Young Quality of Life

How America Is Losing the Longevity Race

2011-07-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

'The Grit' is a TakePart series that presents global news, pulverized. The author is a British journalist who has been writing about world events for more than a decade, and still thinks there is a future for the human race.

How old do you plan to be when you shuffle off this mortal coil, breathe your last, cash in your chips, buy the farm, finally log out, or otherwise quietly leave the frame? 80? 90? 100? If it’s anywhere near the latter, you may want to try moving to Japan.

We know people in Britain, Japan, Australia, and Canada live longer than Americans. What we didn't know is that America isn't catching up. According to a new joint U.K./U.S. study, it's falling behind.

American men can expect to live to 75. American women should get to 80. In Japan, where life expectancy is the best in the world, men make 79, women 86. Worryingly for Americans, those relative gaps are growing.

Why? The answer is poverty, wealth, and ambition. Yes, wealth. We'll get to that.

Let's deal with poverty first. If you are poor in America, you are far more likely to die young than poor people in comparable nations. Our British/American researchers contend this has nothing to do with population size, racial diversity, or economics, and everything to do with inequality.

Life is so grim for some communities in the Deep South, Appalachia, and parts of northern Texas, that average life expectancy for a man is around 67. If you reside in a really poor household, smoking, obesity, and high-fat, high-salt junk food diets quickly set you on the wrong path. The country’s negligible healthcare finishes you off.

The American medical system is no friend of people without money, and any country that makes it more rewarding to be a cosmetic surgeon than a community doctor is tossing a large part of its population to the dogs.

But is this the only reason why America comes 38th in the world life expectancy rankings? Them pesky poor people distorting the average?

Partly. But there's another killer out there...

This one creeps up on the non-smokers who cut down on the alcohol, take regular exercise, and munch hungrily on those delicious tofu sandwiches. This killer goes for motivated, switched-on people like you.

Ambition.

To create a society that massively over-rewards its winners, you need a high proportion of losers. A lot of these “losers” will be the sort of people who bust their guts to land a good job, strive to achieve the status they see their contemporaries achieving, and...don't quite make it to billionaire's row.

Healthy pressure is a good thing; unhealthy pressure causes stress, and stress kills.

Setting your sights on putting a Ferrari on the drive and sacrificing everything to achieve it isn't healthy. Pushing your employees to the limit in search of the next big deal isn't healthy. And corporate America requires its minions to stress in spades.

If you already take care of your physical health, the best thing you can do right now is accept you're not going to be the next President of the United States or a multimillionaire captain of industry, and act accordingly. Chill out.

So that's what poverty and ambition are doing for America's life expectancy—what about wealth? How on earth can unlimited funds be unhelpful?

As every rich American knows, the best medical facilities on the planet are just a phone call away. And that, apparently, is the problem.

According to one academic, even for the rich, the American medical system has no interest in longevity for its own sake, as living long and well is not profitable.

“Doctors are not necessarily mainly interested in [peoples’] health but work for organisations that have to make an income...You make more money out of a patient who spends more on many drugs and investigatory operations than one who lives longer with less intervention.”

In other words, the health industry in America exists to flog as many drugs and medical procedures as it can. It might lose the patient, but another will be along any minute.

It’s a bleak assessment, because the problem cuts across every social strata. The unequal society, with its winner- takes-all culture, makes America what it is. It’s also the cancer which is (prematurely) killing the patient.

Read more:

Leadership

2011-01-31T16:14:00.000-08:00

Leadership is the most crucial choice one can make—it is the decision to step out of darkness into the light.

Bestselling author and spiritual guide Deepak Chopra invites you to become the kind of leader most needed today: a leader with vision who can make that vision real. Chopra has been teaching leadership to CEOs and other top executives for eight years, and the path outlined in The Soul of Leadership applies to any business, but the same principles are relevant in every community and area of life, from family and home to school, place of worship, and neighborhood. “At the deepest level,” Chopra writes, “a leader is the symbolic soul of a group.”

With clear, practical steps, you are led through the crucial skills outlined in the acronym L-E-A-D-E-R-S:
L = Look and Listen
E = Emotional Bonding
A = Awareness
D = Doing
E = Empowerment
R = Responsibility
S = Synchronicity

After identifying your own soul profile and the core values you want to develop, you can use these seven skills to allow your potential for greatness to emerge. Only from the level of the soul, Chopra contends, are great leaders created.

Once that connection is made, you have unlimited access to the most vital qualities a leader can possess: creativity, intelligence, organizing power, and love.

The Soul of Leadership aims to fill the most critical void in contemporary life, the void of enlightened leaders. “You can be such a leader,” Chopra promises. “The path is open to you.

The only requirement is that you learn to listen to your inner guide.” In this unique handbook you are shown how to do just that, in words as practical as they are uplifting. The future is unfolding at this very minute, and the choice to lead it lies with each of us, here and now.

Your Body’s Natural Process of Renewal

2011-01-26T12:08:00.000-08:00

The Stem Cell Theory of Renewal proposes that stem cells are naturally released by the bone marrow and travel via the bloodstream toward tissues to promote the body’s natural process of renewal.

When an organ is subjected to a process that requires renewal, such as the natural aging process, this organ releases compounds that trigger the release of stem cells from the bone marrow.

The organ also releases compounds that attracts stem cells to this organ.

The released stem cells then follow the concentration gradient of these compounds and leave the blood circulation to migrate to the organ where they proliferate and differentiate into cells of this organ, supporting the natural process of renewal.

Your Body's Natural Process of Renewal

Aging: Mediterranean Diet as Brain Food

2011-01-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

The Mediterranean diet — heavy on vegetables, fish and olive oil, with moderate amounts of wine— may be associated with slower rates of mental decline in the elderly.

Some previous studies have suggested that the diet has beneficial effects for the brain, but the evidence has not been strong. A new report analyzed data from a continuing study of 3,790 Chicago residents 65 and older that began in 1993. The researchers tested the subjects’ mental acuity at three-year intervals, and tracked their degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on a 55-point scale.

High scores for adherence to the diet were associated with slower rates of cognitive decline, even after controlling for smoking, education, obesity, hypertension and other factors.

The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has significant strengths in its prospective design, large sample and use of a well-validated dietary questionnaire. But the authors acknowledged that they could not account for all possible variables, and cautioned that it was an observational study that draws no conclusions about cause and effect.

Read full article here:

Acupuncture

2011-01-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Acupuncture is a complete healing system, part of the Chinese Medical model often producing amazing results. It is performed by certified practitioners and physicians to treat certain medical conditions.

Acupuncture is a therapy that has been used for centuries. It is philosophy-based medicine, and constitutes a main component of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Acupuncture is a wonderful complement to western medicine, but is not a substitute for it. It is also starting to make inroads into veterinary medicine.

It is performed with sterilized, thin, filamentous needles. It is a relatively safe treatment in the hands of a competent practitioner.

It is supported by scientific research as a physical therapy aimed at healing body, mind, and sprit. Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and improve function. In this context acupuncture is one of the safest of therapies.

Acupuncture is thought to be most effective when practiced regularly over a period of time. It has been used for centuries to treat a wide variety of medical conditions, including headaches, high blood pressure, back pain, infertility, and more recently as a method to help people quit smoking. Acupuncture has also been used in the treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse.

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Ancient Acai – The Brazilian Amazon’s Super-Berry

2010-11-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

Acai (ah-sigh-ee) is a small purple berry from the Brazilian Amazon that has been found to be one of the most nutritious and powerful foods on the planet – jam packed with antioxidants, healthy omega fats, amino acids and dietary fiber.

Ancient Acai - the purple berry with an energy punch has been enjoyed and used as a subsistence food by the natives of the Amazon region for millennia. But it is only now beginning to become known to the American consumer, looking for ways to slow the aging process and maintain vibrant health.

Amazonian acai is establishing itself as an important superfood - gaining popularity with the healthconscious crowd.

Antioxidants help the body get rid of free radicals. The body produces free radicals when it digests food, metabolizes medicine and fights disease, so they are necessary parts of the human condition, but a buildup can damage the body. Antioxidants are credited with preventing coronary artery disease, some cancers, macular degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, and some arthritis-related conditions. according to WebMD.com.

Pomegranates, blueberries -- even wine, chocolate and coffee -- contain high levels of antioxidants. The U.S. Department of Agriculture measures those levels with something called an ORAC score -- Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.

Acai berries have nearly eight times higher ORAC scores than pomegranate, which is near the top of published charts.

Read more here:

Corn Syrup -- More High Fructose Than We Thought?

2010-11-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

More and more food companies are catching on - have you seen the "contains no high fructose corn syrup" on food labels? There is good reason for this.

Here is a recent news article:

For years, nutritionists and industry officials alike have considered the merits of high-fructose corn syrup with one key fact in mind: At a chemical level, it has nearly equal levels of fructose and glucose.

As it turns out, that may not be true after all.

A new study published in the journal Obesity measured the amounts of different types of sugars in 23 kinds of drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. And they found that several brands contained corn syrup made up of 65 percent fructose, not 55 percent, which has been the commonly cited statistic until now. The average percentage of fructose in the drinks is 59.

Because fructose has been proved to be worse for your health than glucose, these findings will likely only further damage the already faltering brand of high-fructose corn syrup, which the Corn Refiners Association has attempted to rescue with a series of television ads and a name change to "corn sugar."

Several experts, however, including but not limited to the Corn Refiners Association, have pointed out serious problems with the "obesity" study, suggesting that more samples were required and that the very high-fructose drinks could have been mixed differently at a stage in their process that does not reflect on HFCS generally.

Read more at Foodpolitics.com

Benefits from algae or AFA

2010-10-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

What are the benefits from algae? More specifically from blue green algae or Aphanizomenon flos-aquae?

An article in Time magazine summarized it this way:

"Salmon that are free to roam the ocean enjoy a diet of fresh fish, which have eaten smaller fish, which in turn have eaten still smaller fish. At the bottom of that food chain are algae, the key to salmon's health benefits.

Algae boast a special kind of fat, known as omega-3 fatty acids,

that seems to help the heart. Omega-3s prevent platelets in the blood from clumping together and sticking to arterial walls in the form of plaque. They also drive down triglycerides and ldl (bad) cholesterol. Researchers suspect that omega-3s may block the production of inflammatory substances linked to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Even more tantalizing, preliminary reports suggest that omega-3s interact with the fatty layers that surround brain cells and, as fishy as it sounds, may somehow help protect brain cells from the diseases of aging, like Alzheimer's. Other sources of omega-3s: herring, mackerel and bluefish."

On this page there is more information about the benefits from algae. Not just claims, here are statements of nutritional facts demonstrating the health benefits from algae:

Read more here

Stem Cell Nutrition Products

2010-09-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

StemEnhance®

StemEnhance® is the only nutritional supplement proven to support the natural release of adult stem cells from the bone marrow*.

It has been shown in a laboratory study, published in Cardiovascular Revascularization Medicine (Aug-Sept 2007), that one gram of StemEnhance® can support on average 25% increase in the number of naturally released adult stem cells in the system*.

StemFlo®

StemFlo® is a cutting-edge mixture of antioxidants and special enzymes that support optimal blood flow, even to the smallest capillaries. StemFlo® supports the smooth “flow” of adult stem cells and nutrients to all parts of the body assisting and supporting in your body’s Stem Cell Nutrition*.

In clinical studies, StemFlo® was shown to improve blood circulation within thirty minutes of consumption. The studies showed increased blood circulation in capillaries as well as substantial reduction in blood markers associated with fibrin production, too much of which may clog small blood vessels, along with a reduced oxidative stress*.

ST-5 with MigraStem™

ST-5 with MigraStem, Stemtech’s newest addition to the Stem Cell Nutrition product line, conveniently provides all the balanced daily nutrition you need for optimal health – you get essential vitamins, minerals, high quality protein, enzymes and fiber.

The ‘star’ in ST-5 is MigraStem, a powerful proprietary blend of plant-based ingredients that assists the bodyin its natural renewal process by supporting the migration of adult stem cells to tissues and organs in need*.

Stem Cell Nutrition Products

The Stemtech Story

2010-09-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Stemtech HealthSciences, Inc. was founded in 2005, but the Stemtech story actually began several decades before, in the 1970's.

Inspired by Nature – 1970’s

Inspired by the knowledge that certain freshwater plants are a nutritionally dense food source, a school teacher began experimenting with a green botanical growing on the surface of a nearby lake. The green matter gave the water the appearance of thick pea soup. Later identified as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), the curious botanical’s reported benefits remained a mystery for nearly three decades.

Nature Meets Science – 1990’s

More than 20 years after the discovery of AFA, botanical researcher Christian Drapeau, a neurophysiologist by training, entered the AFA scene. Intrigued by the potential health benefits of the plant, Christian and his associates conducted years of intense research during the mid-1990s with the intent of unlocking the secrets of AFA.

The team’s efforts remained fruitless until Christian made a remarkable discovery and made a connection between the properties of AFA and adult stem cell migration. The seeds for a new business venture were sown.

Stemtech is Born – 2005

With an incredible scientific discovery in-hand, Christian needed to collaborate with a partner who enjoyed extensive business experience and expertise in the direct sales industry. He found such a partner in Ray Carter. Ray’s corporate background along with his master-level training in business administration made him the ideal candidate. Christian and Ray soon began working together.

The duo worked tirelessly to bring to market something never before seen by the world - a proprietary, concentrated AFA extract that could increase the number of circulating stem cells within the bloodstream. The world's first stem cell enhancer, StemEnhance®!

Fueled by a groundbreaking clinical study that was later published in the highly respected journal, Cardiovascular Revascularization Medicine, Stemtech grew at a rapid pace. Capitalizing on the world's first and only series of patents for a natural stem cell enhancer, Stemtech grew to what it is today - the gold standard in adult stem cell nutrition.

The Stemtech Story

StemEnhance Discovery

2010-08-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

What is it?

StemEnhance is the very first product on the market from the product category called “stem cell enhancers” - products that support your natural stem cell physiology. It consists of a patented natural 5:1 concentrate of an edible aquatic botanical known as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) that contains two proprietary components, Migratose® and Mobilin™.

What are stem cell enhancers?

Recent scientific developments have revealed that stem cells derived from the bone marrow, travel throughout the body, and act to support optimal organ and tissue function. Stem cell enhancers are products that support the natural role of adult stem cells.

Why do I need this product?

As you age, the number and quality of stem cells that circulate in your body gradually decrease, leaving your body more susceptible to injury and other age-related health challenges.

Just as antioxidants are important to protect your cells from “free radical” damage, stem cell enhancers are equally important to support your stem cells in maintaining proper organ and tissue functioning in your body.

How does it work?

When you take two capsules, the ingredients help to support the release of stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. Through a natural process, those stem cells then travel to areas of the body where they are most needed.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells can be thought of as “master” cells. You’ve probably heard about the controversy of embryonic stem cells in the news. Stem cells are found in human embryos, but are also found in adult tissue.

Adult stem cells are most abundantly found in bone marrow. Stem cells circulate and function to replace dysfunctional cells, thus fulfilling the natural process of maintaining optimal health. StemEnhance supports the release of adult stem cells from bone marrow into circulation.

The recent advances in stem cell research were listed as one of the most significant health-related stories in the past 25 years by CNN, second only to the complete mapping of the human genome.

Is StemEnhance® scientifically studied?

Yes. Several clinical studies have been conducted on the product, in addition to several in-vitro trials.

Where is it available?

StemEnhance is only available through STEMTech HealthSciences, Inc. and its independent distributors. The formulation is patented and is the first of its kind on the market.

Read More

Body's Natural Healing System

2010-08-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Are the functions of Adult Stem Cells really the most dramatic scientific breakthrough of our times?

Since 2006, and at a geometrically increasing pace, Christian Drapeau's position has gained not just momentum but widespread interest in scientific circles as study after study reveals that Adult Stem Cell science holds phenomenal promise in all areas of human healing.

Christian's theory that Adult Stem Cells are nothing less than the human body's natural healing system has profound implications for every area of modern medicine. The idea that heart disease, diabetes, liver degeneration, and other conditions could be things of the past is no longer science fiction; because of recent Adult Stem Cell research breakthroughs, these are real possibilities in the short term.

Read More:

Your Body Is Younger Than You Think

2010-07-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

The following article appeared in the New York Times:

Whatever your age, your body is many years younger.

In fact, even if you're middle aged, most of you may be just 10 years old or less.

This heartening truth, which arises from the fact that most of the body's tissues are under constant renewal, has been underlined by a novel method of estimating the age of human cells. Its inventor, Jonas Frisen, believes the average age of all the cells in an adult's body may turn out to be as young as 7 to 10 years.

But Dr. Frisen, a stem cell biologist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, has also discovered a fact that explains why people behave their birth age, not the physical age of their cells: a few of the body's cell types endure from birth to death without renewal, and this special minority includes some or all of the cells of the cerebral cortex.

It was a dispute over whether the cortex ever makes any new cells that got Dr. Frisen looking for a new way of figuring out how old human cells really are. Existing techniques depend on tagging DNA with chemicals but are far from perfect. Wondering if some natural tag might already be in place, Dr. Frisen recalled that the nuclear weapons tested above ground until 1963 had injected a pulse of radioactive carbon 14 into the atmosphere.

Breathed in by plants worldwide and eaten by animals and people, the carbon 14 gets incorporated into the DNA of cells each time the cell divides and the DNA is duplicated.

Most molecules in a cell are constantly being replaced but the DNA is not. All the carbon 14 in a cell's DNA is acquired on the cell's birth date, the day its parent cell divided. Hence the extent of carbon 14 enrichment could be used to figure out the cell's age, Dr. Frisen surmised. In practice, the method has to be performed on tissues, not individual cells, because not enough carbon 14 gets into any single cell to signal its age. Dr. Frisen then worked out a scale for converting carbon 14 enrichment into calendar dates by measuring the carbon 14 incorporated into individual tree rings in Swedish pine trees.

Having validated the method with various tests, he and his colleagues have reported in the July 15 issue of Cell the results of their first tests with a few body tissues. Cells from the muscles of the ribs, taken from people in their late 30's, have an average age of 15.1 years, they say.

The epithelial cells that line the surface of the gut have a rough life and are known by other methods to last only five days. Ignoring these surface cells, the average age of those in the main body of the gut is 15.9 years, Dr. Frisen found.

The Karolinska team then turned to the brain, the renewal of whose cells has been a matter of much contention. Prevailing belief, by and large, is that the brain does not generate new neurons after its structure is complete, except in two specific regions, the olfactory bulb that mediates the sense of smell, and the hippocampus, where initial memories of faces and places are laid down.

This consensus view was challenged a few years ago by Elizabeth Gould of Princeton, who reported finding new neurons in the cerebral cortex, along with the elegant idea that each day's memories might be recorded in the neurons generated that day.

Dr. Frisen's method will enable all regions of the brain to be dated to see if any new neurons are generated. So far he has tested only cells from the visual cortex. He finds these are exactly the same age as the individual, showing that new neurons are not generated after birth in this region of the cerebral cortex, or at least not in significant numbers. Cells of the cerebellum are slightly younger than those of the cortex, which fits with the idea that the cerebellum continues developing after birth.

Another contentious issue is whether the heart generates new muscle cells after birth. The conventional view that it does not has recently been challenged by Dr. Piero Anversa of the New York Medical College in Valhalla. Dr. Frisen has found the heart as a whole is generating new cells, but he has not yet measured the turnover rate of the heart's muscle cells.

Although people may think of their body as a fairly permanent structure, most of it is in a state of constant flux as old cells are discarded and new ones generated in their place. Each kind of tissue has its own turnover time, depending in part on the workload endured by its cells. The cells lining the stomach, as mentioned, last only five days. The red blood cells, bruised and battered after traveling nearly 1,000 miles through the maze of the body's circulatory system, last only 120 days or so on average before being dispatched to their graveyard in the spleen.

The epidermis, or surface layer of the skin, is recycled every two weeks or so. The reason for the quick replacement is that "this is the body's saran wrap, and it can be easily damaged by scratching, solvents, wear and tear," said Elaine Fuchs, an expert on the skin's stem cells at the Rockefeller University.

As for the liver, the detoxifier of all the natural plant poisons and drugs that pass a person's lips, its life on the chemical-warfare front is quite short. An adult human liver probably has a turnover time of 300 to 500 days, said Markus Grompe, an expert on the liver's stem cells at the Oregon Health & Science University.

Other tissues have lifetimes measured in years, not days, but are still far from permanent. Even the bones endure nonstop makeover. The entire human skeleton is thought to be replaced every 10 years or so in adults, as twin construction crews of bone-dissolving and bone-rebuilding cells combine to remodel it.

Original article

Blood Circulation Enhancer

2010-07-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Improve your overall health with

StemFLO® and StemEnhance®

Our circulatory system not only carries red blood cells and immune cells, it is also the transport network for the most important component to our body’s natural renewal system, our own adult stem cells.

Scientific studies have shown that a greater number of circulating adult stem cells in the body is associated with better health.

1. StemEnhance® was shown in a double-blind study to support the natural release of stem cells from the bone marrow.

2. However, if circulation and stem cell access to tissues and organs is reduced due to any of the factors discussed, the ability of the stem cells to do their job is compromised.

StemFLO® is therefore a perfect complement to StemEnhance®. By supporting optimal circulation, StemFLO® increases the ability of stem cells to reach their destinations. By taking StemFLO® and StemEnhance® daily, you are helping to safeguard your body’s ability to maintain maximum renewal efficiency.

Your Health, Your Choice.

With so many deterrents to our ability to stay healthy and active, doesn’t it make sense to do everything you can to maintain your body at its best? By making a choice to incorporate StemFlo® and StemEnhance® as part of your wellness program, you will be taking a giant step forward to improving your body’s ability to help itself. For more information or to order StemFLO®, here is the link:

Blood Circulation Enhancer

Scientist and author Christian Drapeau explains how the Stem Cell enhancers function to maximize human performance: "Supporting the release of stem cells from the bone marrow and increasing the number of circulating stem cells improves various aspects of human health."

StemFlo

Quick Order Link:

Stem cell therapy 'first' in trial on arthritic knees

2010-07-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

Bone marrow stem cell

Stem cell therapy is a less invasive treatment than joint replacement

A stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis is to be tested on patients in the UK for the first time.

A year-long trial, funded by Arthritis Research UK, will mix stem cells with cartilage cells in the lab and inject them back into damaged knee joints.

The new treatment could be an alternative to joint replacement surgery, experts hope.

Scientists from Keele University will study up to 70 people from the end of this year.

The trial will be run at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire as part of a five-year research programme.

Three treatments are being tested in a randomised trial of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Cell therapy

Using keyhole surgery, a patient's cartilage cells - also known as chondrocytes - and bone marrow stem cells will be removed and grown in a laboratory for three weeks.

They will then be re-implanted separately in some patients, and mixed together in other patients, into the area of damaged or worn cartilage.

Scientists will then test the effectiveness of all three types of cell therapy, based on the quality of the new cartilage formed over a period of 12 months.

Chondrocytes - cartilage cells - have been grown in a lab and re-injected into patients' damaged knees for the last 15 years.

But scientists now want to find out if combining cartilage cells and stem cells in the same process could work better, and specifically if one type of cell stimulates the other.

The condition is caused by wear and tear to the surface of joints, leading to stiffness and pain.

At present there is little effective treatment for osteoarthritis patients, apart from pain-relieving drugs and joint replacement.

The trial will focus on knee joints, but the results could have implications for other joints, say the scientists.

The advantage of stem cell treatment is that it's much less invasive than major joint replacement surgery.

Sally Roberts, professor of orthopaedic research at Keele University and lead scientist on the trial, says it's also a more "biological approach".

"We are using the body's own cells to repair damaged joints. The hope is that it will be permanent and long-term repair," she said.

But, even if successful, the treatment won't be used on everyone with osteoarthritis.

"Surgeons don't want to put implants into young patients in their 30s, so we are targeting these people for the use of this cell therapy if we can produce robust new cartilage cells.

"Stem cells certainly have huge potential - we just need to learn how to harness it properly," she added.

Jane Tadman, spokesperson for Arthritis Research UK, said: "This is just the start of developing this technique, and it could be a few years before such treatment will be in routine use."

"We are using the body's own cells to repair damaged joints. The hope is that it will be permanent and long-term”

Professor Sally Roberts, Keele University

Original story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10613540

Stem cell method put to the test in Parkinson's study

2010-07-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

Dopamine neurons generated from human stem cells Scientists hope to better understand how Parkinson's develops

UK researchers are launching a study into the potential of using a person's stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease.

A Oxford University team will use adult stem cells, which have the ability to become any cell in the human body - to examine the neurological condition.

Skin cells will be used to grow the brain neurons that die in Parkinson's, a conference will hear.

The research will not involve the destruction of human embryos.

Induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells were developed in 2007.

At the time, scientists said it had the potential to offer many of the advantages of embryonic stem cells without any of the ethical downsides.

Three years on, it seems to be living up to that claim.
Compare and contrast

The team at Oxford University is among the first in the world to use IPS to carry out a large scale clinical investigation of Parkinson's, which is currently poorly understood.
Advertisement

Kieran Breen from Parkinson's UK explains how the study works

Researchers will be taking skin cells from 1,000 patients with early stage Parkinson's and turning them into nerve cells carrying the disease to learn more about the brain disorder, the UK National Stem Cell Network annual science meeting will hear.

The technique is useful because it is difficult to obtain samples of diseased nerve tissue from patient biopsies.

IPS enables the researchers to create limitless quantities of nerve cells to use in experiments and to test new drugs.

"Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the UK and is set to become increasingly common as we live longer," said Dr Richard Wade-Martins, head of the Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre.

"Once we have neurons from patients we can compare the functioning of cells taken from patients with the disease and those without to better understand why dopamine neurons die in patients with Parkinson's."

The research is being funded by Parkinson's UK.

The charity's director of research, Kieran Breen, described it as "vital research that will help us better understand the causes of this devastating condition and how it develops and progresses.

"We hope the work will pave the way for new and better treatments for people with Parkinson's in the future."

About 120,000 people in the UK are living with Parkinson's.

Original story:

What is Stemenhance?

2010-07-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

StemEnhance is the very first product on the market from the product category called “stem cell enhancers” - products that support your natural stem cell physiology. It consists of a patented natural 5:1 concentrate of an edible aquatic botanical known as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) that contains two proprietary components, Migratose® and Mobilin™.

What are stem cell enhancers?

Recent scientific developments have revealed that stem cells derived from the bone marrow, travel throughout the body, and act to support optimal organ and tissue function. Stem cell enhancers are products that support the natural role of adult stem cells.

Why do I need this product?

As you age, the number and quality of stem cells that circulate in your body gradually decrease, leaving your body more susceptible to injury and other age-related health challenges.

Just as antioxidants are important to protect your cells from “free radical” damage, stem cell enhancers are equally important to support your stem cells in maintaining proper organ and tissue functioning in your body.

How does it work?

When you take two capsules, the ingredients help to support the release of stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. Through a natural process, those stem cells then travel to areas of the body where they are most needed.

Read More:

StemEnhance

2010-04-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Adult Stem Cells: Guide to stem-cell research

2010-04-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Christian Drapeau's 'Cracking the Stem Cell Code' offers a guide to stem-cell research.

A San Clemente scientist wanted to demystify stem-cell research so he wrote a book about what's new and what's next in the field.

"Cracking the Stem Cell Code" by Christian Drapeau was one of Amazon's top alternative-medicine sellers before Christmas during its advance sales. The book was officially released Jan. 1.

"I wanted to clear a lot of that cloudiness around stem cells," Drapeau said. "At the moment, when you say stem cells, a lot of people think of killing babies. There's a bad aura."

Drapeau is chief science officer at StemTech HealthSciences, a research firm headquartered in San Clemente that makes stem-cell-enhancing nutritional products. He received his training in neurophysiology from the Montreal Neurological Institute and is a frequent speaker at scientific events.

His book, published by Sutton Hart Press, is like a "Stem Cells for Dummies." Drapeau focuses on adult stem-cell research, which isn't to be confused with the embryonic kind that has long been a topic of public debate. Drapeau says he is against embryonic research for scientific reasons, not ethical ones.

Stem cells are like an internal repair system, according to the National Institutes of Health. When an organ or tissue is hurt, the bone marrow releases adult stem cells that travel back to the injured area, turning into healthy cells. Proponents say stem cells can unlock the key to curing diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Many opponents of stem-cell research say using embryos for research kills life.

The public focus on embryonic stem-cell research has pushed adult stem-cell research into the shadows, Drapeau said. He hopes his book changes that.

"I tend to be more on the progressive side" of the research, Drapeau said. "But the literature is out there. I'm just guiding people to the literature that exists."

See PDF document here

His Book Cracking the Stem Cell Code is available from Amazon.

To read more about this exciting discovery go here.

The Acai Berry's proven antioxidants

2010-04-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

Acai (ah-sigh-ee) is a small purple berry from the Brazilian Amazon that has been found to be one of the most nutritious and powerful foods on the planet – jam packed with antioxidants, healthy omega fats, amino acids and dietary fiber.

Proven antioxidants:

Beta carotene -- Beta carotene is a proven free-radical scavenger associated with lowered risks for several types of cancer, including breast, lung, skin and stomach cancers. Research also supports its use in promoting eye health, lowering cholesterol levels and preventing heart disease.

Vitamin C -- This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties found to improve symptoms of asthma and arthritis. Studies have also found vitamin C supplementation useful in protecting against atherosclerosis, stroke, cancer and reducing complications in macular degeneration in diabetics and promoting healthy immune function. When used in combination with vitamin E, a 2004 study from the Archives of Neurology found vitamin C reduced the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Vitamin E -- Several studies have linked this vitamin to reduced risk of heart attacks and found it beneficial in lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. The National Eye Institute also found vitamin E to be one of several antioxidants (including vitamin C, beta carotene and zinc)that may help reduce the risk of macular degeneration-related vision loss. New clinical research is also recommending vitamin E for diabetes prevention and treatment. Other benefits linked to vitamin E include use for inflammation, blood cell and cell-division regulation and connective tissue health.

Magnesium -- Magnesium deficiency has been linked to several chronic conditions. As an antioxidant magnesium improves the cardiovascular system's antioxidant threshold and increases the body's resistance to free radicals. It also protects agains free radical damage to mitochondria (cellular energy producers) and has been used to regulate heart rhythm and blood pressure.

Polyphenolic flavonoids -- Sixteen types of bioactive polypheolic compounds have been identified in acai berry. Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds found in produce, grains, tea and soybeans. Research shows that polyphenolic compounds have anti-tumor properties and may be useful in the treatment and prevention of cancers of the breast, colon, skin, lung and liver. Other benefits include antiinflammatory antiallergenic, immunostimulatory and cardioprotective properties.

Anthocyanins -- Two major types of anhocyanins have been found in acai, including cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyaninidin-3-rutinoside. Anthocyanins are exceptional antioxidant compounds believed to reduce heart disease risk by neutralizing free radicals that could damage blood vessel walls, leading to cholesterol and plaque buildup. Acai is believed to have up to 30 times the anthocyanins found in red wine.

Keep in mind that this does not require you to take a pill, these antioxidants are contained in this superfood from the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, the Ancient Acai Berry.

Read more:

Cracking the Stem Cell Code

2010-04-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there is a natural botanical extract that helps support your body’s ability to heal itself?

How does it do that? It is a scientific breakthrough showing the botanical to be a stem cell enhancer by supporting the natural release and migration of stem cells within your own body.

These are not the stemcells so often quoted in politically charged debates. The stemcells referred to here are the ones that exist in your own bone marrow at this very moment - requiring no medical procedure.

The world has recently learned of a supplement called Stem Enhance that helps your body release more adult stem cells. The scientist responsible for and credited with the discovery is Christian Drapeu. He recounts the discovery in his book Cracking the Stem Cell Code.

This is indeed good news for anyone interested in vibrant and optimal health. To read more about this exciting discovery go here.

Adult Stem Cells - the Prescription for Ultimate Health?

2010-04-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

"The Coming Revolution in Stem Cells Could Save Your Life"
- Time Magazine cover story

Just the Facts from the Leading Voice of Adult Stem Cell Science

When Christian Drapeau first posited that Adult Stem Cells were the very foundation of the body's natural healing system, scientific study in the field was in its infancy.

His hypothesis that Adult Stem Cells, created by the bone marrow, flowed to any tissue or organ needing regeneration and morphed into healthy cells of that location, was initially ridiculed by medical science.

However, recent studies and a Nobel Prize winning discovery affirm Christian's position which has gained not just momentum but widespread acceptance in scientific circles as study after study reveal that Adult Stem Cell science holds phenomenal promise in all areas of human wellness.

In Cracking the Stem Cell Code, author and scientist Christian Drapeau demystifies the most important scientific breakthrough of our times. He reveals the far reaching potential of adult stem cells in human health and wellness.

Christian explains the stem cell phenomenon in the reader-friendly manner that made his prior book, The Stem Cell Theory of Renewal, a major hit with tens of thousands of eager readers.

Adult Stem Cells hold the promise of miraculous wellness - Cracking the Stem Cell Code explains how.

For the average reader interested in gaining greater understanding of the stem cell phenomenon.

About the Author

Meet Christian Drapeau MSc

Scientist

Christian Drapeau is America s best known advocate for Adult Stem Cell research and the health applications of Adult Stem Cell science. He gained worldwide recognition when a Nobel Prize winning discovery in 2008 affirmed what Christian had been advocating for years: the role of Adult Stem Cells in the body is nothing less than its natural healing system. He is credited as the founder of the field of Stem Cell Nutrition.

More information nere

Omega-3 may combat mouth bacteria, boost oral health

2010-02-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Related topics: Omega-3, Research, Nutritional lipids and oils, Bone & joint health

The dental health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids may include anti-bacterial effects, extending the benefits beyond inflammation, says a new study from the University of Kentucky.

Omega-3 fatty acids of marine and plant origin were found to have strong anti-bacterial activity against a range of oral pathogens, according to findings published in Molecular Oral Microbiology.

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), as well as their fatty acid ethyl esters could inhibit the growth of oral pathogens, including Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, and Porphyromonas ginigivalis at relatively low doses.

“To date, this is the first study to demonstrate the significant antibacterial activity of omega-3 fatty acids and their esters against oral pathogens,” wrote Dr Brad Huang and Dr Jeff Ebersole from the Center for Oral Health Research at U of K’s College of Dentistry.

Talking to NutraIngredients, lead author Dr Huang said: “Most Omega-3 studies on oral health have been focused on the inflammation part; for some reason, the anti-bacterial activity has not mentioned or ignored, including a recent Japanese study. (To read NutraIngredients’ coverage of the Japanese please click here .)

“On the contrary, the anti-bacterial part of the omega-3 fatty acids could be very important.

“Certainly, it could be a potential new use of omega-3 fatty acids as the nutraceuticals in the future,” added Dr Huang.

Read more: here

Pilot Clinical Trial on Sambazon Acai

2010-01-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

A new clinical trial investigating the health benefits of acai, the antioxidant and vitamin-rich berry, is adding to the emerging scientific evidence of the fruit's ability to potentially reduce some metabolic risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. The latest study won top honors during the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine on January 23 and revealed promising initial results for using Sambazon acai to improve vascular health, and lower fasting blood sugar levels.

"This pilot study demonstrated the ability of the Sambazon acai pulp product to significantly lower several markers of cardiovascular risk in a relatively short period of time. Given these promising results, and the biologically active components in the acai fruit, further study is merited," said Dr. Jay Udani, MD, CEO and Medical Director of Medicus Research, a leading contract research organization with functional food experience.

Medicus Research recently conducted a pilot study with 10 slightly overweight, but healthy adult male and female participants (representing 1/3 of the American population). Each study participant consumed 100 grams of Sambazon(R) acai frozen fruit pulp twice daily for one month. Researchers measured participants' baseline fasting plasma glucose, plasma insulin levels, lipid levels (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides), high sensitivity C-reactive protein and blood pressure. After 30 days of consuming Sambazon(R) acai, participants' fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, and LDL (bad cholesterol) were significantly reduced, as compared to the baseline. In addition, post-prandial (between meals) increases in blood glucose levels were significantly reduced.

"While additional research is needed, this pilot study suggests that in otherwise healthy, overweight adults, daily consumption of acai reduces several markers of metabolic syndrome associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke," said Jack F. Bukowski, MD, Ph.D., a former Harvard professor and currently Director of the Nutritional Science Research Institute.

This study follows a recently published study showing that acai consumption lowers cholesterol and raises antioxidant activity in rats. Sambazon(R) is committed to scientific and nutritional research about acai and supported the Medicus clinical trial. Sambazon(R) Acai Pure Pulp Packs, which were used in the Medicus study, are a top selling frozen fruit item and available in finer grocery and natural food stores.

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Concern over prostate cancer test

2010-01-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

One in eight men screened for prostate cancer will test positive when they do not have the disease, a major European trial has shown.

A positive result can mean undergoing invasive tests such as biopsy as well as potentially unnecessary treatment.

Screening with prostate specific antigen (PSA) is not routinely offered in the UK but government experts are reviewing evidence from the study.

Cancer Research UK said men should talk about the pros and cons with their GP.

Early data from the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer, which is being conducted in seven countries, showed in March 2009 that deaths could be cut by 20%.

But other recent evidence has cast doubt on the long-term benefits of screening, suggesting some men may end up being "over-treated" for slow-growing disease that would never cause a problem in their lifetime.

Now data from the Finnish part of the European trial has shown that for every eight men screened - tests are being done on a four-yearly basis - one ended up with a false positive result, even with a fairly high PSA threshold.

Those men who tested positive but were later found not to have cancer were twice as likely not to agree to screening in the future even though they were at risk of developing the disease later, the British Journal of Cancer reported.

'Adverse effects'

The researchers have said more research is needed to make screening more accurate and to help pick out those who are most likely to have a true positive result.

Study leader, Dr Tuomas Kilpelainen, said: "I don't think routine screening should be advised until more is known on the adverse effects and costs of screening.

"If a man has urinary tract symptoms and is concerned he could have prostate cancer, the most important thing is to consult a GP or a urologist."

There is currently no organised screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK but men can request a PSA test if they want and demand is increasing.

Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, said: "While the European trial, of which this Finnish study is a part, showed for the first time that prostate screening with PSA can save lives, it also suggested that 48 men would have to be treated in order to save one life.

"False positives are an issue for any screening programme, and this Finnish paper is very helpful at gaining an understanding of how they might figure in the context of prostate screening."

Results from both the European trial and a large study being carried out in the US are due this year, Cancer Research UK said.

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said the paper showed there were "two sides" to using PSA for prostate cancer screening.

"Although for some men detecting prostate cancer early through screening can be life-saving, on the other hand the test will be abnormal for around one man in eight without cancer being detectable at that time.

"For this reason, it is important that men in their 50s and 60s can to talk to their doctor about the pros and cons of having a PSA test and only have the test if they feel it is right for them."

Read full story here

A Powerhouse of Nutrition

2009-12-31T11:24:00.000-08:00

QUESTION:

What weighs one gram and supplies as much Beta Carotene as 14 cups of whole eggs or 23 cups of yogurt or 14 gram of liver or 140 gram of beet greens or 70 grams of carrots?

ANSWER:

Four capsules of freeze-dried Super Blue Green Algae.

Benefits from algae

We know that orange, yellow and dark green vegetables are supposed to be rich sources of beta carotene. However, today’s farming methods, food processing and storage are primarily responsible for an unfortunate change in the nutritional content of our vegetables.

Raw carrots, for example, have been found to differ widely in beta carotene content from 18,500 I.U. (which they are supposed to be) all the way down to 70 l.U.! Many of the foods that we would normally expect to nourish us are simply images of what they should be, and the modern carrot in most cases only "looks like a carrot.”

No wonder thousands of people are excited about the availability of the little algae from Upper Klamath Lake and are interested in the benefits from algae to supplement their food in a healthful and nourishing way.

Algae are among the Earth’s most ancient organisms,

found in every inch of sod and in every body of water from the largest ocean to the tiniest puddles, in the hottest springs and the coldest streams. It is responsible for 90% of the world’s photosynthesis, thus consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen and food for the entire food chain. Benefits from algae extends not just to humans - but to the entire food chain.

Without algae, there would be no life in the seas and very little on land.

Although algae have been eaten by man for centuries, only recently have they been lauded by scientists as THE group of high protein-containing organisms which are the most likely to provide man with sufficient amounts of nutrients for the future, and, when presented graphically, the amino acids contained in fresh water algae almost overlap those of the human body.

Further illustrating the benefits from algae.

Previously the best known species of algae to be available for human consumption were spirulina and chlorella, both marketed throughout the world. However, both spirulina and chlorella are grown artificially in man made ponds and fed whatever the growers have decided that their proper food should be — while Alphanizomenon flos-aquae, better known as Super Blue Green Algae, is a completely wild algae living in Upper Klamath Lake.

Certified Organic

Today there is great emphasis on organic food, and that is the benefit from algae - it is certified organic.

Read more:

Benefits from Algae

Blue Zones - the book

2009-11-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Question: In your book, you identify the "Power 9": nine habits or behaviors all Blue Zone populations have in common. Could you talk about one or two that the average American takes most for granted?

Dan Buettner: Many Americans exercise too hard. The life expectancy of our species, for 99.9% of human history, was about 30 years. The fact that medicine has pushed life expectancy to age 78 doesn't mean our bodies were designed for three-quarters of a century of pounding. Muscles tear, joints wear out, backs go out. The world's longest-lived people tend to do regular, low intensity physical activity, like walking with friends, gardening and playing with their children. The key is to do something light every day.

I also think the trend toward isolation is a mistake. Drive down any American street at 9:00 pm and you can see the greenish glow of the television or the computer in people's window. We've become an increasingly isolated society. Fifteen years ago, the average American had three good friends. Now it's down to two. We know that isolation shaves good years off of your life. In The Blue Zones, I advocate reconnecting with your religious community and proactively building friendships with the right people.

Question: Is there something about the physical landscape that contributes to an area being a Blue Zone, or can people make their own personal Blue Zones, regardless of where they live?

Dan Buettner: Staying young and living long is mostly a function of your environment... and the good news is that to a great extent, we each have control over that environment. In the Blue Zones around the world, people live in places where walking is the main means of transportation, where the sun shines strong all year long so they get enough vitamin D; where they have established social norms that bring people together in supportive groups or clubs. The Blue Zones book shows you how to take about two hours and set up your home, your social life and your work place to help you get up to 10 more good years out of life (and look younger along the way!).

Question: Are Blue Zones about living longer, or living better?

Dan Buettner: Both. The same things that get you to a healthy 100 get you there better. The Blue Zones offers a completely different way to think about longevity and youth maintenance. If you look at the Power9—the common denominators of the longest-lived people—you see that they tend to put their families first, they belong to a faith-based community and they know their sense of purpose. All of these behaviors are associated with 3-6 years of life (which is better than any diet can promise) and they're good years. In other words, the same Blue Zone tenets that will help you get to a healthy age 90 will help ensure those years are vital and enriching.

Question: If considering all nine habits at once seems overwhelming, what's the first step someone could take toward living a more enriching, longer life?

Dan Buettner: The good news is that the Power9 is an a la carte menu: by no means do you have to do all nine to gain more good years out of life. In fact, do six of them and get about 90% of the benefit. The most important thing you can do is building your own Right Tribe. Which is to say, all of the world's longest-lived people were born into, or consciously chose to associate with, the right people. The Framingham Studies show us that if your three best friends are obese, there's a 50% better chance that you'll be obese. The reverse is true too. If you dine with people who eat healthy food, you're more likely to eat healthy food; if the friends you spend the most time with play a sport, you're more likely to join them. As your mother said, "You're known by the company you keep." You're also likely to resemble them.

The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest

Veriuni Advanced Liquid Nutrition

2009-10-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

The new berry flavored formula now has Acai Berry Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Omegas 3 & 6, and Calcium! It's also Gluten free.

Veriuni Advanced Liquid Nutrition is a one-of-a-kind, all-natural liquid supplement designed to promote robust health. Exclusive formula packs 13 vitamins, 9 herbs, 18 amino acids, and a variety of nutrients, minerals, and plant extracts for total body wellness in every delicious, mixed-berry-flavored, 1-ounce dose.

Why take a liquid nutrition? One word--ABSORPTION!!! The nutrients in Veriuni's Advanced Liquid Nutrition are up to 98% absorbable. Compare that to the less effective 5-10% absorption rate for capsules or hard-to-swallow compressed "horse pills" with unfavorable vitamin aftertastes. Advanced Liquid Nutrition's unique dietary supplement contains nearly every daily nutrient required for vigorous health in a 1-ounce dose.

You can't get this formula anywhere else online or in stores! Try Veriuni Advanced Liquid Nutrition today and start noticing an improved sense of wellbeing and increased energy today!

More information here: Veriuni Advanced Liquid Nutrition

Quest for a Long Life Gains Scientific Respect

2009-10-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought it? The quest for eternal life, or at least prolonged youthfulness, has now migrated from the outer fringes of alternative medicine to the halls of Harvard Medical School.

At a conference on aging held here last week, the medical school’s dean, Jeffrey Flier, was to be seen greeting participants who ranged from members of the 120 club (they intend to live at least that long) to devotees of very low calorie diets.

The heavyweight at the conference was Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. The company is developing drugs that mimic resveratrol, a chemical found in some red wines. Resveratrol has been found to activate proteins called sirtuins, from which the company derives its name. Activation of sirtuins is thought to help the body ride out famines.

Mice and rats put on a diet with 30 percent fewer calories can live up to 40 percent longer. They seem to do so by avoiding the usual degenerative diseases of aging and so gain not just longer life but more time in good health.

Sirtris’s researchers think that drugs that activate sirtuins mimic this process, strengthening the body’s resistance to the diseases of aging. The company has developed thousands of small chemical compounds that are far more potent than resveratrol and so can be given in smaller doses.

In mice, sirtuin activators are effective against lung and colon cancer, melanoma, lymphoma, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease, said David Sinclair, a Harvard Medical School researcher and co-founder of Sirtris. The drugs reduce inflammation, and if they have the same effects in people, could help combat many diseases that have an inflammatory component, like irritable bowel syndrome and glaucoma.

Any sirtuin activator that averted all these diseases in people would be a rather remarkable drug. So there is considerable interest in how well Sirtris’s drug trials are going.

Sirtris’s senior director of corporate development, Brian Gallagher, said at the conference that four active clinical trials were under way.

SRT-501, the company’s special formulation of resveratrol, is being tested against two cancers, multiple myeloma and colon cancer that has spread to the liver. A chemical mimic of resveratrol, known as SRT-2104, is in a Phase 2 trial for Type 2 diabetes, and in a Phase 1 trial in elderly patients. (Phase 1 trials test for safety, Phase 2 for efficacy.)

Dr. Gallagher said that unpublished tests in mice showed that another chemical mimic, SRT-1720, increased both health and lifespan; after two years, twice as many mice taking the drug were alive compared with the undosed animals. Resveratrol itself has not been shown to increase lifespan in normal mice, although it does so in obese mice, laboratory roundworms and flies.

Sirtris has so far been doubly fortunate. No severe side effects have yet emerged from the clinical trials. The company has also been lucky in having apparently picked the right horse, or at least a good one, in a fast-developing field.

Besides the sirtuins, several other proteins are now known to influence longevity, energy use and the response to caloric restriction. These include the receptors for insulin and for another hormone called IGF-1, and a protein of increasing interest called TOR (“target of rapamycin”). Rapamycin is an antimicrobial that was recently found to extend lifespan significantly, even when given to mice at an advanced age. Since TOR is involved in the response to caloric restriction, rapamycin may extend life through this pathway.

Sirtuins may not be the most important genes for longevity, Dr. Sinclair conceded at the conference, because the pathways controlled by the sirtuins, TOR and the others “all talk to each other, often by feedback loops.”

Many theories of aging attribute senescence to the inexorable buildup of mutations in a person’s DNA. Dr. Sinclair said that in his view “aging can be reversed” because the DNA mutations did not directly cause aging. Rather, they induce the sirtuin molecules that help control the genome to divert to the site of damage. With the sirtuins absent from their usual post, genes are not regulated efficiently, and the cells’ performance degrades. Diversion of the sirtuins should be a reversible process, in Dr. Sinclair’s view, unlike DNA damage, which is not.

“In five or six or seven years,” said Christoph Westphal, Sirtris’s other co-founder, “there will be drugs that prolong longevity.”

But neither Dr. Sinclair nor Dr. Westphal was the most optimistic person at the conference. That status belonged to the English gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, who sports a beard so luxuriant that it is hard to see if he is wearing a tie. His goal is “negligible senescence.”

Some attendees were so convinced of the virtues of less food that they have begun severe diets of various kinds. Cynthia Kenyon, of the University of California, San Francisco, said she had gone on a low-carb diet in 2002 after finding that food with even 2 percent sugar reduced the lifespan of the laboratory roundworms she studies. “Basically I try to steer clear of desserts and starches, though I do eat chocolate,” she said.

Her willowy figure makes her look at least a decade younger than her age. But a practitioner of more severe caloric restriction who was at the conference looked gaunt and a little frail.

Sirtris’s quest for longevity drugs is founded on solid and promising research. But most drugs fail at some stage during trials. So there is no guarantee that any of Sirtris’s candidate compounds will work in people. The first result from a Phase 2 clinical trial is not expected until the end of next year at the earliest.

Meanwhile, it is a pleasant and not wholly unfounded thought that, just possibly, a single drug might combat every degenerative disease of Western civilization.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/science/29aging.html

Who Wants to Live Forever?

2009-09-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

After watching the first cut of Highlander, a 1986 movie about battling immortals, the rock group Queen produced a single titled “Who Wants to Live Forever.” One might be tempted to respond by asking “Who wouldn’t?”

That our allotted time on this earth is somewhat fleeting has surely not escaped us, especially as we move farther down our life path. Among the animals and plants with which we share our planet, there is inevitable senescence. Even though as one biologist noted, “aging is an unnatural phenomenon [in that] most animals starve or get eaten, and have no chance to age,” aging and death are part of the human natural order. In recent years, however, a building revolution in the science of gerontology has heralded the possibility of life extension. This is leading some to speculate about just what the limits to human life might be; adding another decade or two or even centuries might be possible.

As our knowledge of the biochemistry of aging increases exponentially, it is no surprise that around the globe scientists are discovering hopeful paths that will provide ways to increase human longevity. Meanwhile, biotechnology companies are seeking to bring new products to market—drugs, cells, tissues, and procedures—which they, too, hope will go some way toward extending life as well as bring a profit.

Is death therefore in terminal decline? While the commercial and media hype concerning such a possibility has dismayed some mainstream scientists, others such as Aubrey de Grey have spearheaded efforts to, as he puts it, “cure the disease of aging.” The Methuselah Foundation chairman and biogerontology researcher is not only chasing the dream of immortality; he expects to catch it.

Noting the potential for life extension in his book How to Live Forever or Die Trying, respected Sunday Times journalist Bryan Appleyard reviews much of the current work and comes to a startling conclusion. “Developments in a number of scientific disciplines,” he writes, “suggest that we may soon be able to increase life expectancies . . . to well over a hundred and, perhaps, to over a thousand.”

WAKE-UP CALL

Humankind suffers from a “global trance” concerning aging, de Grey says, and he wants to wake us up. Aging and its associated pathology are not inevitable, he insists. Once we move beyond our fatalistic view of lifespan, de Grey has faith that science will show us how to reprogram our bodies to maintain our cellular systems in a youthful, self-restorative state virtually forever. He believes there are people alive today who need never grow old.

The modern view of aging is being decoupled from calendar time. Instead, aging appears to be the gradual accumulation of cellular damage caused by the byproducts of the biochemistry of life itself. Like other disease, aging and death are now seen as a progression of events that occur because the body fails to repair ongoing metabolic damage; so although time is an important factor, it is the loss of the repair function that leads to disease. Turning back the hands of cellular time and resetting them permanently in youthful self-repair mode is the greater goal in longevity research. This will require further identification of the links between specific genes, their cell maintenance functions, and other interactions between cells, the body, and the environment.

Our emerging understanding will eventually allow humans to reach what de Grey calls “longevity escape velocity” (LEV). This is not to suggest that science is on the cusp of developing the ultimate silver bullet against aging. Rather, just as transfusions and transplants, pacemakers and statin drugs have extended life today—and sanitation, clean water and food, and an application of the germ theory of disease extended human life in an earlier time—so another new age of medicine is on the horizon. Now, de Grey says, we have come to the point where we can begin to retrain the body to retain its natural rejuvenating processes.

Reaching LEV will not happen immediately, of course. We will not suddenly have ways to challenge Methuselah. By the time we can make 100 the normal life span, new innovations will extend it to 200, and so on, effectively leapfrogging expected life span to, well, no end in sight.

http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=18195

Optimism Good for Heart and Longevity

2009-08-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Less cardiovascular disease, fewer deaths among the cheerful, study finds

Women who take a darker view of life are more likely to develop heart trouble than those with a cheerful, trusting outlook, a new study indicates.

The finding comes from the Women's Health Initiative, which has tracked more than 97,000 postmenopausal American women for more than eight years.

"In addition to looking at hormones and their effect on heart disease and cancer, the study also examined psychosocial and social factors and how they affected the health of postmenopausal women," said Dr. Hilary A. Tindle, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and lead author of a report in the Aug. 10 issue of Circulation. "Fortunately, we have this wealth of information on the psychological profile at the time they joined the study."

Optimism was measured by a questionnaire on whether a woman agreed with such statements as "In unclear times, I usually expect the best." The questions measuring cynicism asked about agreement with such statements as "It is safer to trust no one" and "I have often had to take orders from people who did not know as much as I did."

Women within the highest 25 percent of optimism scores had a 9 percent lower chance of developing heart disease and a 14 percent lower chance of dying of any cause. Women with the highest degree of cynical hostility were 16 percent more likely to die than those with the most trust in their fellow humans.

The results most likely apply to men as well as women, Tindle said, citing several previous studies, such as a 2004 Dutch report that men who were more optimistic died less often of cardiovascular disease.

There are several possible explanations for the new finding, Tindle said. Money might well be involved, since "optimism is associated with higher income and education," she said. But curiously, "the level of socioeconomic status when a woman was young was better associated with outcome than current status," Tindle said.

Beyond that, there are "three broad categories of possibilities," she said.

One is related to lifestyle factors. "Optimistic women had more stable risk profiles, with less high blood pressure and diabetes," Tindle said. "They didn't smoke as much and tended to exercise more. So their lower risk might just be associated with living healthier."

It's also possible that optimists are more likely to follow their doctors advice more faithfully. "Previous studies have shown that optimists tend to follow the diet they are told to follow," Tindle noted.

Or a woman's outlook on life might affect how she responds to stress, theb researcher said. Pessimism and cynical hostility might lead to higher blood pressure, higher heart rate and other physical risk factors, she said.

Tindle said she would like to test all of those possibilities in a controlled trial. "We would recruit individuals who are pessimistic, and try to alter their outlook and see if it affects their health," she said.

The answer probably would be "yes," Tindle said. "Even the most cynical, hostile individual can change, given the right stimulus, and I see this every day," she said.

The report was cheering news for Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"It turns out that being optimistic is an important part of maintaining health," Steinbaum said.

The study shows that "one's view of the world and your perspective can play an important role in your health," she said. "This study demonstrates the role and significance of the connection between the mind and the body. Its just another reason to try to look at the bright side of life."

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=629839

Verve - the energy drink backed by science

2009-08-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

David Woyanorowski MD wrote this review of Verve:

My name is David Woynarowski MD and I am an anti-aging doctor, a supplement designer and a fitness expert. I also have the great fortune of being a member of the top review panel for the Product of the Year Award for Ms Fitness Magazine.

I‘m honored that they ask me to review all kinds of products: from supplements to exercise widgets, information products and just about anything new that pertains to health and fitness. The truth is that most of the time the stuff never gets out of my office, because they are simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH… and that includes the numerous widgets, drinks, pills and info products.

Getting through my door takes a lot and getting the thumbs up for product of the year takes much, much more.

So when they put Verve in front of me I thought, “Why do we need another energy drink!” In a step -by -step analysis the answer became clear and eventually led to Verve being the only real choice for Product of the Year 2009.

Step One: TASTE!

I really liked the fresh, clean, natural taste of Verve and I could tell it was very different right away. Everything is naturally sourced and not created in a lab. Mother Nature rules here in the form of organic plant sources and the great taste reflects it.

Step Two: SHOW ME THE SCIENCE

In addition to my medical endeavors I am also a scientist. All the hype, packaging novelties and celeb word-of-mouth cannot replace solid science. Verve wowed me with science.

For instance, Verve’s parent company, Vemma, has two clinical studies to back up what they say. (And more on the way no doubt.) There’s nothing like a randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled study to get my attention. Statistical significance trumps taste tests every time.

The first impressive study shows a rise in antioxidant levels after drinking just 2 ounces of the Vemma nutrition formula in Verve. Now, you may wonder, what does that have to do with an energy drink and why is it important?

First off, energy drinks are meant to support an active lifestyle. Active lifestyles including exercise, while terrific for you, can also increase the level of oxidation and inflammation in your blood. As an ultra-runner I am uniquely aware of the demands exercise can place on your body. Most energy drinks just bang you with caffeine and other s t i m u l a n t s and don’t worry a bit about the “side effects” of your active lifestyle.

In other words, they may be the poison and not the antidote, because they let you do more damage - but don’t help you recover from it.

Now, in case you don’t read or care a lot about science, here is a little tidbit for you as well. Chronic inflammation can cause problems in your body. It has been linked to bad joints, bad hearts, bad moods and, perhaps even worse: to getting fat! And we all know the really bad things that come with being fat.

So it stands to reason you might not want a lot of chronic inflammation in your life. Any product that can cut inflammation is a great product in my book and again Vemma’s science won the day.

Back to that Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial (in doctor talk that is very very good!) entitled “The Effect of the Vemma Formula on Immune Function and Inflammation in Humans.” This study shows a drop in critical markers of inflammation that anti-aging doctors like me know can be directly related to disease. So we can safely say that there is science to back up Vemma’s claims of effectively giving your body antioxidants and reducing inflammation in your body.

I will never forget the candid conversation with the former head of a major energy drink company who had just gone off to start his own brand. He left because, as he told it, “You would not give this stuff to your neighbor’s dog if you saw how they made it!” That drink is still selling like hotcakes, by the way!

While I can’t name names, I can tell you that if you have ever had an energy drink you’ve probably had this one and it’s anything but healthy.

Which brings us back to our Product of the Year: Verve.

Step Three:

The Ingredients and The Nutrition

Guarana, aloe and mangosteen, are all at the core of this natural organic mix. And there are tons of vitamins and minerals from Calcium to Manganese, Vitamin A to Vanadium, and they are all provided in a highly bioavailable form so you get what they say you get on the label instead of creating expensive urine.

Then there is the brain stuff - you know, the stuff that makes you feel more alert and alive - like Taurine, D ribose and choline and inositol as well, making this pretty close to a multi-vite in a bottle!

The net effect of all these ingredients is that Verve scored very well on the bioavailable nutrition scale. In English this means it’s a great source of valuable nutrition for your body. How much? Well here are just a few food equivalents for one 8 ounce serving of Verve. The same amount of Vitamin A as a cup of Spinach. The same Vitamin D levels as 55 eggs! The ORAC antioxidant value of 17 ounces of cherries. And in pointto- point comparison Verve simply blows the competition out of the water in antioxidant value.

Now I don’t care what you drink for your energy drink but I will tell you this: it doesn’t even come close to this, thus substantiating the claim of Verve as “The insanely healthy energy drink!”

I think this is the biggest difference between Verve and all the other energy drinks out there. People are constantly wishing for a healthy alternative to the best-selling products which are pretty much “glow in the dark” versions of soda!

I could keep writing about the health benefits that are so appealing to me but I need to tell you a bit more about why we chose this product because yes, there is more!

Step Four:

Convenience and Availability

First, it’s available in a couple of different sizes and caffeine loads dependent on how fast and how much extra energy you need.

For typical use there is an 8-ounce can and for fast-acting instant energy a 3-ounce shot. How’s that for allowing you to choose what’s right for you?

Now, truthfully, none of this would mean much to me without……(drum roll, please) THE SCIENCE, but when you put the total package together: superior ingredients and sourcing along with undeniable science… well, then my friend you have an undeniable winner.

Product of the Year 2009 Is Verve!

Dr Dave Woynarowski MD is a Board Certified Internist and Anti-Aging doctor as well as a Certified Personal Trainer. In additional to anti-aging medicine he has extensive experience in the specific science and techniques of weight loss and has successfully helped thousands to resculpt their bodies in the image they desire. He is a new regular contributor to Ms. Fitness Magazine and a member of the Ms. Fitness Review Panel. He can be contacted by: doc@drdavesbest.com

Wired on the Longevity Dividend

2009-08-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

I see that Wired is running a piece espousing the Longevity Dividend. The Longevity Dividend is an argument developed by a group of gerontologists and aimed at regulators and politically-influenced funding groups. It deliberately steers clear of talking about extending life span, instead presenting increased funding for applied aging research as a form of investment that will greatly reduce later government medical program expenditures through reducing incidence of age-related disease. In that sense it is a form of compressed morbidity viewpoint, the theory that the period of life spent in age-related frailty and suffering from age-related disease can be compressed down without extending life span. This runs contrary to aging-as-damage theories, which instead state that any intervention that reduces the level of accumulated damage will tend to extend overall life span in addition to its other beneficial effects.

As to my personal view, I'll say that there are many strategies by which one can advance a cause - here, the cause of longevity science. Advocacy strategies that water down or omit core goals and facts in order to achieve wider circulation will do little to change the marketplace of ideas, however, and it is change in the marketplace of ideas that drives progress. The best progress in advocacy is made by planting your flag as far out as is supported by the evidence, and then defending that point against all naysayers.

But of course only the boldest of folk are willing to do that. Large institutions, such as government funding sources and the associated research communities, are ruthless in punishing members who publicly step one iota behind the limits of tradition and convention - hence the softly softly approach by those who have the most to lose.

Back to the topic at hand, here's the article in Wired:

As politicians try to reform a health care system that could swallow one-fifth of the nation’s economic output by 2020, they should consider making a small bet with a potentially huge payoff: research that could slow the process of aging.

"There will never be enough money for the federal government to pay for the demands of health care, because of chronic age-related diseases," said Doug Wallace, a cell biologist at the University of California, Irvine.

Wallace specializes in mitochondria - cellular power plants that float outside the cell nucleus, turn glucose into usable energy, and wear down over time. He thinks their malfunction underlies nearly every disease whose risks spike after middle age, from cancer to heart disease to dementia.

..

In papers published in The Scientist and British Medical Journal, Olshanksy and International Longevity Center president Robert Butler wrote that drugs that delay aging’s onset by seven years are now a realistic possibility.

They’re currently in the process of calculating this longevity dividend’s economic benefits. Even if the figures aren’t finalized, however, they’re likely to be massive. For Alzheimer’s disease alone, they estimate that the cost of care will rise to $1 trillion by 2050. The Robert Wood Johnson foundation estimates two-thirds of rising health costs come from chronic diseases.

“We need a method of molecular pre-emption. If we’re going to be able to afford health care, that’s what we’ve got to do. That’s going to provide the maximum cost savings, not managing symptoms or curative treatment,” said former National Institutes of Health chief Elias Zerhouni at a symposium held last Friday by the Jackson Laboratory.

I'll point you to a good quote from a little while back:

I say if this were a privatized system, we would all say "gee it’s wonderful. All these people want more health care, this industry is thriving". Let me put one other analogy. Suppose we made cars a government entitlement. Instead of cheering when auto production went up, we’d say, "Oh my God, we can’t afford this!". How you finance it may greatly affect the psychology and actually the freedom of the economy to take advantage of these new opportunities.

Centralized government control destroys everything it touches; it's just a matter of time for US medical institutions. It will be the tragedy of the commons writ larger than ever, a system in which every local, personal incentive is aligned against progress. So we will have little progress - and consequently much suffering - until some revolution sweeps this all away.

http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/08/wired-on-the-longevity-dividend.php

Make your own happiness

2009-07-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Henry William Allingham’s ‘antiquity’ was mind-boggling. When he died at 113 years last week he was the world’s oldest man and one of the last surviving servicemen from the First World War. Born in London in 1896, the year the first Olympics were held, he was 14 when the Great War broke out. His mother begged him not to join the army but he signed up after her death in 1915. He was 67 when President Kennedy was shot and 73 when Neil Armstrong took that giant step for mankind on the Moon (his life spanned three centuries and the reign of six monarchs).

But he didn’t always have an easy time. His experience of war was terrifying which led to a nervous breakdown. Later he had another collapse. But in both cases the real culprit was overwork, he says: “I was trying to do the work of three men.” If ever there was a secret to his longevity he said it could be “keeping within your limit, which is vital. The trick is to look after yourself and always know your limitations.”

Another thoughtful take of his on longevity was: “Never to worry. In the ’20s there were millions of men out of work. You couldn’t get a job anywhere,” Allingham said in an interview. “I wasn’t worried. I’m not worried now,” he added. “I was cycling along Rotten Row one day when I saw George V come along on his horse. I took my cap off, and the King tipped his riding crop. And I said, ‘Give me a job, Sir; I’ll do anything for you.’ But it was lost in the clatter of the hooves.”

Allingham’s gentle dignity also seemed to conceal a steely sense of determination and defiance, says an oral historian of the First World War: “He was so surprised to survive (the carnage) that he saw whatever came next as a reward. He made the most of his life. It does exemplify in my mind that, whatever age you are, never give up, and when in doubt, sing, which is what he still did. Sheer defiance was the reason he kept going.”

His own parting advice, “You make your own happiness, whatever age you are” resonates with insights offered in Yoga and Ayurveda. Mind alone makes for bondage or freedom and that contented state of mind called santosha is a prime mover of physical hardihood and spiritual grace conducive to longevity, says Hathayogapradipika. Back that with “nutritious food, always in sparing quantities (hitabhuk mitabhuk),” the Charaka Samhita says, and you have the tranquil secret of sleeping soundly (sukham shete) so essential for a centurion’s life.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4805269.cms?prtpage=1

100-year-old man attributes longevity to healthy lifestyle

2009-06-20T07:55:00.001-07:00

One Fort Collins resident has 100 reasons to celebrate.

Lynn "Mac" Wilkins McMillan hit the century mark Thursday.

"I don't drink. I've never smoked. I'm just glad to be in as good health as I am," McMillan said during an interview from his son's home in north Windsor. "I would be miserable if I were in the shape that others are in at this age."

McMillan was born June 11, 1909, in Paducah, Texas.

He now lives at Rigden Farm Senior Retirement, where he celebrated his birthday.

Friends and family will host an open house celebration June 28 to mark McMillan's birthday.

Karen McMillan of Windsor, Mac's daughter-in-law, has been gathering old photos and asking family and friends to express their feelings through a homemade video.

The video will be played during the open house.

Karen also has written letters to Willie Nelson, the White House, former President Bill Clinton, the Army and television personality Willard Scott announcing Mac's 100th birthday.

McMillan was surprised to receive a card from a gentleman in the Army and is still waiting to receive one from the White House.

Until then, he is pleased to share his life experiences during the past 100 years with the community.

McMillan was raised on a farm with five sisters and two brothers.

He attended the University of Texas where he studied math and psychology.

Upon graduation, Mc-Millan worked in accounting and bookkeeping until he was drafted into the Army in spring 1941.

"I liked it," he said. "You would never know what was going to happen. I think we were all pretty anxious to get out though."

McMillan had various assignments during World War II. He traveled to Virginia, New York, the Philippines and Japan.

"Our last assignment was in Japan," he said. "There was an invasion scheduled but then the war ended."

After 20 years of service, McMillan retired.

He also served in the National Guard for six years.

He married Elizabeth, his wife of 60 years, on Oct. 12, 1941. They had one son, Charles McMillan of Windsor.

McMillan has one grandson, one granddaughter and four great-grandsons.

After retiring in 1969, he spent time traveling. McMillan has visited Hawaii twice, Canada, California, the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Disney World.

"I liked Hawaii better than any other place," he said. "It was something different."

The next trip McMillan has scheduled is for September.

"If I get approved to travel to see the (WWII) Veterans Memorial in Washington," he said, "I will."

When not traveling, McMillan focuses his time on activities at the senior retirement home.

"I've been taking Spanish lessons; I love to play Bingo and the Wii," he said. "I used to bowl a lot, so when I play the Wii I still have a tendency to curve the bowling ball."

McMillan also has his own cell phone and loves crossword puzzles.

"I'm a crossword addict," he said. "The first thing I do in the morning is the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. It's very educational and gives you a lot of words."

The retirement home has also appointed McMillan as the gardener.

"I've set out tomatoes for them and peppers," he said.

McMillian's mother lived to be 95 years old.

With plenty of activities to occupy his time, McMillan has remained a healthy 100-year-old.

"Right now, when I go to the doctor, they can't find anything wrong with me," he said. "You've got to take care of yourself healthwise."

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090612/NEWS01/906120315/1002/CUSTOMERSERVICE02/100-year-old-man-attributes-longevity-to-healthy-lifestyle

Long-distance longevity

2009-06-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

Franklin — For five years, one of the few breaks Frank Ruebl got was getting out of the house to go for a run.

Every morning he'd lift his wife out of bed and get her dressed.

He did the cooking. He bathed her. He cleaned the house. He was the one who looked after the dog.

"When she was ready for her nap, I knew she would be all right," Ruebl said.

"She kept pushing me, 'Go run, Frank.' "

Ruebl is 90 years old, whippet-thin, and looks at least a decade younger.

On Saturday, he plans to run Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minn. Officials say he's the oldest runner to ever enter the popular marathon on the north shore of Lake Superior.

He's hoping for a better outcome than last year, in June 2008, when he was hobbled by knee pain and slowed by the heat and humidity. He quit midway through the race.

"I wanted to go all the way," he said. "But I couldn't."

His biggest problem wasn't physical - it was emotional. His wife, Ora, died on March 29, 2008.

To make matters worse, his dog, a 14-year-old black Labrador, died seven months after he lost his wife.

Ruebl is struggling with his losses and says it's been harder than he thought it would be. To cope, he takes a prescription for anxiety.

"I got my legs. I can run. That helps a lot. People tell me to get over it. Some people can. But I can't."

James Clemence has been Ruebl's physician since 1971.

"This was extreme devotion," he said. "She was an invalid, and he took care of her as well as anyone could have.

"It's much different than when somebody loses someone early in their life."

More elderly runners

The ranks of elderly runners have swelled over the last three decades, nurtured by advances in medicine, improved training techniques and changing perceptions about aging and physical activity.

Still, marathon runners in their 90s are extremely rare, according to Running USA.

The incessant pounding, the stress on the cardiovascular system and, of course, the pain eventually weed out even healthy older people, said Ryan Lamppa, media director for the organization, which tracks running trends.

Aside from cold weather, Ruebl said, he dwells little on the uncomfortable aspects of running. He is attracted to the solitude and the challenge each spring of ramping up the mileage after spending the winter on his well-worn exercise bike.

"It makes me feel better," he said. "I feel I need to get the workout in, or I don't feel right."

It's a common refrain from serious athletes in their middle years and beyond.

Exercise is a scratch that needs to be itched, almost every day. Training and competition satisfy a need to be challenged. And many are attracted to the camaraderie of it all.

Companionship isn't an attraction for Ruebl. "I'm a loner," he said.

But when he heads to Duluth, he will be joined by a small army of relatives. One of his grandsons will be running with him.
How much is enough?

Only three in 10 adults between ages 25 and 64 get enough leisure-time physical activity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After people reach age 65, activity levels drop even further.

How much exercise is enough?

The CDC says 30 minutes, five days a week - it can be anything from yardwork to running the 100-meter dash.

Ruebl mows his own lawn at his home in Franklin and has picked up odd jobs as a carpenter in retirement. He didn't stop working full time as a carpenter until his early 80s, when his wife needed him.

He views the work and the mental discipline of carpentry as keystones to his longevity.

Ruebl ran his first marathon when he was 59 - a double loop that started at Mayfair Mall. He's run Grandma's, Lakefront, Paavo Nurmi in Hurley, and Boston. He qualified for Boston in his early 60s by running Grandma's in 3 hours and 23 minutes - a 7:44 pace.

Ruebl describes himself as a "feel" runner, meaning he doesn't follow a strict regimen, but adjusts his training to his relative fitness.

He is also not an equipment junkie. He recently bought a new pair of shoes for the season. But until then he wore his beat-up ASICS like badges of fortitude.

"I can feel every pebble in the road," he complained before getting the new shoes.

Yet Ruebl isn't oblivious to training techniques and the running world.

He reads running magazines, and this spring, he read "Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon," by John Brant.

"It's something deep with him," said Clemence, his physician. "He has a runner's mentality, and he gets so much joy from it."

To augment the running and stationary cycling, the 5-foot-6, 130-pound Ruebl lifts 10-pound weights - dozens of times - and walks up and down his basement steps until he's tired.

He also bought a new puppy, another black lab, and named her Smokey. Same as the old dog.

"We don't always quite appreciate how phenomenal it is, what my dad is doing, because he's always been this way," said Kathy Schraufnagel, one of his daughters whom he talks to most days.
Improving with age

Ruebl is part of a subculture that seeks to improve within the context of age.

Barb Klippel, 76, of Hayward is planning on completing her 20th American Birkebeiner in February 2010 after surviving non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at 51 and an accident in 2005 that broke her skull when she fell down a flight of steps.

Since then, she trains with friends in the hills outside town and practices getting off the snow in her skis to help improve her balance.

Greg Osterman, 54, of Cincinnati started running marathons and lifting weights after a heart transplant and cancer at the age of 37.

He'd never been a runner. But after the surgery, he began walking back from the grocery store with jugs of milk to build up his strength. He desperately wanted to get back to work as a plumber and support his family.

One day during his recovery, he broke into a trot. He could feel his heart beating.

"It gave me a sense of well-being," he said, shortly after knocking off a half marathon at age 50. "This thing is really pumping, and I feel really good. I just want to keep it going."
Increasing life expectancy

In a long-term study dating to the early 1980s at a southern California retirement center, researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that exercise, brain engagement, moderate amounts of caffeine and alcohol and being slightly overweight were factors that increased life expectancy.

After he runs on his favorite route, Whitnall Park, Ruebl occasionally will drink a beer in the parking lot.

"If there is a little sunshine, that's a pretty nice day," he said.

With a few weeks to go before Grandma's Marathon, he fell behind in his training. The cold spring sapped his enthusiasm for outdoor training, and he substituted some of his running with biking indoors.

His longest run has been 8 miles, and he needs to run close to 20 miles before the race.

Over time, his pace has slowed to a fast walk.

But he's still a runner.

Two weeks before race day, the rain had sent golfers into the Whitnall clubhouse.

"I got to keep going," he said. "I've got to get some longer runs in."

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/48010402.html

The Island Where People Live Longer

2009-05-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Making it to 90 years old is awe-inspiring in much of the world. But on a tiny Greek island in the North Aegean Sea, nonagenarians barely merit a second glance.

The island of Icaria could be the newest of the world's so-called blue zones — places where residents have unusually long life spans.

Dan Buettner has crossed the globe many times over the years in search of blue zones, and he recently teamed up with AARP and National Geographic to study Icaria.

Buettner and a team of demographers work with census data to identify blue zones around the world. They found Icaria had the highest percentage of 90-year-olds anywhere on the planet — nearly 1 out of 3 people make it to their 90s.

Plus, Buettner says, "they have about 20 percent lower rates of cancer, 50 percent lower rates of heart disease and almost no dementia."

Our life spans are about 20 percent dictated by our genes, Buettner says. The rest is lifestyle. People in Icaria live in mountain villages that necessitate activity every day. "They have gardens," he says, for example. "If they go to church, if they go to their friends' house — it always occasions a small walk. But that ends up burning much more calories than going to a gym for 20 minutes a day."

"They also have a diet that's very interesting," Buettner continues. "It's very high in olive oil; it's very high in fruits and vegetables." It's also very high in greens; about 150 kinds of veggies grow wild on the island. "These greens have somewhere around 10 times the level of antioxidants in red wine."

And though they live on an island, Icarians don't eat much fish. Buettner says pirates pushed the culture up in the highlands and villagers couldn't depend on the sea as much as might be expected.

Particularly unusual to this new blue zone are the villagers' drinking habits. Tea drinking, that is. Icarians drink herbal teas every day, morning and night, Buettner says. This seems to be one of their secrets to longer living.

"We had five of these herbal teas sent to Athens and analyzed for their chemical composition," Buettner reports. "We found out that most of them were diuretics."

"It turns out that diuretics actually lower blood pressure," he says, "so when you're chronically lowering blood pressure every day with these herbal teas, that does help explain why there's lower rates of heart disease."

"That's something we haven't seen in Okinawa or Costa Rica or Sardinia or any of the other blue zones," Buettner says.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103744881

Oprah Winfrey Show focuses on health and longevity

2009-03-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

Program may include highlights from Appalachian’s Human Performance Lab in Kannapolis

Research being conducted at the N.C. Research Campus to improve people’s health and longevity will be the focus of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” Tuesday, March 24.

While the producers of the show are keeping the contents under wraps until broadcast time, Appalachian State University Professor David Nieman was one of the professors working at the research campus who was interviewed by the show’s producers. Researchers from UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University also were interviewed.

Appalachian became part of the N.C. Research Campus last May. Nieman and Andy Shanely, Fuxia Jin, Amy Knab and Margaret Downs West, also with Appalachian, are expanding on research related to exercise, nutrition and the immune system that has been conducted at Appalachian’s Human Performance Lab in the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science.

The N.C. Research Campus is a $1.5 billion biotechnology complex founded by Dole Food Co. owner David Murdock, who has long been interested in health and nutrition.

Appalachian has leased 5,200 square feet of office and research space in N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute, which is part of the research campus.

Research conducted at Appalachian during the past decade has documented the positive impact of moderate exercise on the immune system, that carbohydrate sports drinks help athletes stay healthy after high-intensity exercise, and that quercetin – an anti-oxidant found in red grapes, red wine, red apples, green tea and broccoli – helps keep people healthy.

http://www.news.appstate.edu/2009/03/17/oprah-winfrey-show/

A Word About Coenzyme Q10

2009-03-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

Every cell must have energy to survive and function. Coenzyme Q10 is needed for energy in every normal cell of the human body.

In fact, Dr. Karl Folkers, winner of the Priestley Medal for his work on CoQ10, has declared, "We know today that CoQ10 is essential for life to exist."

It has been confirmed that common manufacturing processes such as the refining of grains will remove most of the CoQ10 previously present in foods.

Also, stressful environmental and lifestyle factors can deplete CoQ10 from bodily tissues. Studies have shown that if the essential levels of CoQQ10 are allowed to decline, and the body’s vital organs and systems cannot meet their energy requirements, serious health concerns may arise.

Furthermore, with advancing age the body begins to lose its ability to supply CoQ10, making supplementation advisable.

http://www.simplexityhealth.com/greensuperfoods

Exercise increases longevity for middle-age men

2009-03-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

Men can have their life span extended by two more years if they started exercising when they are 50, say researchers.

The study conducted by Swedish researchers found that exercise increases the length of life, nonetheless, almost half of middle-age men don't exercise. But Dr. Karl Michalsson, a senior lecturer in the Department of Surgical Sciences at Uppsala University and the study's lead author, said the study offers more proof that "it's not too late for a man after the age of 50 years to invest in health and longevity by becoming more physically active."

Exercising has the same beneficial effect on life span as quitting smoking in middle age.

"Men who reported an increase in physical activity to a high level at age 60 years had, after an induction period of approximately 10 years, the same mortality risk as those who continued to have a high physical activity from age 50 to age 60 years," he said. "The magnitude of the reduction in mortality risk with increased physical activity corresponded to that of smoking cessation."

For the study, Michalsson's team collected data on 2,205 men who were 50 years old and then surveyed them again when they were 60, 70, 77 and 82. Each time, they were questioned about their level of physical activity as well as their weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking habits and alcohol use.

After adjusting the data for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that men who led sedentary lives were most likely to die during the follow-up period, and those who had the highest level of physical activity were least likely to die during that time.

In fact, men who exercised the most when they were 50 lived, on average, 2.3 years longer, and men who did moderate exercise lived 1.1 years longer than men who reported the lowest levels of exercise. It might take five to 10 years to see, but men who exercise in middle-age live longer, the researchers noted.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/09/content_10976693.htm

Reality check for men's health

2009-02-28T04:50:00.000-08:00

Most people's grandmothers outlive their grandfathers, and 85 percent of centenarians are women. Behavior patterns contribute. Eighty percent of Americans who have a serious drug addiction are men; more than 80 percent of drunk drivers are men; during young adulthood, the peak age for homicide, suicide and accidental death, three men die for every woman.

However, Daniel Kruger, a research fellow at the University of Michigan who has done extensive studies on mortality rates, notes that behavior isn't the only factor in men's shorter life span; there are contributing genetic and physiologic differences.

Just as in many other species, he says, human "males are built for competition and females for longevity." Physiologically, the male hormone testosterone builds muscle mass, while the female hormone estrogen boosts the immune system and increases the level of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.

Tom Perls, founder of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, estimates that about 30 percent of the male-female disparity in longevity is due to biological differences, and 70 percent to social and cultural factors.

Primary to those particular factors is that women are known to tune in more to their health care. Women visit the doctor more often than men, and nearly twice as often for preventive care, according to a 2001 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is trying to get men more interested in their health. An ad campaign ( www.ahrq.gov/realmen) promotes the idea of getting regular checkups.

But if you're already geared up and just need a little extra help, read on for an age-by-age breakdown on what men should do at various ages to maintain their health.
What to do in your ...

20s:

Arrange for a complete physical every five years, which should include:

• Cholesterol profile

• Blood pressure check

• Testicular cancer screening (Young men should also perform monthly self-exams.)

• Waist measurement and height and weight measurements to calculate your body mass index, or BMI

• Complete blood count, a blood-sugar test and urinalysis

• Adult-type tetanus-pertussis-diphtheria booster (and follow up every 10 years)

• Dental visit every six to 12 months

30s:

Sign up for complete physicals, which should repeat the tests conducted in your 20s, but every three years instead of every five. At 35 you can stop testicular exams.

40s:

Get a complete physical every two years.

Also:

• Schedule a baseline EKG at 40 and repeat it periodically.

• Take a fasting blood sugar test at 45, then every three years.

• Start skin cancer screening, with additional exams by a dermatologist for men at high risk.

50s:

It's time to make your complete physical an annual event. Your regular health-care schedule should from now on include these four important additions:

• Colon cancer screening, which should take one of four approaches: Annual fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) with colonoscopy if a positive test; FOBT plus sigmoidoscopy every five years; colonoscopy every 10 years; double-contrast barium enema every five to 10 years.

• Prostate cancer screening. The physician should discuss the pros and cons of annual PSA blood tests and digital rectal exams.

• Eye exams by a specialist

• Annual flu shot

60s:

In addition to maintaining the pattern established in your 50s, ask your doctor about a shingles shot. Also, get the pneumonia vaccine. At 65, men who have ever smoked should get an abdominal aortic ultrasound.

70s and beyond:

From here on out, you can keep doing what you've been doing. After all, you've made it this far.

Better still, when you hit age 75, you can delete prostate cancer screening from your checklist.

And if some of this sounds a little familiar, it's probably because you've heard it before. One of the challenges of primary care, according to Harvey B. Simon, who compiled this information, is persuading men to get regular physicals. Simon should know. He is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the editor of Harvard Men's Health Watch.

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090224/LIFESTYLE03/902240392

10 Health Habits That Will Help You Live to 100

2009-02-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

You don't need to eat yogurt and live on a mountaintop, but you do need to floss

The biggest factor that determines how well you age is not your genes but how well you live. Not convinced? A new study published in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks shows that you can cut your risk of having a stroke in half by doing the following four things: being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol.

While those are some of the obvious steps you can take to age well, researchers have discovered that centenarians tend to share certain traits in how they eat, move about, and deal with stress—the sorts of things we can emulate to improve our own aging process. Of course, getting to age 100 is enormously more likely if your parents did. Still, Thomas Perls, who studies the century-plus set at Boston University School of Medicine, believes that assuming you've sidestepped genes for truly fatal diseases like Huntington's, "there's nothing stopping you from living independently well into your 90s." Heck, if your parents and grandparents were heavy smokers, they might have died prematurely without ever reaching their true potential lifespan, so go ahead and shoot for those triple digits. Follow these 10 habits, and check out Perls' lifetime risk calculator to see how long you can expect to live.

1. Don't retire. "Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement," says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time. "After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables," he says. "They're never really inactive." Farming isn't for you? Volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corps, a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week.

2. Floss every day. That may help keep your arteries healthy. A 2008 New York University study showed that daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth. This bacteria is thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. Other research has shown that those who have high amounts of bacteria in their mouth are more likely to have thickening in their arteries, another sign of heart disease. "I really do think people should floss twice a day to get the biggest life expectancy benefits," stresses Perls.

3. Move around. "Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists," says Jay Olshansky, a professor of medicine and aging researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It's like the oil and lube job for your car. You don't have to do it, but your car will definitely run better." Study after study has documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. "And the benefits kick in immediately after your first workout," Olshansky adds. Don't worry if you're not a gym rat. Those who see the biggest payoffs are the ones who go from doing nothing to simply walking around the neighborhood or local mall for about 30 minutes a day. Building muscle with resistance training is also ideal, but yoga classes can give you similar strength-training effects if you're not into weight lifting.

4. Eat a fiber-rich cereal for breakfast. Getting a serving of whole-grains, especially in the morning, appears to help older folks maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, according to a recent study conducted by Ferrucci and his colleagues. "Those who do this have a lower incidence of diabetes, a known accelerator of aging," he says.

5. Get at least six hours of shut-eye. Instead of skimping on sleep to add more hours to your day, get more to add years to your life. "Sleep is one of the most important functions that our body uses to regulate and heal cells," says Ferrucci. "We've calculated that the minimum amount of sleep that older people need to get those healing REM phases is about six hours." Those who reach the century mark make sleep a top priority.

6. Consume whole foods, not supplements. Strong evidence suggests that people who have high blood levels of certain nutrients—selenium, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E—age much better and have a slower rate of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that taking pills with these nutrients provides those antiaging benefits. "There are more than 200 different carotenoids and 200 different flavonoids in a single tomato," points out Ferrucci, "and these chemicals can all have complex interactions that foster health beyond the single nutrients we know about like lycopene or vitamin C." Avoid nutrient-lacking white foods (breads, flour, sugar) and go for all those colorful fruits and vegetables and dark whole-grain breads and cereals with their host of hidden nutrients.

7. Be less neurotic. It may work for Woody Allen, who infuses his worries with a healthy dose of humor, but the rest of us neurotics may want to find a new way to deal with stress. "We have a new study coming out that shows that centenarians tend not to internalize things or dwell on their troubles," says Perls. "They are great at rolling with the punches." If this inborn trait is hard to overcome, find better ways to manage when you're stressed: Yoga, exercise, meditation, tai chi, or just deep breathing for a few moments are all good. Ruminating, eating chips in front of the TV, binge drinking? Bad, very bad.

8. Live like a Seventh Day Adventist . Americans who define themselves as Seventh Day Adventists have an average life expectancy of 89, about a decade longer than the average American. One of the basic tenets of the religion is that it's important to cherish the body that's on loan from God, which means no smoking, alcohol abuse, or overindulging in sweets. Followers typically stick to a vegetarian diet based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, and get plenty of exercise. They're also very focused on family and community.

9. Be a creature of habit. Centenarians tend to live by strict routines, says Olshansky, eating the same kind of diet and doing the same kinds of activities their whole lives. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is another good habit to keep your body in the steady equilibrium that can be easily disrupted as you get on in years. "Your physiology becomes frailer when you get older," explains Ferrucci, "and it's harder for your body to bounce back if you, say, miss a few hours of sleep one night or drink too much alcohol." This can weaken immune defenses, leaving you more susceptible to circulating flu viruses or bacterial infections.

10. Stay connected. Having regular social contacts with friends and loved ones is key to avoiding depression, which can lead to premature death, something that's particularly prevalent in elderly widows and widowers. Some psychologists even think that one of the biggest benefits elderly folks get from exercise the strong social interactions that come from walking with a buddy or taking a group exercise class. Having a daily connection with a close friend or family member gives older folks the added benefit of having someone watch their back. "They'll tell you if they think your memory is going or if you seem more withdrawn," says Perls, "and they might push you to see a doctor before you recognize that you need to see one yourself."

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/baby-boomer-health/2009/02/20/10-health-habits-that-will-help-you-live-to-100.html?PageNr=2

'Elderly' no longer acceptable word for older people

2009-02-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

A new guide for journalists warns against using terms which discriminate against people of a certain age.

'Senior', 'fossil' and 'biddy' have been blacklisted by the lexicon of unacceptable phrases, which has been compiled by an international think tank.

Instead, people aged over 50 should be referred to as 'older people' or simply 'man' or 'woman' followed by their age, the guide suggests.

'Old ladies' of both the 'little' and 'sweet' variety are also to be avoided, according to the report.

The advice is included in a media guide on reporting issued by the think tank The International Longevity Center, and ageism campaign group Aging Services of California.

The guide says it aims to help journalists report stories about "older people" in a "fair contemporary and unbiased" manner.

The authors of the report state that 80 per cent of older Americans have been subjected to ageist stereotypes.

"While names and characterisations may vary, the message is the same: older men and women are incompetent and lack sufficiency," the guide states.

Journalists are advised: "If you need to identify individuals over the age of 50, 'older adults' is preferred over 'senior' and 'elderly', which can be discriminatory in nature.

"After all, we don't refer to people under 50 as 'junior citizens'.

"Instead, say 'man' and 'woman', and give the age, if relevant to the story."

In a preface to the report, Robert Butler, president of the International Longevity Centre, described the guide as "an important step in overcoming ageist language and beliefs".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4596139/Elderly-no-longer-acceptable-word-for-older-people.html

Simple Changes That Slow Down The Aging Process

2009-02-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

We live in a society in which everybody seems to want to look and feel younger than their chronological age, yet too many of us live lifestyles that will make us look anything but youthful. The truth is that overeating, cramming junk food down your throat and sitting on your bottom playing video games and watching TV when you aren't at work will actually speed up the aging process. If you also drink a lot of alcohol, smoke cigarettes or partake of illegal drugs you will grow old even more rapidly. If you live unhealthily even the most expensive anti aging skin care products available on the market can do nothing to help slow down the aging process. If you want to slow down the aging process so that you can look and feel younger than your years and increase your life expectancy, you must change the way you live.

What You Put Into Your Body

If you would like to slow down the aging process you have to eat right. Most of us know that a healthy diet comprises more whole foods like fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and whole grains and less of those products that contain an excess of carbohydrates or saturated fats. However, following a healthy eating plan is easier said than done. If you want to start eating right keep away from fast food outlets and go grocery shopping when you aren't hungry so you'll be less inclined to put high calorie items into your shopping cart.

If you want to slow down the aging process you will also need to watch the number of calories you consume. Just because you are eating healthier food that doesn't mean you can eat 3,000 calories per day. If you ate enough apples you would still get fat. The key to maintaining a healthy BMI is not to eat more calories than your body is able to burn. You may find it helps to stop eating just before you start to feel full.

Taking regular vitamin and mineral supplements can also do a great deal to slow down the aging process. It stands to reason that when the cells and tissues of the body receive all of the minerals, vitamins and essential nutrients they need for optimal functioning they work better and do not degenerate as rapidly.

What You Do

If you would like to do what is required to slow down the aging process you also need to change what you do. Too many of us do not exercise at all despite the fact that we have jobs that entail sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day. If you want your heart, muscles and skeleton to remain strong then regular cardiovascular and resistance exercise is a must.

You also need to keep your mind active if you do not want to develop senile dementia in your old age. Find a hobby that stimulates your brain and spend some time doing crossword puzzles and IQ tests whenever you feel bored. Read books, debate with friends and play competitive games like chess and scrabble with them. Take an active role in family life and get involved with your community. Do whatever it takes to stop your mind from becoming passive and sheep-like.

http://www.worldmedicalguide.com/medical-treatment/anti-aging/simple-changes-that-slow-down-the-aging-process/

The drive for longer life

2009-01-08T20:13:00.000-08:00

Four factors that have slowed America's push for greater longevity

How long can you expect to live? The answer to that tantalizing question tells a lot about the success of a nation -- or the lack of it.
If the people in some countries tend to live several years longer than the global average (as they do in, say, Japan or Singapore or most European nations) that suggests that their populations are generally healthy. But if they are below the global average, that suggests they drink too much alcohol or have other unhealthy habits (as is the case in, say, Russia).

With costs soaring and consumers asked to make more decisions, you need up-to-date health advice.

• Health-care reform on front burner
• Baseball stats and better health
• Flu vaccines revved up
• Health plans 'skimpier'

Read the Health Matters Blog

The U.S. performed spectacularly well in the longevity competition during the 20th Century. Longevity in America famously surged from an average 47 years in 1900 to 77 years in 2000. We can credit many factors, including the virtual elimination of malaria, small pox and many childhood diseases.

Not only are Americans living longer, they are also working for more years than their forebears and they are retiring later. This is partly because they have to continue working in order to support themselves in a slower economy and also, in many cases, because they wish to stay active and alert.

The problem with this triumphant prolongation of life is that the gains in U.S. longevity have slowed in the last five years or so and this has alarmed scientists and policy makers who study it.

Dr. Robert Butler, 81, the influential and prescient physician who is CEO of the International Longevity Center in New York, believes that at least four forces are at work here:

1. The shockingly high infant mortality rate in the U.S. Mostly because so many babies are born in urban slums and country hollows, where prenatal and infant care is often primitive, America has the second steepest newborn mortality rate among developed nations. In 2005, the latest year for which statistics are available, about seven out of every 1,000 babies in the U.S. died before their first birthdays. Though there has been steady improvement for many years, the U.S. is 29th in the world, behind even Cuba.

2. The multibillion dollar political power of the industries that contribute to the steep rate of obesity among U.S. children and adults, such as fast foods and sugared drinks. Butler urges that the U.S. government create public-private initiatives to promote healthier diets and physical fitness programs among the public at large.

3. The estimated 46 million Americans (15.8 percent of the population) who do not have health insurance and thus lack the kind of medical care that would expand and enhance longevity.

4. The slowdown in medical research in the U.S. Especially absent is the kind of what-makes-the-sky-blue basic research usually conducted by younger scientists and technicians, who tend to be the most innovative, daring, productive -- and successful when it comes to life-expanding discoveries.

The main support for basic medical research in the U.S. is not universities or drug manufacturers but the government, notably the National Institutes of Health. The NIH's budget has been flattened since 2003 -- hovering around $29 billion -- with the result that the rate of discoveries has slowed. Among them, presumably, are the kinds of discoveries that would add to longevity.

Another factor, says Butler, is the researchers who receive NIH grants are getting older. Butler reckons that the average age of researchers receiving their first NIH grant is about 42, whereas he believes it should be 28 or 30.

The encouraging news is that all these challenges can be addressed -- provided the nation has the will to do so. Indeed, the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama and Congress in Washington are already committed to make health-care reform one of their immediate and massive issues.

If they add to that the commitment to battle infant mortality, obesity and the flattening of medical research, they will create a new and needed strategy for making American longevity even more vital.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/four-reasons-americas-drive-longer/story.aspx?guid={1FE4B90E-4DDA-438F-92D1-D3B1FE0468C3}&dist=msr_1

Meditation As A Tool For Good Health And Longevity

2008-12-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

Latest research indicates that meditation is more than an antidote to the stress of modern living; it’s an important tool for health and longevity.

Meditation may increase longevity. In a three year study carried out at an elderly care facility it was found that 80-year-olds who learned to meditate were not only happier, but were also much better adjusted and lived longer than non- meditators.

What is meditation?

Meditation is difficult to define because it has so many different forms and it is a very personal process and experience.

Broadly, it can be described as a mental practice in which you focus your attention on one particular subject or object. More specifically (and perhaps academic) the Collins dictionary describes it as, ‘to think about something deeply... to reflect deeply on spiritual matters...’

It has historically been associated with religion, but it can also be secular, and exactly what you focus your attention on is largely a matter of personal choice. It may be a mantra (repeated word or phrase), breathing patterns, or simply an awareness of being alive.

Some of the more common forms of meditative practices include Buddhist Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, Transcendental Meditation, and Zen Meditation.

The claims made for meditation range from increasing immunity, improving asthma and increasing fertility through to reducing the effects of ageing. There is also evidence in the efficacy of meditation in treating psoriasis, type 2 diabetes, eating disorders and symptoms associated with cancer.

Precisely why meditation is so beneficial for such a wide variety of cases is unclear; it may be related to stress hormones. Just four months of regular meditation reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol significantly.

Although the exact mechanism of meditation is unclear but it’s becoming more obvious that we all can benefit from this practise. Perhaps its time to ponder over the significance of meditation as part of the healing process.

Read more:

http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/natural-health-articles/healthy-living/meditation-tool-health-longevity-71456.html

Living Too Long Now Considered a Problem: Beware of "Longevity Risk"

2008-12-03T14:21:00.001-08:00

Don't live too long, or you might run out of money. That's the message from a Reuters article that documents the financial challenges of an 84-year-old woman who has lost half her life savings in the recent financial implosion.

What the story doesn't report, however, is that the party most concerned with Americans living too long is, in fact, the United States government, which must pay billions of dollars in benefits to people if they live long enough to collect social security and Medicare benefits.

How convenient, then, that deadly chemicals like synthetic fluoride are dripped into the water supply, huh? What a coincidence that the entire system of conventional medicine endorsed by the federal government is based on chemicals that kill people instead of nutritional therapies that extend life.

I'm not saying the government is trying to kill you. Then again, it can't exactly afford to keep you alive for too long. You're only useful to Washington as long as you work as a tax-paying wage slave. Once you stop earning an income from which taxes can be confiscated, you're no longer a useful member of society to the top bureaucrats, and you instead become a financial liability.

Ever wonder why they give out free vaccine shots to all the senior citizens every Winter? Because vaccines increase the death rate! (I dare you to try to refute this. Look at the studies and you'll see that vaccines are actually associated with a HIGHER death rate than placebo.)

Living a long time, you see, is now considered a problem. And for every such problem, the government has an answer: Die younger!

http://www.naturalnews.com/News_000539_longevity_social_security_senior_citizens.html

An ageing population means a ticking timebomb for governments

2008-12-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

Like it or not we are all getting older. Not just you and me as individuals, but the populations of pretty much every country in the world.

Since 1950, the median age, which marks the point at which half the global population is older and half is younger, has risen from 24 to 28. The United Nations expects that by 2050, half of all people in developed countries like Britain will be over 40.

One in every 14 people in the world today is over 65 but by the middle of the century it is likely that one in six of us will be. And don't even ask about geriatric wards like Italy and Japan, where a fifth of the population is already in retirement. This signals a profound economic and social change, with big implications for businesses and investors. I've seen the future and it's Florida.

There's no secret about what's driving this ageing process. We are living longer and having fewer children. On top of those two long-term trends, there's another factor at play – the 20-year baby boom that followed the Second World War has distorted demographic statistics like a pig passing through a python.

That bulge has reached a critical point now, because the first boomers are about to retire. We have reached a financial, economic and social watershed, according to John Llewellyn who has written an impressive analysis of The Business of Ageing for Nomura. "The challenges are substantial" he says, "yet curiously few companies are prepared for this."

Ageing gets a bad press, although as the folksy title of a book I stumbled on recently puts it "Getting Old Sucks: But It Sure Beats the Alternative". Indeed, there's probably something to those annoying claims that 80 is the new 65. Studies of longevity and health show that the onset of chronic diseases is coming later in life even as our life-spans are extending. If age is measured in terms of health rather than years, then it is right to compare a 65-year-old in 1950 with an 80-year-old today.

That fact on its own explodes a number of myths about ageing and the economy and means that the usual pessimism about demographic changes might be somewhat unfounded. It means, for example, that increasing longevity will not necessarily lead to unsustainable healthcare budgets. Yes, healthcare spending will rise because an ageing population means more people are, by definition, in their final years, in which health costs often soar. But because the additional years are generally healthy ones, longevity itself is not a problem.

Conventional wisdom also says that ageing populations lead to slower economic growth and stretched pension schemes. Again there's truth in this, but likely policy changes mean it might overstate the problem.

The UN predicts that by 2050 the working-age population in developed countries will have fallen by almost 100m from 820m today. If that were to happen, GDP growth would indeed slump below the recent average and there would be a massive rise in the tax burden on those in work or a huge fall in the real value of spending on public pensions and health.

Neither will be politically acceptable, however, so we can expect policy-makers to encourage more of us to stay in the workplace for longer and remove incentives, such as those implicit in final salary pension schemes, for us to stop working even earlier than the official retirement age.

When the US Social Security Program started in 1935, the retirement age was set at 65 but the average life expectancy was 61. Today, if an American woman is still alive at 65 she can expect to live for another 20 years or more, so someone soon is going to have to bite the bullet.

If we are living longer and having to work longer (or indeed choosing to), then businesses face a challenge that few have yet grasped. The fact that everyone mentions B&Q's championing of older workers in this context shows how it is the exception not the rule. But if the proportion of over-60s in the workplace soars as predicted – from 2pc to 20pc in France, for example – then companies will face a long list of age-related issues.

Inter alia, they will need to rethink their work schedules to meet a desire for more flexibility, develop different training programmes and rewrite their compensation schemes. It will no longer be the case that everyone retires abruptly on their peak salary. A move to part-time working and lower salaries to reflect declining productivity may become the norm.

Spotting the companies that can grow old as gracefully as their workforces is one challenge for investors. Another will be assessing which can also rise to the challenge of ageing customers. Baby boomers represent a third of the populations of many developed countries. Against this backdrop, the cult of youth among marketers looks ever more anomalous. Especially as this is probably the first generation in history to be simultaneously old and wealthy.

Picking the winners in this ageing world will be doubly important if, as some economists believe, demographics provide an overall headwind for investors in developed markets. As the boomers shift their attention from accumulating assets to liquidating them in retirement, markets will find it harder to make progress than in the post-war generation's highest-earning and asset-gathering years in the 1980s and 1990s.

It's another reason why, this year's carnage notwithstanding, the young markets in the developing world are where the investment action will be.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/3526700/An-ageing-population-means-a-ticking-timebomb-for-governments.html

Caregiving Linked to Improved Longevity

2008-12-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

New evidence suggests that caregivers may derive health benefits from their altruistic efforts. In a recent study, older people who spent at least 14 hours a week taking care of their disabled spouses lived longer than those who did not.

The study, which will be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, supports earlier findings that altruistic actions may improve health and longevity.

Researchers from the University of Michigan reviewed seven years of data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study. The analysis included 1,688 couples who were 70 years of age or older and living unassisted.

At the beginning of the study, participants reported how many hours a week their partners helped with everyday activities such as eating, dressing and preparing meals.

Most participants (about 81 percent) did not provide any living assistance to their spouses. Nine percent provided less than 14 hours of help per week, and 10 percent provided 14 hours or more of help per week.

By the end of the study, 909 people died. After controlling for health, age, race, gender, education, employment status and net worth, the authors found that those who provided at least 14 hours of care a week were significantly less likely to have died during the study than those who did not provide any care.

"These findings suggest that caregivers may actually benefit from providing care under some circumstances," said University of Michigan researcher Stephanie Brown, lead author of the study report. "Previous studies have documented negative health effects of caregiving. But the current results show that it is time to disentangle the presumed stress of providing help from the stress of witnessing a loved one suffer."

In 2009, Brown plans to conduct a new study that will examine how altruistic behavior affects well-being. This research, funded by the National Science Foundation, will focus on the neurological effects of altruistic behavior.

For more information about caregiviging, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.

Alabama man turns 112, still spends days drawing

2008-07-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Bent over or sitting at a table, gripping a ballpoint pen, marker or crayon, Frank Calloway spends his days turning visions from his youth into lively murals — and at 112 years old, the images of his childhood are a window to another time.

Drawn on sheets of butcher paper and sometimes stretching to more than 30 feet long, the works mostly show rural agricultural scenes, with buildings, trains and vehicles straight out of the early 20th century. And his colorful creations are gaining more attention in the art world.

The works by a man who has lived about half his life in state mental health centers will be part of an exhibit this fall at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. His caretakers have suspended sales of his artwork until after the show after finding out some of his drawings could sell for thousands of dollars.

"They are unique in that they are of a rural, agrarian South, and they speak to a time gone by," said Sara Anne Gibson, executive director of the Kentuck Museum in Northport, Ala., which hosted a monthlong exhibition of Calloway's works two years ago.

Calloway views art as his job and sits at a table by a window drawing for seven to nine hours a day, usually wearing blue denim overalls and a crisp dress shirt, said Nedra Moncrief-Craig, director of Alice M. Kidd Nursing Facility, a state home where Calloway now lives.

"He draws all day long except for the time that he spends in activity and eating his meals," Moncrief-Craig said. "That's what he loves to do."

He was born on July 2, 1896, and has lived in mental health centers since 1952, when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Moncrief-Craig said that patient confidentiality prevents her from discussing his condition in depth but did say he shows signs of dementia. He lives in the geriatric division of the home on the Bryce Hospital campus in Tuscaloosa.

Details about Calloway's youth are few. He says he remembers growing up with brothers and, as a "little, bitty, little boy," playing under the quilts his mother made as if they were tents. He has no known family left and there is no record of his ever being married. He talks frequently about working hard and mentions laying railroad rails, cutting lumber, farming and working for a blacksmith, but there are no records of his life before he entered the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation system.

"I couldn't get time to go to school much, stopped in the third grade reader, that's all I could get, third grade reader," Calloway said in a recent interview. "A school teacher put me to drawing a long time ago, drawing pictures."

But aside from the occasional drawing, his talent lay dormant until he took an art class in the 1980s and began to draw again, which has continued to this day.

Calloway still has a full head of closely cropped white hair, gets around on his own and goes on excursions and restaurant outings organized by the nursing home, Moncrief-Craig said.

"Most people see his age. You know, what I see is his ability, the beauty that he actually puts on paper, that comes out of him and his mind," she said.

Calloway's circle of admirers extends outside Alabama.

"There's a presence with him, I'm telling you, that feels angelic," said Rebecca Hoffberger, founder and director of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, which will borrow 18 scrolls from Calloway for an exhibit in October called "The Marriage of Art, Science and Philosophy."

Hoffberger said she was charmed by Calloway's personality when she met him earlier this year and equally impressed by his artwork.

"I was very dazzled by his choice of color," she said. "Also, there's a rhythm, maybe dictated by the long sheets of paper that he works on, that makes it seem like he's just going on and on, recording the memories of his life."

She said Calloway's work is a perfect fit for her museum whose mission statement describes visionary art as that "produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself."

Hoffberger called Calloway brilliant and described looking through notebooks full of numbers he keeps and noticing that there was a definite logical pattern to the strings of figures. There is "an instinctive attraction to math that is so inherent in his work," she said.

Rows of numbers line the edges of some of his artwork, and he sometimes stops in the middle of conversations to methodically recite multiplication tables.

Calloway is content being quietly absorbed in his work, but he also enjoys talking if people ask questions, Moncrief-Craig said. He listens intently and responds at length in a deep, gravelly voice as he rocks gently back and forth, often punctuating the end of a story with a soft chuckle and a huge smile that lights up his broad face that has very few wrinkles.

Though he frequently goes on day trips outside the nursing home, Calloway seems to live in a long-gone era, pulling images from that time for his drawings, Moncrief-Craig said.

Last year, after a trip to Alabama's Gulf Coast, Calloway decided to draw boats. But the boats are big old riverboats propelled by paddlewheels, not the modern ones he'd actually seen.

Several years ago, when people started showing interest in buying Calloway's art, Moncrief-Craig decided he needed a guardian. Since 2006, Zondra Taylor Hutto has filled that role. The attorney is the Tuscaloosa County guardian, conservator and administrator for several residents, including Calloway.

Calloway used to give away some of his creations or sell them for $50, but Moncrief-Craig and Hutto have stopped dealing the work since an appraiser said they could be worth thousands. They hope to have more of an idea how much the art should go for after the Baltimore show.

Calloway has few expenses that aren't covered by Medicaid, so any profits will go into a special needs trust in his name so he won't lose his benefits. The money can be used for items such as art supplies that aren't covered by the government. When he dies, the remaining money will go to the state or to the state Medicaid agency, which has provided his care all these years.

Plans are for Calloway to attend the opening of the Baltimore show. It will be his first trip on an airplane and likely the first time he's left Alabama. Hutto said she looks forward to sharing his work with a wider audience.

"His art overcomes boundaries," she said. "People may say, 'Well, he's a folk artist. I don't like folk art.' But if you ever meet him, there is such life in what he creates, and you can't look at one of his paintings without seeing that smile, without seeing that gentle man."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iZOFH1X_5E3ylepqBI97a9vNZmFgD921PCBGA

Youth Formula - What is the secret of the Youth Formula?

2008-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

The commercial market has recognized the enormous potential of Human Growth Hormone releasers and has produced a flood of cheap imitations of our Formula. Unless they are formulated in the same way as our product they are, in effect, a waste of money, as they will not work. Our product the Youth Formula carries a patent based on proven science. No other product is licensed to use this patented formulation.

So, with a large number of cheap sounding substitutes on the market how can people make a reasoned choice? Only by understanding the unique power of the patented "Youth Formula". Please read on.

The proprietary Youth Formula is the secretagogue that encourages the pituitary to release its own human growth hormone in quantities similar to that of people in their mid twenties. Human growth hormone has been shown to support beneficial cellular activity and generation. The proprietary formulation is supported by the grant of US patent number 6,346264 (this can be viewed on the Web, US patent and full text Database). Do not be mislead by other products with a "Patent Pending"

Anyone can apply for a Patent, its easy, pending just means you have applied for one. Very few are ever granted. The Patent took 2 years to get and cost in excess of a quarter of a million dollars. This is the only Patent that has ever been granted for this process, anywhere.

This product uses only the purest pharmacological grade ingredients and production methods. Expense is not a consideration in the manufacturing process.

It is manufactured to Kosher/Pareve standard plus its ingredients are non-GMO (meaning non-Genetically Modified Organism). The production standards are exacting and constantly monitored. Additionally, every batch is randomly sampled for quality, content and conformity.

The product in question contains all those Amino Acids shown by research to be critical in combination for the release your own human growth hormone.

The company behind this product has established that 5000 mg plus of the formulation of amino acids (a serving of 6 capsules) is needed to be effective. Scientific research has shown that smaller amounts simply DO NOT WORK.

Our Medical Doctors insist on stringent quality control and repeated testing, both during, and after manufacturing. This ensures that the product formulation remains safe and effective.

It contains no artificial stimulants, fillers, worthless ingredients with scientific sounding names or bovine products; even the capsules themselves are plant based. Just the finest amino acid complex that money can buy.

The Youth Formula is made up to a standard, not down to a price. Each of its high quality ingredients are necessary and the amount of each critical. If the company wanted to produce a cheaper product it could do so by cutting back on amino acid quality, quantity and by substituting fillers for effective ingredients. But being dedicated to its customer's health and longevity it will not compromise principles for the sake of short-term profit.

Checklist for Competing Products

What is in the bottle? If there is not a list on the label with each ingredient shown - don't touch it. Vague descriptions such as "amino peptide complexes" say very little about the actual ingredients. When in doubt refer to your product fact sheet.

If the product contains GABA or DHEA or other chemical stimulants avoid them as these are added to some products to give an artificial feeling of well being. This also applies to amino-peptides and pepticle complexes. Indeed some of these stimulants have been banned in the US or Canada as potentially harmful to mind or body. We believe that the long term effectiveness of the “Youth Formula” is stimulus enough.

If the label suggests taking with meals the manufacturer shows a lack of understanding of the biochemistry entailed, as human growth hormone release will not be facilitated.

If the other product directions say less than 6 capsules per day (5352 milligrams) be suspicious. Don't you think that the company would cut costs if the same effects could be produced with less amino acids?

If the capsules or content are not specified as beef- or animal-free you may not risk taking them.

Are the contents based on genetically modified plant sources? This company actively rejects such products.

If the product purports to contain Growth Hormone itself, do not take, the source may be animal. At best your own feed back loop, which ensures no overload, may be compromised. Constant testing of an individual's blood growth hormone levels may be required with such products.

If the product is an under tongue spray don't bother. The necessary molecules are too big to pass the buccal membranes. Larger even than those of insulin. Would not diabetics be able to take their insulin by this means if it was effective - thus avoiding daily injections?

http://www.fundednfree.com/youth-formula.html

Leafy Greens for a Long Life

2008-07-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

Looking for another way to go green? Start with your salad — there is much more in the produce section than just iceberg lettuce. With benefits ranging from a healthy immune system to strong bones, dark leafy greens will add fantastic flavor to your salads — and years to your life.

Greens: A Great Source of Folate

There is no way to predict who will contract fatal age-related conditions such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, but one way to lower your odds may be to raise your daily folate intake. Scientists have found that older people have a tendency to be deficient in folate, which enables vitamins B6 and B12 to aid in hormone secretion, synthesize DNA, and manufacture the protective coating around nerves.

These three tasks are considered to be major factors in our bodies' defenses against these diseases. Folate is found in numerous foods — spinach, kale, beet greens, chard to name a few — but it is destroyed by heat, so these foods must be eaten raw or lightly cooked. This is one rare instance in which the synthetic form of folic acid is more easily absorbed by the body than the natural one. For people over the age of 50, a dose of 800 micrograms per day is recommended.

Can't Beat Beet Greens

Beets are an all-in-one superfood! The colorful beets contain powerful nutrients that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and cancer, especially colon cancer. And studies show that beets protect liver cells from harmful chemicals with a compound called betacyanin, one of the flavonoid families of antioxidant nutrients. So while roasted and boiled beets are a tasty and nutritious addition to any salad, consider that the beet greens are more nutritious than the beets themselves!

Beet greens are delicious and are rich in vitamins and minerals as well as beta-carotene and lutein. They have almost twice the potassium of beets and contain high levels of folic acid, which can help ward off certain birth defects and lung cancer. Beet greens can be prepared like any leafy green vegetable — sautéed in olive oil, steamed on the stovetop, or thrown into soups to up the health content.

Spinach Makes Health a Cinch

Spinach — packed with iron, beta-carotene, and vitamins C and K — is an essential food for strong bones and a healthy immune system. And it is rich in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the retina from age-related macular degeneration, making spinach crucial for healthy vision.

Before using, swish the spinach in a bowl of cold water until all grit is gone. Curly spinach will require cooking but the more readily available flat-leaf spinach is sweeter and works well in salads. Baby spinach is tender and mild, making it great to use raw in salads. To get healthy benefits for your eyesight, sauté your spinach in a little olive oil, since fat can increase lutein absorption. Keep in mind that fresh spinach decreases dramatically in volume when cooked. One pound will cook down to 1 cup — but you will be getting a hearty helping of nutrients in this small portion!

Fine and Dandelion

Disdained by gardeners as a pesky weed, this leafy green has been revered by traditional Chinese medicine as a powerful liver tonic. Dandelion is said to enhance the flow of bile in your body, improving the function of your liver, and remedying liver conditions such as hepatitis, gallstones, and jaundice. A daily cup of dandelion tea is recommended for anyone who feels run-down, sluggish, and over-stressed.

Aside from its herbal merits, dandelion greens are also an incredibly healthy food — chock full of vitamin C, higher in beta-carotene than carrots and richer in iron and calcium content than spinach. Toss a few raw dandelion leaves in your salad to add a hearty flavor. For the bigger, bitter-tasting leaves, blanch in boiling water for 45 seconds to soften the bitterness. Or sauté them for about 15 minutes with onions and garlic in olive oil.

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/14957/leafy-greens-for-a-long-life/

Coffee boosts longevity

2008-07-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

A NEW study just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that people who regularly indulge in coffee may live longer than those who don't.

The authors of this study reviewed data from two large ongoing studies that have followed health professionals over more than twenty years, including their dietary habits - the Nurses' Health Study, and, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

What they found was that people who drank at least five to seven cups of coffee per week had a significantly lower overall risk of dying from any cause compared to those who did not drink coffee; people who drank 4-5 cups per day or more seemed to have the strongest protection.

The effect was usually stronger in women than in men, and most of the reduction in death was due to a reduction in cardiovascular disease.

Women who consumed coffee in this study also had a small reduction in the risk of diabetes as well as chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis of the liver.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/07/03/13206_more-health.html

Longevity: The one tell-tale sign that suggests how long you will live

2008-06-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

We all worry about how long we’re going to live, and doctors tell us that one important indicator is our BMI (body-mass index). But there’s another measurement that’s just as important, and which takes seconds to do.

Researchers have discovered that our waist circumference is just as vital as our BMI for predicting just how long we have to live. The crunch seems to be at 40 inches (102 cm) for a man, and 34.6 inches (88 cm) for a woman. If that’s your waist measurement or if it’s even higher, you increase by 20 per cent your chances of dying sooner.

Researchers from the National Institute on Ageing made the discovery when they analysed the BMI and waist measurement of 154,776 men and 90,757 women who, at the time, were between 51 and 72 years old.

They then checked back nine years later, and those with a large waist were 20 per cent more likely to have died, even after allowing for their BMI levels.

http://www.wddty.com/03363800372658790048/longevity-the-one-tell-tale-sign-that-suggests-how-long-you-will-live.html

hgh youth formula

2008-06-17T17:59:00.001-07:00

Since the publication of a number of landmark studies on the hgh youth formula, it has been shown that if the body's growth hormone releasing pattern is mimicked more closely, the effects of normalizing levels are more profound and side effects are minimized.

The natural secretagogue in the hgh Youth Formula appears to offer the best opportunity for doing this in a natural and physiological way without interfering with the body's feedback loop.

Dr. Klatz, President of the American Academy of AntiAging Medicine (AW), noted in his book, Grow Young With HGH, that "some of the best HGH releasers were the amino acids. These, in combination with a dietary program and exercise, can offer results which are very significant."

HGH Youth Formula

The hgh Youth Formula recommended here contains the right amino acids in the correct proportions to contribute to HGH release, formulated in a proprietary and specific way to ensure its maximum effect as a dietary supplement. The hgh Youth Formula is not a drug!

The Secrets of Youth

Some amino acids can be made in the body from basic building blocks, but others (nine out of the twenty needed for protein building) are called essential amino acids, as the body is unable to manufacture them and they have to be supplied in the food that we eat.

Arginine, along with Lysine, was one of the amino acids demonstrated in the 1981 study to cause HGH release when combined in specific proportions. Other essential amino acids contained in the product we recommend are Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine and Valine.

Lysine boosts the effectiveness of Arginine and is also said to affect growth as well as having immuneboosting properties of its own. Ornithine can be synthesized in the body and is now also known to help stimulate HGH release.

Glutamine can also be synthesized in the body but may not always be made by the body in sufficient quantities in times of stress. Dr. Klatz notes that the astrointestinal tract and the immune system"practically live on it", and that withoutsufficiently available levels, thegastrointestinal tract does not function as well, and nutrients are less well absorbed.

The other amino acids in the hgh Youth Formula contribute to the effects of the supplement and the amino acids listed above. This type of combination of amino acids is known as an amino acid stack. The patent pending formula offers the individual benefits of all of its amino acids and more. This formula is our effective means of increasing the body's natural production of HGH.

It is interesting to note that the body continues to make adequate amounts of HGH even into old age, at the same time the production of certain other hormones declines with age. Restoring HGH levels to those of youth levels meant finding products or supplements which would encourage thepituitary gland to release the HGH that it was already making. The combination has been shown to be able to do this: restoring those youthful levels for most of us without overstimulating our production or subjecting us to injections of the hormone itself.

The product we recommend works as the ultimate dietary supplement by assisting the body's ability to secrete HGH naturally in a manner which is safe and effective as well as being affordable.

Many individuals, when taking this dietary supplement, will notice an immediate effect with some of those improvements noted earlier. The scientific literature suggests that maximum effects occur over a three-to-si x- month time frame. It is suggested that when starting, it should be taken for a minimum of three months, preferably along with a dietary and exercise regime in order to ensure maximal benefits.

This HGH Youth Formula has been prepared in capsule form for maximum ease of use as well as availability and absorption. Taken on an empty stomach, this is easily achieved by taking it half an hour before or two hours after eating. This ensures that it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream to derive maximum benefit.

Men should take this product in a single serving of 6 capsules at bedtime and women in two servings of three capsules twice daily, on an empty stomach, to most accurately reflect the natural release of HGH in both men and women.

Men release most of their HGH in a large spike about 90 minutes after failing asleep while in a deep sleep. Where as women tend to release HGH in smaller spikes over a 24hour period.

Much of this information will be new toindividuals who are interested in anti-aging, a field which is just on the verge of exploding into the public domain.

Almost daily, articles appear in newspapers and magazines with regard to ways in which we may be able to slow down or even reverse the aging process. On December 14, 1998, a paper delivered at the American Society of CellBiology Convention in San Francisco by Professor Lee Sweeney, the leader of a team of geneticists at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, showed that age-related muscle loss in mice could be reversed by inserting a fresh copy of a gene for IGF-1 into cells. One day this may be used to treat muscle-wasting diseases aswell as preventing the weakness and shrinkage of muscles in old age.

This discovery was described by David Derbyshire in the British newspaper, "The Daily Mail" on Tuesday, December 15, 1998,as having the potential for "a magic bullet of youth."

hgh Youth Formula

Raising HGH levels increases IGF-1 levels. This can be achieved by the formula discussed here without the need for expensive injection therapy.

http://www.fundednfree.com/hghyouthformula.html

Intelligent people 'could live 15 years longer'

2008-06-16T09:12:00.001-07:00

London (PTI): It seems there may be some truth in the old clich about being old and wise, for a new study has revealed that brainy people are likely to live 15 years longer.

Researchers at Calabria University in Italy have found that longevity is because the brains of intelligent people age more slowly -- thanks to the very gene SSADH which makes them clever actually.

According to them, those with the less "smart" variant of the gene, are unlikely to live beyond 85 but those blessed with a "good" version of the same gene could expect to live up to 100 years.

The Italian team came to the conclusion after analysing a research involving 500 elderly men and women. They asked 115 people within the sample, who fell into the 65 to 85 age group, to take cognitive tests.

Those with the less intelligent variant of the gene performed significantly worse confirming the earlier pattern.

The researchers also noticed that few of those with the "bad" version lived beyond 85 while those with the "good" form were likely to live to 100.

However, lead researcher Prof Giuseppe Passarino said that having two copies of the "bad" form did not automatically mean having a low IQ.

"There's no doubt lifestyle such as reading, having challenging work and enriching your cultural life is far more important than having the bad variant," the British media quoted Prof Passarino as saying.

Added Professor Robert Plomin of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College in London, who first identified the cognitive effects of SSADH gene nearly four years ago: The findings are "significant".

"The two associations taken together tell a good story. Although the sample size is small, with only 115 taking the test compared with the thousands expected in today's studies, the reported associations with cognitive ability are significant and in line with our previous results," he said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200806121322.htm

Alkaline Water - The Key to Longevity

2008-06-16T09:03:00.001-07:00

It has been scientifically proven that many health problems occur due to the high acid content in our bodies. .

Drinking alkaline water helps our body dissolve acid wastes and make it easier for the body to dispose of them safely. Alkaline Water flushes the toxins from your body and disarms free radicals. An alkaline body has a healthy immune system where bacteria and viruses cannot survive.

I need to emphasize that water filters and water ionizers are NOT the same machines.

Water filters do NOT produce alkaline, energized water such as water ionizers do.

http://www.usfreeads.com/1282580-cls.html

3 tips for how to live to 100

2008-06-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

Your behavior now makes a difference, says new research. Experts recommend these habits:

Get creative at work.

On average, a woman with a creative job has the cardiovascular fitness and other health attributes of someone six years younger, according to a recent study. What does “creative” mean? Acting, writing or painting are obvious picks, but any job can count as long as you find it interesting and it lets you develop new skills, experts say.

Make sure you cover the basics.

Eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day, being active, not smoking, and drinking in moderation could add 14 years to your life, according to new British research. Too tall an order? Tackle just the exercise part: A recent study by the National Cancer Institute found that older people who got at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week were less likely to die over the next seven years than those who didn't.

Do something fun.

Women who are feeling “happy, excited or content” have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6—two markers of inflammation linked to heart disease, a University College London study found. It may not take a Ph.D. to figure out that being happy is good for you, but this is one of the first studies to pinpoint a biological reason. So the next time you're feeling frazzled, make plans to do anything that'll get you smiling.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/3-tips-for-how-to-live-to-100-169823/

Royal Jelly, the wonder honey that increases longevity

2008-06-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

As kids we are generally told a bit about the bees collecting honey from flowers. But what most of us may not know is that these industrious insects also produce an anti-aging medium that is based on honey and named as Royal Jelly.

Central Bee Research and Training Institute (CBRTI) in Pune is credited for producing Royal Jelly, a variety of honey valued as nectar since it is said it increases longevity as well as possesses most extraordinary medicinal qualities.

Film stars and other celebrities also consume the Royal Jelly. It is being endorsed as the most effective solution for time reversal so as to let one enjoy a few more years of life.

"The royal jelly is secreted from the hypo-phaseal gland of the bee. The secretion is used to attract the queen bee. In man, the secretion from the glands deteriorates with age. On consumption of this jelly, the gland secretions are increased and brought to the normal level. The age factor is reduced and person can live longer," said Dr. Subbha Rao, a leading scientist with the Central Bee Research and Training Institute (CBRTI) in Pune.

"Among VIPs Vasundhra Raje and Amitabh Bachchan use it," Dr.Rao added.

Other than its anti-aging abilities, it also stated to have the power to keep deadly diseases such as cancer and AIDS at bay.

The pollen collected by these bees is also a major source of protein and is a major help for those who are trying to shed a few kilos.

"The pollen is laden with proteins. The vitamins, minerals and enzymes required on a daily basis are found in it. It is good for those who do not wish to have extra calories. Apart from carbohydrates it has everything. Those who have a sitting job, more to do with using the brain, it is of good use for them. Generally, IT people use these pollen," said Dr. Lakshmi Rao, a Scientist with the CBTRI.

Many medical journals have documented the great qualities of Royal Jelly.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/246436.php/Royal-Jelly-the-wonder-honey-that-increases-longevity

New Hints Seen That Red Wine May Slow Aging

2008-06-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.

The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient of some red wines. Some scientists are already taking resveratrol in capsule form, but others believe it is far too early to take the drug, especially using wine as its source, until there is better data on its safety and effectiveness.

The report is part of a new wave of interest in drugs that may enhance longevity. On Monday, Sirtris, a startup founded in 2004 to develop drugs with the same effects as resveratrol, completed its sale to GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million.

Sirtris is seeking to develop drugs that activate protein agents known in people as sirtuins.

“The upside is so huge that if we are right, the company that dominates the sirtuin space could dominate the pharmaceutical industry and change medicine,” Dr. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School, a co-founder of the company, said Tuesday.

Serious scientists have long derided the idea of life-extending elixirs, but the door has now been opened to drugs that exploit an ancient biological survival mechanism, that of switching the body’s resources from fertility to tissue maintenance. The improved tissue maintenance seems to extend life by cutting down on the degenerative diseases of aging.

The reflex can be prompted by a faminelike diet, known as caloric restriction, which extends the life of laboratory rodents by up to 30 percent but is far too hard for most people to keep to and in any case has not been proven to work in humans.

Research started nearly 20 years ago by Dr. Leonard Guarente of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed recently that the famine-induced switch to tissue preservation might be triggered by activating the body’s sirtuins. Dr. Sinclair, a former student of Dr. Guarente, then found in 2003 that sirtuins could be activated by some natural compounds, including resveratrol, previously known as just an ingredient of certain red wines.

Dr. Sinclair’s finding led in several directions. He and others have tested resveratrol’s effects in mice, mostly at doses far higher than the minuscule amounts in red wine. One of the more spectacular results was obtained last year by Dr. John Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France. He showed that resveratrol could turn plain vanilla, couch-potato mice into champion athletes, making them run twice as far on a treadmill before collapsing.

The company Sirtris, meanwhile, has been testing resveratrol and other drugs that activate sirtuin. These drugs are small molecules, more stable than resveratrol, and can be given in smaller doses. In April, Sirtris reported that its formulation of resveratrol, called SRT501, reduced glucose levels in diabetic patients.

The company plans to start clinical trials of its resveratrol mimic soon. Sirtris’s value to GlaxoSmithKline is presumably that its sirtuin-activating drugs could be used to treat a spectrum of degenerative diseases, like cancer and Alzheimer’s, if the underlying theory is correct.

Separately from Sirtris’s investigations, a research team led by Tomas A. Prolla and Richard Weindruch, of the University of Wisconsin, reports in the journal PLoS One on Wednesday that resveratrol may be effective in mice and people in much lower doses than previously thought necessary. In earlier studies, like Dr. Auwerx’s of mice on treadmills, the animals were fed such large amounts of resveratrol that to gain equivalent dosages people would have to drink more than 100 bottles of red wine a day.

The Wisconsin scientists used a dose on mice equivalent to just 35 bottles a day. But red wine contains many other resveratrol-like compounds that may also be beneficial. Taking these into account, as well as mice’s higher metabolic rate, a mere four, five-ounce glasses of wine “starts getting close” to the amount of resveratrol they found effective, Dr. Weindruch said.

Resveratrol can also be obtained in the form of capsules marketed by several companies. Those made by one company, Longevinex, include extracts of red wine and of a Chinese plant called giant knotweed. The Wisconsin researchers conclude that resveratrol can mimic many of the effects of a caloric-restricted diet “at doses that can readily be achieved in humans.”

The effectiveness of the low doses was not tested directly, however, but with a DNA chip that measures changes in the activity of genes. The Wisconsin team first defined the pattern of gene activity established in mice on caloric restriction, and then showed that very low doses of resveratrol produced just the same pattern.

Dr. Auwerx, who used doses almost 100 times greater in his treadmill experiments, expressed reservations about the new result. “I would be really cautious, as we never saw significant effects with such low amounts,” he said Tuesday in an e-mail message.

Another researcher in the sirtuin field, Dr. Matthew Kaeberlein of the University of Washington in Seattle, said, “There’s no way of knowing from this data, or from the prior work, if something similar would happen in humans at either low or high doses.”

A critical link in establishing whether or not caloric restriction works the same wonders in people as it does in mice rests on the outcome of two monkey trials. Since rhesus monkeys live for up to 40 years, the trials have taken a long time to show results. Experts said that one of the two trials, being conducted by Dr. Weindruch, was at last showing clear evidence that calorically restricted monkeys were outliving the control animals.

But no such effect is apparent in the other trial, being conducted at the National Institutes of Health.

The Wisconsin report underlined another unresolved link in the theory, that of whether resveratrol actually works by activating sirtuins. The issue is clouded because resveratrol is a powerful drug that has many different effects in the cell. The Wisconsin researchers report that they saw no change in the mouse equivalent of sirtuin during caloric restriction, a finding that if true could undercut Sirtris’s strategy of looking for drugs that activate sirtuin.

Dr. Guarente, a scientific adviser to Sirtris, said the Wisconsin team only measured the amount of sirtuin present in mouse tissues, and not the more important factor of whether it had been activated.

Dr. Sinclair said the definitive answer would emerge from experiments, now under way, with mice whose sirtuin genes had been knocked out. “The question of how resveratrol is working is an ongoing debate and it will take more studies to get the answer,” he said.

Dr. Robert E. Hughes of the Buck Institute for Age Research said there could be no guarantee of success given that most new drug projects fail. But, he said, testing the therapeutic uses of drugs that mimic caloric restriction is a good idea, based on substantial evidence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/health/research/04aging.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

Plant based mineral supplements

2008-06-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

Plant based mineral supplements are available from various sources, some as colloidal (liquid) minerals and others are whole foods rich in organic minerals - such as blue green algae or the ancient but newly popular acai berry that grows on palm trees in the Amazon rain forest in Brazil.

The Importance of Organic Minerals

The importance of minerals in the diet is often overlooked. Life-sustaining minerals are necessary for 95% of the body's daily functions. Although the body can function without vitamins, it will die without minerals.

We naturally produce vitamins from our inherent mineral supply, so when that supply is depleted, the body suffers. Soil depletion, poor crop rotation, and loss of valuable topsoil due to flooding and over-irrigation has eliminated much of the natural trace mineral content from our modern food supply.

In fact, many of the fruits and vegetables we consume today contain only 8 to 12 minerals (organically grown produce may contain up to 20.)

Whole foods

When we improve our nourishment by eating quality food packed with the full spectrum of trace minerals, the body has a chance to be as healthy and energized as it is designed to be. According to Dr. Charles Northern, MD, "In the absence of minerals, vitamins have no function. Lacking vitamins, the system can make use of minerals, but lacking minerals, vitamins are useless." Blue Green Algae contains almost every organic mineral in trace amounts, which is what the body needs to function well. Trace minerals can literally mean the difference between buoyant good health and serious disease. They are absolutely vital to our health and well-being.

http://www.fundednfree.com/plantbasedmineralsupplements.html

Longevity To-Dos for Your 70s

2008-06-01T17:45:00.001-07:00

Add Years to Your Life

People's health in their 70s varies a lot. Some people are completely healthy and others have multiple illnesses. No matter what your condition, there is a lot you can do to improve your health, prevent illnesses and keep your brain sharp. Here is a list of longevity To-Dos that will have you feeling better now and living longer. Pick one or two a month and make some progress.

1. Live With Purpose

One of the things in common about the world's longest-lived people is that they have a strong sense of purpose as they grow older. Much of this is because of the role of elders in traditional culture. Unlike the U.S., older people are respected and looked up to for wisdom and advice. We have a challenge in this regard. Your job is to find a way to feel a strong sense of purpose in your life, despite the messages our culture send about aging. Religion, family, volunteering and more can help you feel connected and needed.

http://longevity.about.com/od/inyour20s30sand40s/tp/Longevity-To-Dos-for-Your-70s.htm

HGH youth formula

2008-05-25T14:51:00.001-07:00

Much of the information will be new to individuals who are interested in anti-aging, a field which is just on the verge of exploding into the public domain.

Almost daily, articles appear in newspapers and magazines with regard to ways in which we may be able to slow down or even reverse the aging process.

hgh Youth Formula - the better more natural way:

Until recently, growth hormone therapy was very expensive and available only through injections with the added difficulty of needing constant monitoring. Prices ranged from $800 to $2,800 US per month, depending on the source, the supply and levels of monitoring. These prices remain out of range for most people.

HGH Youth Formula - it's not an injection, and it's not a drug

The ground-breaking research by Isidori, et al, at the University of Rome in 1981, and particularly that of Dr. Daniel Rudman in 1990, has led to the development of dietary supplements which have the ability to trigger HGH release from the human anterior pituitary gland.

Since the publication of several landmark studies, it has been shown that if the body's growth hormone releasing pattern is mimicked closely, the effects of normalizing levels are more profound and side effects are minimized.

The natural secretagogues appears to offer the best opportunity for doing this in a natural and physiological way without interfering with the body's feedback loop.

Dr. Klatz, President of the American Academy of Anti Aging Medicine (AW), noted in his book, “Grow Young With HGH“, that "some of the best HGH releasers were the amino acids. These, in combination with a dietary program and exercise, can offer results which are very significant." the product in question -- the HGH Youth Formula -- contains the right amino acids in the correct proportions to contribute to HGH release, formulated in a proprietary and specific way to ensure its maximum effect as a dietary supplement. It is not a drug!

Arginine is an amino acid important in creatine synthesis. Claims for Arginine include an increase in fat-burning and muscle-building, as well as strengthening the thymus gland by increasing its weight and activity and thereby boosting immunity. There are also claims in the literature that Arginine alone will promote healing of burns and wounds as well as enhance male fertility. Arginine, along with Lysine, was one of the amino acids demonstrated in the 1981 study to cause HGH release when combined in specific proportions. Other essential amino acids are Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine and Valine. Lysine boosts the effectiveness of Arginine and is also said to affect growth as well as having immuneboosting properties of its own.

Ornithine can be synthesized in the body and is now also known to help stimulate HGH release. Glutamine can also be synthesized in the body but may not always be made by the body in sufficient quantities in times of stress. Dr. Klatz notes that the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system "practically live on it", and that without sufficiently available levels, the gastrointestinal tract does not function as well, and nutrients are less well absorbed.

"Amino Acid Stack": The HGH Youth Formula

The other amino acids contribute to the effects of the supplement and the amino acids listed above. This type of combination of amino acids is known as an amino acid stack. The patent pending formula offers the individual benefits of all of its amino acids and more. This formula is our effective means of increasing the body's natural production of HGH.

It is interesting to note that the body continues to make adequate amounts of HGH even into old age, at the same time the production of certain other hormones declines with age. Restoring HGH levels to those of youth levels meant finding products or supplements which would encourage the pituitary gland to release the HGH that it was already making. This supplement has been shown to be able to do this: restoring those youthful levels for most of us without overstimulating production or subjecting us to injections of the hormone itself.

Maintain a Young Quality of Life - All Your Life

The HGH Youth Formula works as the ultimate dietary supplement by assisting the body's ability to secrete HGH naturally in a manner which is safe and effective as well as affordable. Many individuals, when taking this dietary supplement, will notice an immediate effect with some of those improvements noted earlier. The scientific literature suggests that maximum effects occur over a th ree-to-six-month time frame. It is suggested that when starting, it should be taken for a minimum of three months, preferably along with a dietary and exercise regime in order to ensure maximal benefits.

It (the HGH Youth Formula) is formulated in capsule form for maximum ease of use as well as availability and absorption. Taken on an empty stomach, this is easily achieved by taking it half an hour before or two hours after eating. This ensures that it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream to derive maximum benefit. Men should take this product in a single serving of 6 capsules at bedtime and women in two servings of three capsules twice daily, on an empty stomach, to most accurately reflect the natural release of HGH in both men and women. Men release most of their HGH in a large spike about 90 minutes after failing asleep while in a deep sleep. Where as women tend to release HGH in smaller spikes over a 24-hour period.

In the August 1 6th, 2000 journal of the "American Medical Association," Dr. Eve Van Cauter, one of the leading medical researchers in the world on HGH from the University of Chicago, published a paper in which she discussed the relationship between the declining HGH levels in men to their poorer sleeping patterns. As men age they secrete most of their growth hormone at night, as opposed to women who secrete it throughout the day. This might explain the longer life spans of women as shown by statistics.

Older individuals may need to start with just one capsule per day and gradually increase dosage to a full serving by adding an extra capsule every 5 to 7 days. It is formulated from natural ingredients and contains no animalderived products in its proprietary formulation, ensuring maximum benefits for all, without risk or side effects.

http://www.fundednfree.com/hgh-youth-formula.html

No Evidence of Gene Influence on Longevity

2008-05-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

A group of spanish researchers did not find evidence that certain genes influence on longevity, said the magazine Journal of Gerontology in its latest edition.

Researchers of the Genetic Center of the University of Barcelona studied several deceased centennials and did not find proof that genes were related to their long life.

The team took off from the hypothesis that longevity of the eldest, who lived 114 years, and members of his family, was due to his excellent bone health.

Bones of the man and his brothers did not show curves and never suffered any fracture, one of the causes that accelerate the death of persons over 90 years of age.

"We know that for many people over 90, a hip or femur fracture accelerates their mortality," said one of the work´s main authors, Susana Balcells.

Investigators started by analyzing the bone mass of centennial elderly and the genetic factor it is thought to play a key role in longevity.

Only a gen called KLOTHO has been related to a good density of the bones.

That gen was investigated in the 114 year-old elderly and his centennial relatives, without discovering a significant mutation related with so long a life.

They did not observe either changes in the gen LRP5, linked to strong bones.

Depite these results, scientists do not discard the possibility that some genes had influenced on longevity with good life quality of the elderly and his relatives.

The 114-old deceased lived in Menorca, had an excellent physical and mental health and up to his 102 birthday, besides riding a bike he took care of the family orchard.

http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B00798B7B-8E6A-4196-AD32-F8C7A02914ED%7D%29&language=EN

Griffin: The many gifts of longevity

2008-05-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

“In fewer than one hundred years, human beings made greater gains in life expectancy than in the preceding fifty centuries.”

This sentence opens the book “The Longevity Revolution” published last month by Robert Butler, M.D. It calls attention to a reality that has already profoundly changed the lives of people who live in the United States and other industrialized countries.

And it will bring about further changes of great significance.

From the year 1900 until now, we have gained some 30 years of life. When my parents were born, in 1898 and 1899, average life expectancy was only 47 years. Now it has reached almost 80.

Of course, statistics like this do not mean that everybody lives long. Regrettably, some of us die before reaching 20. I still mourn the loss of a nephew at that age.

But most Americans now, given the breaks, can anticipate living long lives. In fact, we can expect to last as many as six decades more than those who lived back in the Stone Age.

The nation’s leading geriatrician, Dr. Butler deserves to be a household name. Among his many accomplishments, he established the first American hospital department of geriatrics, at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

In 1975, he published a book that won the Pulitzer Prize. Titled “Why Survive,” it called attention to the plight of old people in this country.

In that same year, he became the founding director of the National Institute on Aging, the federal agency that sponsors research on issues of aging. In 1990, he opened the International Longevity Center in order to focus attention on worldwide aging and to work for the well-being of people who have reached later life.

He uses “revolution” in the title of his newest book to indicate what a powerful influence our gains in life expectancy have been and will continue to be. As the increased number of older people takes hold, almost every area of national and international life will be affected.

To me, the increase in life expectancy inspires awe and deserves to be hailed as one of the greatest achievements in history. Making it happen took marvelous human ingenuity and the pooling of many talents.

Most Americans now have a much longer time in which to lay hold of the experiences that life offers. Having seven, eight or more decades at our disposal allows us to lead more varied and productive lives.

However, the New York Times last week published accounts of new and disturbing research. Studies show that some Americans, rather than gaining in life expectancy, are actually losing ground.

Researchers at Harvard have identified 180 U.S. counties where life spans for women have declined. The greater number of these women live in the southern parts of the country, and many suffer from the effects of smoking, obesity and hypertension.

This further sign of the divide between haves and have-nots comes as a disturbing reality and shades the rosy picture presented above.

And, for some of us who do live long, the extra time can bring us more grief. We may find ourselves confronted with diseases, disappointments and unexpected debacles of one sort or another.

However, much as I regret what some of my age peers have to undergo, I feel thankful because so many of them, and I too, have had extra time. I feel glad to have seen things happen that a short life would have made us miss.

For me, seeing my daughter advance into adulthood rates as the number-one benefit. As a relatively late-life father, I sometimes feared not living long enough to see this happen.

I also feel glad for a long marriage, rather than one cut short by my not surviving middle age.

Seeing my extended family stretch further also counts as a notable plus. Getting to meet the children of the younger generations comes as a pleasure worth waiting for. A recent dinner shared with my wife’s nephew’s charming children, for instance, reinforces this feeling.

Having had scope for several careers, rather than just one, also pleases me greatly. I have been given world enough and time to know what it is like to live in a variety of roles. My time in religious ministry proved gratifying; so has secular work later on as a consultant and writer.

This phenomenon of changing jobs has become routine now among Americans. On average, we are said to hold at least nine different jobs in our lifetime, and several careers as well. These “encore” experiences bring satisfaction to many people as we discover new interests and skills.

I also welcome the opportunity to see new inventions. The stupendous changes brought about by the computer are a phenomenon I would not have wanted to miss.

The changes in my lifetime have been extraordinary, and to be able to take the long view is an unexpected gift.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/lifestyle/columnists/x2118735708/Griffin-The-many-gifts-of-longevity

Lifestyle biggest role in life span, researchers find

2008-05-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

By Jennifer Harper - So granny didn't live to be 101? Not to worry. Longevity is not necessarily a family trait.

We may live long regardless of our genes, according to researchers who studied the world's oldest man — he made it to 114 — only to conclude that diet, exercise and personal contentment have more to do with survival than the mysterious workings of DNA.

Joan Riudavets was no geezer — still riding a bike, tending an orchard and sporting snappy Lacoste cardigans after 10 decades of optimistic life on the same street in the same village on the same sunny Mediterranean island.

"Keep moving, keep going forward," he once told journalists eager to hear his secrets of long life.

"Live calmly and treat other people well," Mr. Riudavets said, adding that he still liked to dance the fandango and have a shot of sherry. He died in 2004.

This supercentenarian drew the interest of Dr. Adolfo Diez Perez, a geneticist at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona who studied the bone mass and analyzed the genetics of Mr. Riudavets, along with his 101-year-old brother, two daughters and a nephew — all octogenarians.

The research team found no variations in LRP5 — the gene associated with longevity — in any of them. They eventually concluded that family traits most likely had nothing to do with the long-lived group.

"The results of the research do not rule out the possibility that other genetic mutations could positively influence longevity," the study said, ultimately crediting "a Mediterranean diet, the temperate climate of the island, a lack of stress and regular physical activity."

The research was published in the Journal of Gerontology, an academic publication.

"We've forgotten this kind of lifestyle. But our grandparents would recognize it," said Dan Buettner, author of "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest," which was published last month.

"There's something magical about living to three digits, so to speak. These people become great icons for good living. Genes may account for 10 to 20 percent of how long we live, but the biggest variable is lifestyle. We may not all make it to 100, but the average American can live a dozen extra years if they just optimize good lifestyle," Mr. Buettner said.

"This gentleman could walk, bike, visit an orchard. He had a daily reason to go out and keep moving and keep social. All of us can at least emulate that," Mr. Buettner said.

His own research — funded by National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging — has revealed five longevity "pockets" around the planet where people live long, healthy lives. Mr. Buettner found that cheerfulness plays a definitive role in spots such as Singapore, Denmark and Sardinia where productive aging is common. A kind of tribal sociability, sensible eating and strategic calm moments also help.

He leaves for Tahiti next week to investigate what may well be the sixth "pocket."

The medical community has a longstanding interest in the field. Founded in 1992, the Chicago-based American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine has grown to a membership of 20,000 physicians and researchers who condone sensible lifestyles, along with powerful diagnostic tests, appropriate interventions and the practice of hormone replacement for men and women.

Longevity pays off, the group says, citing a University of Chicago Graduate School of Business study, which calculated that the U.S. economy would enjoy an extra $2.4 trillion a year if average citizens lived an extra six years, due primarily to increased productivity and lessened medical care costs.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NATION/839877085/1002

The new status symbol for baby boomers: longevity

2008-05-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Forget monster homes or sleek condos, tech toys or even upscale vacations; longevity is the new status symbol for baby boomers.

As author Michael Kinsley says in a recent essay on the subject in the New Yorker, "the last boomer game is about to start - the game of competitive longevity."

The only contest that matters in the end, he argues, is about life itself. "And the standard is clear: Mine is longer than yours."

It stands to reason that as the boomers turn 60, they should be thinking exhaustively, aggressively and even obnoxiously not just about how to stay young (soy milkshakes and Botox), but how to stay old.

We've been on the aging-well kick for some time now, turning seniors' residences into all-inclusive wonderlands and visions of retirement into walking-the-beach utopias.

We've heard about divorce at 70, sex at 80 and even, I'm sure somewhere, skydiving at 90. But all that quality-of-life stuff supposes you're around to enjoy it in the first place.

And longevity can be an alarming concept: If you're going to live longer, which many of us apparently are, you'd better have ample financial means, not to mention toned trapezoid muscles that will allow you to get off the couch occasionally.

In a new book The Blue Zone, Minnesota author Dan Buettner, expanding on a series he did for National Geographic magazine, offers secrets of living to 100, from what he calls "pockets of longevity" around the world, places where there is a higher-than-average concentration of centenarians.

Mr. Buettner says our genes account for only 25 per cent of why some live long and healthy lives. The other 75 per cent of what determines life expectancy is based on lifestyle and "everyday life choices."

The author discovered that folks who live to 100 have a lot in common, whether it's a shepherd in Sardinia, an elder in Okinawa or a Seventh-day Adventist in Loma Linda, Calif.

They thrive on gentle, everyday exercise, a plant-based diet (little red meat), a strong social network, a reason to get up in the morning (religious faith plays a part in this), and a feeling of being valued as they age. They also put their family - or any loved ones - first in their lives, which brings them sustenance as they grow old.

Then there is "Vitamin S": smiling. According to one researcher, people over 40 tend to get less happy with age until they reach 80, and then they're happy again. (Thank God.) Thriving elders, Mr. Buettner writes, are "not worried about getting something in the future or sad about having missed something in the past."

After I read the book, I went online to take the Blue Zone Vitality Compass test, which estimates your life expectancy based on 35 questions, including whether you have cancer, diabetes or heart disease; how sad or angry you are; and how satisfied you are with your marriage.

The Vitality Compass told me that I am biologically seven years younger than my actual age, that I have a life expectancy of 95.3, and that I can expect to stay healthy until 86.

By living a healthy lifestyle (I've never smoked), I've added 11.5 years to my life expectancy, it said.

I probably could have come up with the same estimate without the quiz. My maternal great-grandmother and grandmother both lived until 96, my mother until 90. So far, I have no experience with the big three: heart disease, cancer and stroke.

And so I have the guardedly optimistic sense that I am headed for a long life. When I was younger, longevity used to be, for me, a newspaper picture of a gnarled old face from somewhere in the world with a headline saying: "Oldest woman celebrates 106th birthday." A grotesque curiosity rather than a role model. Nothing for me to emulate.

But now, because I have arrived in middle age, the idea of longevity has become for me a poignant awareness of its antithesis: Some of us are dropping out of the marathon early. Not too long ago, I attended the memorial service for a beloved colleague, exactly my age, and felt stunned into sadness that because of a virulent cancer, she was no longer alive and vibrant in this world.

There was nothing she could have done to prevent her early death, and so I think I won't pore obsessively over these longevity manuals. There are no guarantees.

Besides, I prefer the live exhibits: Not too long ago, my husband and I accompanied three elderly women out to dinner - their combined ages totalled 257, with the eldest of them, at 93, deservedly being called a babe. She looked gorgeous and fashionable - they all did - and all three yakked for hours about culture and politics and life.

By 11 p.m. I began surreptitiously looking at my watch, yearning for bed. But they were still going strong. Finally I sent my husband to get the car. It wasn't until after we'd seen the ladies safely off that I realized I'd had the only lesson in longevity I needed.

Keep going, with gusto, until they take you home.

Dan Buettner's 9 secrets to longevity

Move naturally. Don't be a weekend exercise warrior. Be active without having to think about it - climb stairs, walk, garden, do gentle aerobics.

Hara hachi bu. A Confucian saying reminding you to stop eating when your stomach is 80-per-cent full.

Eat four to six vegetable servings a day and avoid meat and processed food.

Drink red wine (in moderation).

Have a strong sense of purpose.

Take time to relieve stress. Whether it's observing the Sabbath, for the religious, or meditating or having a siesta for the rest of us, we need to downshift on a regular basis.

Belong. Participate in a spiritual community.

Put loved ones first. Make family a priority.

Join the right tribe. Hang with others who practise a healthy lifestyle.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080429.wltimson29/BNStory/lifeMain/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail

12 ways to look and feel younger than your years and peers

2008-04-26T14:07:00.001-07:00

Michael Roizen, M.D., cofounder of RealAge.com, has done an exhaustive review of more than 35,000 medical and scientific studies about aging in humans. He has uncovered many of the mysteries of how and why we age, and shares the simple things we can do to make our "real age," which can be older or younger than what the calendar says, younger. Here are his tips to help make a woman's real age younger in as little as 90 days.

1. An aspirin a day after age 40: Taking one 325 mg tablet of aspirin per day can lower your real age by as much as 1.9 years.

2. Floss your teeth: Flossing and brushing daily can make your real age 6.4 years younger.

3. Know your blood pressure: A person with low blood pressure (115/75 mm Hg) is as much as 25 years younger than a person with high blood pressure (greater than 160/90 mm Hg).

4. Reduce stress: In highly stressful times, your real age can be as much as 32 years older than your calendar age. By building strong social networks and adopting stress-reduction strategies, you can erase 30 of those years.

5. Take your vitamins: Regularly taking vitamin C (1,200 mg/day), vitamin E (400 IU/day), calcium (1,000-1,200 mg/day), vitamin D (400-600 IU/day), folate (400 mcg/day) and vitamin B6 (6 mg/day) can make your real age 6 years younger.

6. Quit smoking, and avoid passive smoke: Smoking makes your real age 8 years older.

7. Be active: Even a small amount of exercise — two 20-minute walks per day — can make your real age nearly 5 years younger.

8. Wear your seat belt: Regularly wearing a seat belt and driving within 5 miles per hour of the speed limit can make your real age as much as 3.4 years younger.

9. Fill up on fiber: Getting 25 grams of fiber per day in your diet can make your real age 2.5 years younger than if you included only 12 grams of fiber per day in your diet.

10. Monitor your health: People who are proactive about seeking high-quality medical care and managing chronic conditions can have a real age as much as 12 years younger than their peers who do not.

11. Laugh: Laughter reduces stress, strengthens the immune system and can make your real age as much as 8 years younger.

12. Become a lifelong learner: People who remain intellectually involved throughout their lives have a real age as much as 2.5 years younger.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004002009_12things11.html

World's oldest person set to turn 115

2008-04-21T16:45:00.001-07:00

American Edna Parker, the world's oldest known person, will celebrate her 115th birthday on Sunday, defying mind-boggling odds.

Her achievement was recognised by Guinness World Records last August after the death of a Japanese woman four months her senior.

Edna Parker

There are only 75 people alive - 64 women and 11 men - that are 110 or older, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a California-based organisation that verifies reports of extreme ages.

Mrs Parker, who was born April 20, 1893, has been a widow since her husband Earl died of a heart attack in 1938.

She has also outlived her two sons - Clifford and Earl Jr - but is far from lonely with five grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great grandchildren to keep her company.

"We don't know why she's lived so long," said Don Parker, her 59-year-old grandson.

"But she's never been a worrier and she's always been a thin person, so maybe that has something to do with it."

Scientists who study longevity hope that Mrs Parker can help unlock the secrets to long life.

Two years ago, researchers from the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University took a blood sample from Mrs Parker for the group's DNA database of supercentenarians.

Her DNA is now preserved with samples of about 100 other people who reached the 110-year milestone, and whose genes are being analysed, said Dr Tom Perls, an aging specialist who directs the project.

"They're really our best bet for finding the elusive Holy Grail of our field - which are these longevity-enabling genes," he said.

A smiling Mrs Parker looked on as relatives and guests released 115 balloons into the sky to celebrate her milestone.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/19/wold119.xml

Mine Is Longer than Yours - The last boomer game.

2008-04-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

At first, I thought I was alone in the pool. It was a sparkling blue gem, implausibly planted in the skyscraper canyon of downtown Los Angeles, as if David Hockney, heading toward Beverly Hills, had taken the wrong exit on the I-10 freeway. This fine pool was the consolation and only charm of the Soviet-style complex where I had rented an apartment so that I could walk to work at the Los Angeles Times. It was early, not even 6 A.M. I had finished my laps and was enjoying the emptiness of the pool, the faint sounds of downtown gearing up for the day, and the drama of the looming office towers. As we learned on September 11th, they really can fall down on top of you. But they wouldn’t on that day. I felt healthy and smug.

Then what I had thought was a ripple in the water turned out to be—no, not a shark with hectoring John Williams music pulsing from a boom box in its stomach. It was a tiny old man in a tiny black bathing suit. He was slowly, slowly completing a lap in the next lane. When, finally, he reached the side where I was resting and watching, he came up for air. He saw me, beamed, and said, “I’m ninety years old.” It was clearly a boast, not a lament, so I followed his script and said, “Well, isn’t that marvellous” and “You certainly don’t look it” and on in that vein. He beamed some more, I beamed, and briefly we both were happy—two nearly naked strangers sharing the first little dishonesties and self-deceptions of a beautiful day in Southern California.

Perhaps sensing some condescension in my praise, he then stuck out his chest and declared, “I used to be a judge.” And I started to resent this intruder on my morning and my pool. Did I now have to tell him it was marvellous that he used to be a judge?

What was so marvellous about it? What was his point? But, even as he said this, a panicky realization of its absurd irrelevance seemed to pass across his face, and then a realization of its pathos. When he was a judge—if he had been a judge—he had not felt the need to accost strangers and tell them that he was a judge. And then he seemed to realize that he had overplayed his hand. He had left this stranger in the pool thinking the very thought he had wanted to dispel: the old fool is past it. And finally (I imagined, observing his face) came sadness: he had bungled a simple social interchange. So it must be true: he was past it.

On an airplane seven or eight years ago, I turned and discovered Robert McNamara in the next seat. He is ninety-one now, so he must have been more than eighty at the time. I asked him why he was going to Denver. He said that he was meeting a female friend at the airport and heading for Aspen. It seems that when his wife died he had commissioned in her memory one of a chain of primitive huts on a trail between Aspen and Vail. Now he was going to ski the trail and stay in the huts with his lady. He told me this, then beamed, like my friend in the pool.

Well, life is unfair, but let’s not get carried away. Longevity is not a zero-sum game. A longer life for Robert McNamara doesn’t mean a shorter life for you or me or the average citizen of Vietnam. He’s done that damage, and at his age he won’t be doing more. In fact, he seems to have been spending the gift of a long life trying to make amends—mainly, as he described his recent agenda to me, by flying around the world to conferences where the world’s suffering is deplored. Nevertheless.

Still, to get to that view of things, I had to suppress an irrational feeling that McNamara had won big in a game he shouldn’t have been entitled to play. Yes, life is unfair, and never more so than in how much of itself it gives to different people. Deaths of young adults are mourned with special pain, and the very, very old are celebrated. But any age between about sixty and ninety doesn’t rate a second glance as you flip through the obituaries. Anywhere in there is a normal life span, even though the ninety-year-old got fifty per cent more life.

What’s more, of all the gifts that life and luck can bestow—money, good looks, love, power—longevity is the one that people seem least reluctant to brag about. In fact, they routinely claim it as some sort of virtue—as if living to ninety were primarily the result of hard work or prayer, rather than good genes and never getting run over by a truck. Maybe the possibility that the truck is on your agenda for later this morning makes the bragging acceptable. The longevity game is one that really isn’t over till it’s over.

Between what your parents gave you to start with—genetically or culturally or financially—and pure luck, you play a small role in determining how long you live. And even if you add a few years through your own initiative, by doing all the right things in terms of diet, exercise, sleep, vitamins, and so on, why is that to your moral credit?

Extending your own life expectancy is the most selfish motive imaginable for doing anything. Do it, by all means. I do. But for heaven’s sake don’t take a bow and expect applause.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/04/07/080407fa_fact_kinsley

Healthy teeth an indicator of longevity - study

2008-04-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

The importance of looking after your teeth shouldn't be underestimated. Danish researchers say people who still have most of their teeth at age 70 live longer.

Having few or no natural teeth at the age of 70 may be an early indicator of accelerated ageing, Danish researchers suggest.

"It is important to take poor dental health seriously in that these people may be at greater risk of general physical and/or cognitive decline," Dr Poul Holm-Pedersen, of the Copenhagen Gerontological Oral Health Research Centre, said.

The finding in this study that tooth loss appears related to the onset of disability and mortality in old age raises important clinical issues for disease prevention and geriatric care, Holm-Pedersen and colleagues note in a report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The researchers assessed the number of teeth remaining intact among 573 non-disabled men and women who were 70 years old and living in Copenhagen in 1984.

At the start of the study, fewer than 20 per cent of the elders had 20 or more teeth, and more than 40 per cent had no teeth.

The investigators determined the onset of disability among study participants through follow-up assessments conducted 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-years later; and assessed their mortality over the subsequent 21 years.

Compared with elders maintaining 20 or more natural teeth, those with no or few teeth at age 70 were significantly more likely to report mobility problems such as difficulty walking or climbing stairs within the next 5 or 10 years.

Toothlessness at age 70 was also linked with greater mortality over the study period.

These associations remained strong when the investigators accounted for other factors potentially associated with disability and death, such as health-related problems and education.

"Tooth loss may be related to complex behavioural and socioeconomic factors," Holm-Pedersen said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10501590

A hope note

2008-04-08T14:09:00.001-07:00

One of the most fascinating studies on health, happiness and longevity in our time is being conducted by Dan Buettner. National Geographic has sent him around the globe to study "blue zones," places where people not only have more years in their life but more life in their years.

Buettner's travels have taken him to the Italian island of Sardinia, the Japanese island of Okinawa and the Nicovan Peninsula on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Men in Nicova make it to their 100th birthday four times more often than men in the United States, even though their medical bills are only about 7 percent as much.

We're not surprised by his findings that the people in these "blue zones" are physically active throughout life, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and little meat, and drink a glass or two of red wine every day. We've been hearing for 50 years now that poor eating habits and little exercise are killing us.

Buettner has observed two things that are not so widely known. One is that people who live both long and large place a high premium on family, friends and religion. A bottle of diet pills or vitamins probably doesn't contribute as much to longevity as having a caring, supportive community around us.

Two, those who live long and large talk freely about purpose in life. In Okinawa, for example, there is no word for "retirement." There is another word that roughly translates to "that which makes life worth living." Men there have one-fifth as much cancer as Americans and one-quarter as much heart disease.

Buettner's new book from National Geographic is titled "The Blue Zone." Take his "vitality compass" at www.bluezones.com and learn how long you're likely to live given your current life habits.

http://www.corydondemocrat.com/Articles-i-2008-04-01-205998.114125_A_hope_note.html

Life Trust launches new cash fund

2008-04-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Life Trust has announced the introduction of the LT Henderson Liquid Assets Fund for investors in its Longevity Income Plan (LIP).

The new cash fund comes in response to IFA requests in the face of the recent stock market volatility and offers investors an investment that is protected from the vagaries of the market.

The LIP is a long term investment specifically designed to provide a rising income the longer a planholder lives.

The LT Henderson Liquid Assets Fund is a unit trust primarily investing in short term deposits, certificates of deposit and other money market instruments in the UK. The fund provides a good return for more risk-averse investors and maintains security and liquidity by investing in money market instruments with certain minimum short term ratings and a duration of less than 12 months. Moody’s and Fitch have both awarded it their highest ratings for funds of this kind.

Life Trust is the first financial services company specifically dedicated to tackling the financial issues associated with increasing longevity and launched its innovative first product, the Longevity Income Plan, at the beginning of January.

Andy Briscoe, CEO, Life Trust, said: “With the current market volatility IFAs have told us that some clients are looking for a safer alternative to equity investments. The cash fund from Henderson is a well-performing and safe fund that will give piece of mind to our more risk-averse investors during the ongoing market difficulties.”

Kate O’Neill, Director of European Distribution & Hedge Funds, Henderson Global Investors, added: “This is the second fund that we have offered to investors in the Longevity Income Plan and we are delighted to be able to support Life Trust in responding quickly to market changes. The fund offers Life Trust’s planholders security, liquidity and the foundation for solid long-term returns.”

http://www.easier.com/view/Finance/Investments/Funds/article-171725.html

The Beginning of the Longevity Revolution

2008-04-08T13:53:00.001-07:00

As baby boomers are repainting the aging landscape, new products dedicated to fighting aging are cropping up. However, these products aren't only for older generations -- younger groups could also utilize them to detect problems early on.

At last week's Aging in America conference in Washington, attendees were greeted with multiple displays of technology aiming to help older people live better. A technological divide exists between the "oldest old" and the "recently old" baby boomers, but technologies developed for both groups may also be able to help younger generations fight aging.

"I don't think it's fair to think that boomers are like their parents," said Adriane Berg, author of How Not To Go Broke at 102, due for re-release in July. "Change is what we know."

It's certainly true that boomers are repainting the aging landscape, and making use of technology is big on their agenda. Joining social networking sites like Boomj and Rezoom, Berg has launched her own Web site, WealthBuilder Longevity Club, that aims to use technology to network boomers for travel, old-fashioned key exchanges, and even real estate cohousing arrangements. While social networking is a tech trend flowing from younger to older circles, a reverse flow is set to happen in other areas.

Cognitive Exercises

Cognitive decline, for instance, is a big issue as individuals get older, but decline doesn't start suddenly when one becomes a senior. It happens slowly over time and can even occur because of certain events, such as chemotherapy treatment. Many companies have produced software to fight mental decline, and one of the most impressive is CogniFit.

For US$139, Cognifit's MindFit program exercises 14 different mental skills and works on an individualized basis so that it gets more difficult as the user gets better. Exercising one's brain not only helps with memory and attention deficit issues, but also helps reduce depression and stress. The company is currently producing a program for the younger workplace set, making it clear that everyone benefits from cognitive exercises.

Of course, some of America's oldest don't use computers and, indeed, the conference didn't even offer Internet access to its 4,000 attendees, save 10 terminals in a makeshift cybercafe. Only 28 percent of Americans age 70 and older go online, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This is sometimes known as the "grey divide," and for those who fall into this camp, devices like Dakim's [m]Power offer cognitive training programs using a touch screen instead of a mouse and keyboard. However, even if a person isn't using cognitive training software, it may be possible to detect cognitive impairment simply by measuring a person's gait.

"We can catch the early onset of multiple sclerosis, Huntington's or Parkinson's by noticing subtle changes in a person's gait," said Michael Rowling of Gaitrite, a company that makes a portable walkway that digitally captures people's steps. The product can also help diagnose running injuries and is now being used by the U.S. Army to measure improvement in wounded soldiers. I tried the product and my gait analysis can be found here.

Driving Innovation

One can easily see how technologies aimed at helping elder communities can be used in a positive way by younger people. Home Guardian, a company that makes sensors to monitor non-intrusively the health status of elders, is another example.

By simply placing a thin plastic mat with sensors under an individual's bed, the folks at Home Guardian can monitor the sleeper's heart rate and breathing. It's possible to do it this way because one's breathing and heart rates have different frequencies. For individuals with a potentially serious disorder like sleep apnea, this could be a fast and easy way to diagnose the problem. For elders, it could mean the difference between life and death.

The longevity revolution is just beginning. Older elders and the boomer generation may have much different ideas about what retirement should look like, but the needs of both communities is driving innovation in tech that will wind up helping everyone, including those in generations X and Y.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/web20/62438.html

BIOLOGY OF AGING

2008-04-08T13:46:00.001-07:00

There are no diseases peculiar to old age and very few from which it is exempt.
-Alfred Worcester (1855-1951)

Twenty percent of all humans who have ever lived past the age of 65 are alive today. And these older individuals are biologically younger than the old of generations past: A landmark 1993 study by Duke University found that the percentage of older Americans in good health is growing at a greater rate than the percentage of those with disabilities.

Between 1960 and 1990, while the overall U.S. population grew 39%, the ranks of those 85 and older jumped 232% (the over 65 group increasing 89% while the number of those under 25 grew by only 13%). A child born today who lives to age 65 is ten times more likely to reach 100 than people born one century ago (click here to see life expectancies at age 65 from 1910 on). Now in the year 2000, there are an estimated 100,000 people aged 100+, up from 32,000 in 1990. This should keep Willard Scott busy!

THE QUEST FOR LONGEVITY (IF NOT IMMORTALITY)

The news was good in the September 1997 press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Life expectancy of Americans reached an all-time high in 1996 of 76.1, indicating a continuing gain in the battle against premature death.

The quest for immortality seems to be an obsession of the human primate--its methodologies dating back to some of the earliest recorded messages of the past. The search for long (if not everlasting) life is implicit within Western mythology and within its scientific quests, as in:

* the antediluvian beliefs that people lived longer in some past Golden Age. Recall the supercentenarians in Genesis: Methuselah supposedly lived to a ripe 969 (5:27), Jared 962 (5:20), Noah 950 (9:29), and Adam 930 (5:5).

the hyperborean beliefs that there are remote pockets of super longevity around the world, pristine places without the stresses and pollution of modern urban societies, where the old retain valued social roles. In the 1970s, for instance, the press carried stories of people living to extraordinary ages in Vilcabamba, high in the Andes of Ecuador, and in the Azerbaijan republic of the former USSR.

In 1973, for instance, Soviet authorities reported the death of Azerbaijanian Shirali Mislimov, who supposedly lived to 168, who was from a republic where there were 63 centenarians per 100,000 population (compared to 3 in the United States).

The fountain of youth myths, where some wondrous substance or procedure would extend life, such as young Achilles being dipped in the pool of immortality by his mother. Such long-lived personalities as Pope Pius XII, Bernard Baruch, and Somerset Maugham had the cells of unborn lambs injected into their veins.

Enthusiasms were tempered with Leonard Hayflick's discovery of the finite divisions of human cells, the so-called Hayflick Limit--that, at least at the cellular level, we are somehow programmed to die.

After all, if Darwin's mechanisms of natural selection are to work, old generations must be superceded by the new. But there flickered hope in the cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks which, one-half century after whose host's death, live eternally on throughout the world.

Merchants of Immortality" (aired June 4, 2003) featuring an interview with Stephen Hall, author of Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension.

http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/ger-biol.html

Want to see your 100th birthday? Be like the French and drink red wine

2008-04-08T12:08:00.001-07:00

In the battle of the centenarians, it is an unequal contest. France and Britain have near identical populations, yet today 20,000 French citizens are aged 100-plus against 11,000 people in Britain.

The increase in the very old is happening across the Western world but the number in France has soared, according to the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies in Paris, which published the figures.

They show French centenarians have risen from 3,760 in 1990 to 20,115 in 2008, a more than five-fold increase. In Britain, centenarians are the fastest growing section of the population, yet we still trail our continental cousins. What is the secret of the French success?

France still holds the record for the world's longest lived person – Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 aged 122 years, five months and 14 days. She attributed her longevity to a diet rich in olive oil, regular glasses of port and an ability to "keep smiling".

With her keen interest in good food and drink and zest for life she was the perfect advertisement for the health-giving properties of la vie française. Despite the French passion for cream, eggs and foie gras, le digestif after a meal, and an addiction to Gitanes cigarettes, they have half our obesity levels, less than half our death rate from heart disease and lower rates of cancer in women (but not men). They play boules and cycle, even in their dotage, which keeps them active enough to enjoy lunch. And lunch they take very seriously – a proper, sit-down, three- or four-course meal from an early age.

The biggest puzzle is how the land of Escoffier, with its love of rich food and creamy sauces, has managed to avoid an epidemic of heart disease. The French and British diets contain similar quantities of fat, at around 40 per cent of total calories, yet French rates of heart disease in the under-75s are less than half those in Britain.

Kay Tee-Khaw, professor of clinical gerontology at the University of Oxford, said: "France's high number of centenarians is interesting. A major cause of death in middle age is heart disease. Life expectancy from age 65 is substantially better in France, because they have substantially lower rates of heart disease. It is better in Crete and Greece, too.

"We know this must be due to lifestyle because the time trends are so clear. There have been massive changes [in longevity] and it has happened so fast it must be due to lifestyle but we have not been so good at understanding what aspects. I think red wine has something to do with it."

The low rate of heart disease in France, despite its rich diet, is the French paradox which has puzzled medical researchers for decades. US scientists have suggested the explanation could be the French habit of eating everything, but less of it.

Like Britain, the country has a north-south divide, with cream cheese and cider dominating menus in Normandy and fish, fruit and vegetables and olive oil rather than butter featuring more prominently close to the Mediterranean. Death rates fall as the consumption of fruit and vegetables increases.

Then there is the wine. There have been rapid increases in wine sales in the UK in the past decade, yet British consumption at 27 litres a head per year still has a long way to go to match the French at 64 litres. Despite drinking in greater quantities, the French drink more moderately, with meals, as opposed to binge drinking in Britain.

Red wine is thought to be good for combating heart disease. But Roger Corder, professor of experimental therapeutics at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and author of The Wine Diet, believes the explanation is more complex. He observed that the Gers region close to the Pyrénées in the south had twice the national average of men aged over 90.

When he analysed the Madiran wine, made with at least 40 per cent Tannat grapes grown in the region, he found it had among the highest levels in any wine of a plant chemical, procyanadin, which has a beneficial effect on the blood vessels.

"The wines to look for containing high levels of procyanadins are those with firm tannins made in the traditional way. It is not just about Madirans. There are plenty of choices out there."

He added: "But it is not just about wine. The French spend more on food and eat better quality and more variety. It is about a lifetime's habit. Cut out all this dieting nonsense and just eat healthily and exercise. The French join cycle clubs – and then go for fantastic lunches."

The French recipe for a longer life

The Germans have a saying: "Happy like God in France". A modern version might be "Happy like a wrinkly in France".

The explosion in the numbers of very elderly French is something of a mystery to the French themselves. And a bit of a worry. By mid-century, at the current rate, there could be 170,000 French centenarians.

The best guess of French researchers is that there is something in the French climate and diet which is conducive to long life. But climate and diet have been roughly the same for years. The proliferation of French centenarians, three quarters of them women, is explained by advances in medical treatment, and the generally lavish provision of good-quality healthcare since the 1940s.

A decade ago, American researchers discovered something that they called the "French Paradox". French people lived longer and were healthier even though they consumed many things – especially large quantities of red wine – which were supposed to inflict bodily harm.

The true paradox of French longevity is more complex than that. It is a series of interlocking paradoxes.

First, there are regional differences. Expectation of life is higher in the south of France than in the north, and especially high in the south-west. If you truly wish to live to be 100, you could try the red wine, olive oil, poultry, fish and haricots of the typical French south-western diet.

Secondly, longevity is supposed to be a sign of contentment. Yet polls and anecdotal evidence suggest the French are a naturally cantankerous and discontented people.

Finally,the French are no longer eating and drinking like the French. Medical researchers worry they have moved to a more Anglo-Saxon diet: more fat, more processed foods, more beer.

Perhaps there will not be a great great granny-boom in mid-century France after all.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/want-to-see-your-100th-birthday-be-like-the-french-and-drink-red-wine-804902.html

Statistics show Icelandic men have longest life expectancy

2008-04-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Icelandic men have the longest life expectancy in the world, living an average of 79.4 years in 2007, Statistics Iceland said on Thursday.

"This is a world record. They live even longer than Japanese men," Oloef Gardarsdottir, a spokeswoman for the agency, told AFP.

Japanese men live on average 78.6 years.

"We don't have an explanation. It's really difficult to give a reason why," she said.

Icelandic women meanwhile have a life expectancy of 82.9 years, among the highest in the world.

Japanese women have an average life expectancy of nearly 86 years, according to United Nations statistics.

Icelandic men and women lived on average more than 81 years in 2007, not far behind Japan at 82 years and ahead of France at almost 81 years.

The North Atlantic island has long lived off of the fishing industry but has undergone a vast transformation since the mid-1990s, in particular due to a booming financial sector.

The Nordic country is one of the richest in the world, and has a population of 313,400.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080403/hl_afp/icelandhealthpopulation

From 4 Long-lived Cultures, 9 Tips for Longevity

2008-03-30T09:06:00.001-07:00

As droves of baby boomers retire or prepare to do so, the generation that never settles is now focused on maximizing health, fulfillment, and longevity. And the quest for a fountain of youth is getting a renewed surge of interest replete with its own cadre of titles and television shows meant to inspire and guide seekers on the journey to long, "well" lives. In keeping with the trend, Dan Buettner—writer, holder of three Guinness world records in long-distance cycling, and leader of multiple international adventures—brings us The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, which hits bookstore shelves today. His book is the culmination of a project that began in 2000 and included a 2005 National Geographic cover story, "The Secrets of Living Longer." (The term "blue zone" was coined after a demographer used a blue marker to note the areas on a map where the eldest, healthiest people resided.) U.S. News caught up with the author-explorer to discuss his book and the "Power 9," a set of principles we can live by to add extra healthy years to our lives.

These "blue zones" are places where the world's masters of longevity reside. How did you locate the four such places you write about—Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, Calif.; and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica?

In 2000, the World Health Organization came out with the finding that Okinawa had the longest disability-free life expectancy in the world—the longest, healthiest lives. And that's what we want, us 77 million baby boomers. So the National Institute on Aging partnered with me and National Geographic, and we came up with what we think was a very responsible methodology for looking at what things work at extending our healthy life expectancy. We found parts of the world where people lived the longest by two measures: middle-aged mortality rates, which factors out death at birth, and the centenarian rate.

And how does the health of the world's healthiest elders—those living in the "blue zones"—compare with that of Americans?

Life expectancy is as much as 10 years greater. There was as much as a sixth the rate of cardiovascular disease and a fifth the rate of the big cancers like colon and breast. That's huge, because cardiovascular disease and these cancers kill about 80 percent of people over 65 in our country. And diabetes isn't really an issue with this group.

You make the observation in the book that long-lived people tend to be likable. What's important about that?

We know that if you're likable, you're going to get better care from your caregivers. You also tend to not be abandoned by your family and friends. They've walked this planet for a century and have had an extra number of decades to observe the fact that being compassionate, giving, interested, and interesting is important.

So if you're a younger person—younger than 100, that is—who isn't particularly likable now, are you doomed?

These centenarians weren't always likable. In fact, a lot of them were cantankerous. You talk to their kids, and they say, 'I hated my mother when I was younger, and now I love her.' They evolved. You make a huge evolutionary leap between 80 and 100.

Part of this project has been identifying what you're calling the "Power 9," based on observation of the lives of the well and the long-lived. They're changes we can make to emulate them.

It's not just Dan Buettner jotting them down in his notebook. These are characteristics of the culture that have been thoroughly researched [by academics]. They look like nine simple things, but they have years of research behind them.

One of the "Power 9" is having a sense of purpose. What's yours, and why does it matter?

I happen to be curious. I happen to be family oriented. A component of me wants to do some good. The next thing is figuring out how I put those things to work in my life. That formula is different for everybody. Purpose becomes really crucial in middle age because when your kids grow up and your job sort of wanes, it's like, "What do I do now?"

Many people in the United States seem to be living the antithesis of the way these long-lived people in the Blue Zones do. Considering it has taken millenniums for these four cultures to yield lifestyles aligned with long, healthy lives, can we in America realistically change?

Yes. One of the happy coincidences is most of these "Power 9" are not hard, and a subtle shift of energy can yield an enormous benefit. For example, the idea that having happy hour could more powerfully impact your life than going to the gym seems so flippant, but it's not. In the Blue Zones, these spry centenarians never signed up for diets or belonged to gyms, but they hung out with groups of people who supported the same behaviors. We know that the power of moderate drinking is probably worth three to five good years of life if you can pick up that habit and not make it immoderate.

Did you learn anything about physical activity from this long-lived group?

The big "aha" in all of this is that the things that will help me add a dozen or so years to life—or help me stay younger—are not things that are expensive or even require a lot of effort. I hate going to the gym; I quit doing it. I used to be a world-record cyclist; now I bike for fun. Right now, the key for me is not running marathons or doing triathlons, though I've done that in my life. The key is low-intensity physical activity. Moving does not have to hurt. I think that's a mistake a lot of Americans make.

What about eating habits?

The centenarians had little strategies to keep from stuffing themselves, whether it was eating off smaller plates [or] murmuring a Confucian adage before their meal to remind themselves to stop eating before their stomach was 80 percent full. They eat a big breakfast; we've now discovered that people who consume a big breakfast eat fewer calories throughout the day. They never eat in front of a TV; you tend to eat mindlessly in front of the TV. They eat with family.

What have you personally learned from long-lived people in the Blue Zones?

No. 1, I've identified things I like to do. For example, my dad and I just got a garden plot in Roseville, Minn., and he and I garden once a week. I spend a lot more time and energy on my kids. Two, when I go to the grocery store, I do not buy meat. The longest-lived people of the world eat meat less than one time per week. Three, I've gone back to church. I just sort of forced myself because of what I saw. People who go to church or temple or mosque, say, are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, have lower rates of depression, lower rates of suicide, and tend to have a support group. Once a week, they have scheduled stress reduction, either prayer or just taking their mind off the insanity of everyday living.

Did you learn anything about death?

The longest-lived parts of the world venerate elders. As you approach death, you actually become more respected, whereas I think social capital peaks at about age 24 in America—just look at a billboard or flip through a magazine to see what people we most respect. They tend to be young, good-looking people.

Along with this book, you've created a website called bluezones.com, which offers a place for a like-minded community of people interested in attaining long, healthy lives. What's this "vitality compass" on the site?

I've worked three years with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health to create this life expectancy calculator, a distillation of 337 studies. It'll calculate your life expectancy, your healthy life expectancy, your biological age, the number of years you could add if you optimize your lifestyle. It'll also give you up to eight suggestions, customized to you. The first step in changing behaviors is knowing how you're doing. You need an assessment tool.

According to this tool, how long can you expect to live?

The vitality compass gives me to 99.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/03/25/from-4-long-lived-cultures-9-tips-for-longevity.html

12 Ways To Look, Feel Younger Than Your Years, Peers

2008-03-30T08:56:00.001-07:00