Reaching centenarian status is a real possibility.
A study in PLOS One indicates that adults who perceive aging in a positive light have a nearly 44% lower risk of developing dementia (WebMD.com, Sept./2018).
Extensive studies by WebMD provide interesting statistics:
- 14 million, # of adults 65 and older with chronic health problems
- 67%, adults older than 65 with high blood pressure
- 88%, drop in dementia risk for women who are physically fit in middle age
- 1 in 4, adults 65 and older who will fall each year
Statistical life expectancy in the U.S. is about 80 years, however living into one’s 90s is a perfectly realistic expectation for many since by 2015 there were approximately 72,000 centenarian Americans.
Sofiya Milman, MD, director of Human Longevity Studies at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York indicates that several genes have been identified that foster “long-lived” people. Many studies are also looking for centenarians who not only live long lives but who also age well.
Emily Rogalski, Ph.D., who leads the SuperAging Study at Northwestern University compares ‘super-agers‘ brains to the brains of ‘average-agers.’ Super-ager brains, look more like the brains of 50-year-olds than like the brains of 80-year-old average-agers.
Living healthier while living longer may be the key to becoming a content centenarian.
Genes play a relatively small part – 25% to 33% in how long you live but you get to play a big part in the rest of the story. Keeping a sharp mind and a healthy body keeps your positive light burning.
Additional ‘super-ager’ suggestions may be beneficial:
- a diet high in fruits and vegetables – low in saturated fat – with complex carbs.
- 30 min. of exercise 3-4 times a week (per tolerance) can reduce the risk of falls
- Socializing, reading and developing a hobby may delay or starve-off dementia
More than 50% of babies born in the U.S. since 2000 could live to be centenarians.
