really very hard. But they saw it as very
positive. That family spirit was part of them. While
things may have been hard, it gave them strength, a will
to survive."
Family and friends
remained an essential part of their lives, he found.
Even in old age, they had a social network that kept
isolation, loneliness, and depression at bay.
What
Science Reveals About Aging
"The best data shows
that only about one-third of longevity is due to genes,"
says Carl Eisdorfer, MD, director of the University of
Miami Center on Aging. "The most important factors are
behavioral -- eating too much, eating the wrong foods,
alcohol and drugs, how you view stress, how you deal
with it -- whether you're connected to family, if you
have an extended family."
A growing body of
evidence is backing up those statements.
The Role
of Genes
Genetics: At least
50% of centenarians have parents, siblings, and/or
grandparents who lived to a ripe old age. In fact,
scientists are getting closer to discovering specific
genes that govern this longevity, says Robert Butler,
MD, director of the International Longevity Center.
"The intent is not to
genetically produce people who live 100 years or
longer," he tells WebMD. "The research is really about
better understanding the genetic component of longevity
-- then we can learn how that translates into healthier
behavior ... like changing your dietary habits and
getting colonoscopies if you know you're genetically
predisposed to colon cancer."
Nutrition: Few
centenarians have ever been obese. Studies have shown
that restricting one's food intake indeed can slow the
aging process. It seems to reduce oxidation of cells and
increases a cell's resistance to stress, which may
protect against various diseases like heart disease and
cancer. "This has been found in recent studies of
rodents and in a whole range of animal species including
nonhuman primates and monkeys," Butler explains. "It may
be applicable to humans as well."
Also, a healthy diet
helps combat this cell damage - which is why eating
antioxidant-rich foods like whole grains, fresh fruits
and vegetables, legumes, and nuts is advised. There's
yet another benefit of restricting our food intake - it
controls our weight, which also adds years to our lives.
No Smoking: Very
few centenarians have ever smoked. Need we say more?
Both smoking and obesity have been linked to
life-threatening health problems, including heart
disease and cancer. In fact, one recent study suggests
that smoking and obesity accelerate human aging by
causing damage to telomeres in cells. Telomeres are the
tips of chromosomes that contain DNA. While telomeres
naturally shorten over a lifetime -- as a normal part of
the aging process -- smoking and obesity speed up that
process.
Next:
The
role of stress and exercise
© WebMD Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
"The
best data shows that only about one-third of
longevity is due to genes. The most important factors are
behavioral -- eating too much, eating the wrong foods,
alcohol and drugs, how you view stress, how you deal
with it -- whether you're connected to family, if you
have an extended family." |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
