The 5 Myths of Aging

Growing older is inevitable, but poor health is not, says Lauri Aesoph.

If you were an alien visiting our planet, you might think Earthlings never age. Even as awareness about aging rises, most major magazines and television stations still fail to display vital, older people. Medical journals, on the other hand, harp on the infirmities of old age. It's no wonder we fear and even deny our own inevitable aging.

Grower older can't be avoided, but it doesn't have to mean the loss of health, mind and independence. In fact, research seems to indicate the opposite. By paying a little attention to lifestyle, most older individuals can live active, healthy lives and we can all shatter those old age myths. Read more

Study: Abstaining from Alcohol Significantly Shortens Life

New research shows that abstaining from alcohol significantly shortens life.

A newly released study shows that regular drinkers are less likely to die prematurely than people who have never indulged in alcohol. You read that right: Time reports that abstaining from alcohol altogether can lead to a shorter life than consistent, moderate drinking.

Surprised? The tightly controlled study, which looked at individuals between ages 55 and 65, spanned a 20-year period and accounted for variables ranging from socioeconomic status to level of physical activity. Led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin, it found that mortality rates were highest for those who had never had a sip, lower for heavy drinkers, and lowest for moderate drinkers who enjoyed one to three drinks per day. Read more

Benefit from Calorie Restriction and Intermittent Fasting

Calorie restriction is the one method proven to extend life, but you don't have to do it every day to benefit. Occasional or intermittent fasting is an alternative way of reducing your calories without feeling deprived all the time.

Part I reviewed the latest findings in longevity research. In a word, dietary restriction (DR) creates physiological changes that slow down aging and protects against age-related diseases. It is now known that these effects are related to insulin and that reducing insulin secretion plays a major role in extending life.

Therefore, one must learn to efficiently burn foods that do not provoke insulin secretion - fats. Fats are stable, slow burning sources of energy that do not create advanced glycation end-products and that naturally satiate. They have many roles in the body and are the only macromolecules that can carry the fat-soluble vitamins that build healthy bone, teeth, and nervous system. Some fats are essential and therefore must be supplied by the diet regularly. Read more

Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers, Study Finds

In another blow to the convention wisdom, a new study has found that heavy drinkers outlive lnondrinkers.

One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that - for reasons that aren't entirely clear - abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. Read more

Diet and Lifestyle Determine Longevity More Than Genetics

Though genetics is one factor that determines longevity, diet and lifestyle play a bigger role, says Dr. Joseph Mercola.

... Death is surely inevitable, but I do believe you can live far longer than the average life expectancy, which, in the US, is around 78. Genetics may play a role, but is NOT the final determining factor for whether you'll live a long healthy life.

Barring an accident, your lifestyle has everything to do with your longevity. It's already been established that diet can override genetic predispositions for disease, for example, so don't fall into the trap of believing your health and longevity is somehow the inevitable result of what's in your gene pool.

Please understand that the list in the summary above is from US News and World Report and it is THEIR concept of what contributes to aging. Of course you don't get the newsletter for their views so I am going to use their list as a springboard to provide you with my thoughts on the topic. Read more

Live Longer without Calorie Restriction

The right antioxidants help us store less fat, decrease inflammation, and protect the heart, says Margaret Durst.

... Scientists are discovering more and more about our genetic makeup – and more importantly, how to control it, or at least limit the worst aspects of it as it applies to our health. One interesting aspect that has come out of this research is the ‘longevity’ genes or sirtuin genes which decrease chances of heart disease, diabetes and other inflammatory processes.

These longevity genes are turned on and off by certain factors in our diet and environment. The favorable condition is to have these longevity genes turned on and active. Calorie restriction has long been understood to increase the chances of a long and healthy life, and now has also been found to turn on certain longevity genes.

The exciting part of this research has focused on how to turn these genes on without starving. This does not mean that you can take these supplements and eat anything you want to. The longevity genes are turned off by certain factors such as smoking and eating too many refined carbohydrates, so a healthy lifestyle is still recommended. Read more

Live Longer: Cut Your Calories by 30%.

Cutting calories could be the key to a longer life. Though Dr. Roy Walford made this claim more than 20 years ago, new research is confirming his findings.

The key to a longer life is all down to how much - or how little - we eat, according to a new study.

Scientists have revealed for the first time that cutting calories by about 30 per cent, while maintaining a nutritious diet, delays ageing in primates and could also add years of extra life to humans. Read more

A 97-Year-Old Physician's Advice on How to Live Well

Shigeaki Hinohara , a 97-year-old physician, shares his common sense advice on how to live well.

At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara's magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing. After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation's top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one "Living Long, Living Good" that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself. Read more

8 Super Food Swaps for Longevity

We all want to live to a ripe old age, but we hate changing our habits to do it. Dr. Maoshing Ni suggest eight simple changes that you can make to improve your health that you won't even notice after a time.

Trying to change your habits and routines can be daunting, even when you know the changes are for the better. Try these 8 simple switches below to slim down and live a long and healthy life.

1. Swap green tea for coffee
For many people, the first thing they reach for in the morning is coffee. Caffeine acts as a CNS (central nervous system) stimulant, causing you to experience stress, anxiety, a racing mind, and even insomnia. For a calmer energy boost, cut the coffee and go for green tea.

15 Tips on How to Live to 100

An insurer's actuarists have determined that following this list of fifteen tips could add 77 years to your life, or least get you to the century mark.

Follow this checklist of 15 tips and you could add up to 77 years to your life. Sound too good to be true? Not according to new research from Norwich Union. The insurer's actuarists have crunched some numbers that shows simple things like enjoying a good laugh and eating well can give a huge boost to your longevity.

The list ranges from the fairly obvious - quit smoking - to the more esoteric. Who would have thought that flossing your teeth could add six years to your life?

Here is the the list:

1. Be married/live with a partner - add 1 year
Norwich Union data shows people who are married or live with a partner can expect to live on average a year more than their single friends. Read more

Fit, Not Frail: Exercise as a Tonic for Aging

Jane Brody explains how regular exercise can delay and may even prevent a life-limiting loss of physical abilities into one's 90s and beyond.

Fact: Every hour of every day, 330 Americans turn 60.

Fact: By 2030, one in five Americans will be older than 65.

Fact: The number of people over 100 doubles every decade.

Fact: As they age, people lose muscle mass and strength, flexibility and bone.

Fact: The resulting frailty leads to a loss of mobility and independence.

The last two facts may sound discouraging. But they can be countered by another. Regular participation in aerobics, strength training and balance and flexibility exercises can delay and may even prevent a life-limiting loss of physical abilities into one's 90s and beyond. Read more

4 Surprising Signs You'll Live a Long Time

Keeping your weight down, not smoking, and eating a healthful diet are all well-established indicators of longevity, but there are four surprising signs that you'll live a long time.

We all know the obvious ways to add years to your life: Don't smoke, eat your veggies, wear a seat belt (even in the backseat). But there are other, lesser-known habits and attributes that can help you live to a ripe old age.

YOU SKIP SODA (EVEN DIET)
I finally kicked my diet cola habit in my 20s, a good thing too, because scientists in Boston recently found that drinking one or more regular or diet sodas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome-- combination of conditions that increase your chances of heart disease and diabetes. Read more

How to Live to 114 (in Theory)

Researchers can now tell us which habits may extend our lives, and just how much extra time they give us.

People who are happy, having an active sex life, and who avoid debts, outlive the miserable, abstainers and the poor, as do chocolate eaters, churchgoers and vegetarians. New research shows exactly how many years longer people can live by adopting healthy behaviours – from stopping smoking and losing weight to eating less meat and being positive. Read more

Coffee and Chocolate Are the Key to Long Life

Good news. Chocolate, coffee and tea are among the key foods and drinks needed to live a long and healthy life, according to a leading nutritional scientist.

Professor Gary Williamson, from the department of food science at Leeds University, has produced a list of 20 "lifespan essential" foodstuffs.

All are rich in naturally occurring chemicals, known as polyphenols, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits including protection against heart disease.

He said that foodstuffs on the list, which is dominated by fruits and vegetables, can also help to slow down the ageing process by helping to protect cells from the natural damage that occurs over time. Read more

How Running Helps You Live Longer

A new study shows that runners had half the death rate of non-runners. Notice, though, that runners often reduced their running, but maintained their exercise time by increasing other activity. It's any vigorous exercise - not necessarily running or even aerobic exercise - that confers the benefits.

People who want to live a long and healthy life might want to take up running.

A study published on Monday shows middle-aged members of a runner's club were half as likely to die over a 20-year period as people who did not run.

Running reduced the risk not only of heart disease, but of cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, researchers at Stanford University in California found. Read more