Longevity
How to live longer.
Folksonomies: medicine health longevity life-extension
Memes
Exercise Prevents Spending Calories on Fat Storage and Ot...
The reason for that is because exercise causes stress and that stress turns on a whole raft of beneficial effects. And there are really two kinds of this stress. Now, the first kind is energetic stress. Like I went for a run this morning, I spent probably about 500 calories running and I can only do so many things with the calories my body has. And if I spend 500 extra calories exercising, that means I'm not gonna spend 500 calories on other activities that my bother body might engage in. An...Exercise Creates Structural Stress
Now, the other kind of stress Structural stress from activity that physical activity cause is structural stress. Now, when I was running this morning, for example, my mitochondria were generating all kinds of ATP to fuel my body, but my mitochondria were also spewing out all kinds of reactive oxygen species, which cause widespread damage throughout my body. I was getting mutations in my DNA, those that damage is causing my telomeres at the end of my chromosomes to shorten its damaging cells. ...Why Humans Evolved to be Active
Humans of all to be much more physically active than our ape ancestors. Typical chimpanzee walks maybe two to three kilometers a day, and they take maybe what, three, 4,000 steps a day. A typical hunter-gatherer takes about 15 to 20,000 steps a day. Per kilo hunter-gatherers spend about twice as much energy per kilo on being physically active per day than our ape cousins. And importantly, that physical activity occurs as we age, right? So Americans are pretty inactive, as we all know. A typ...Digestive Enzymes Leaking into the Body May Increase Aging
In young rats, the researchers found low levels of the protein-breaking enzyme trypsin, although the tiny folds (villi) of the small intestine and the lungs contained more of this molecule. However, trypsin levels were much higher in old animals. “High densities are on sections of the intestine, liver, and lung, organs that are in the pathway of digestive enzymes leaking from the small intestine,” the paper says. Elevated levels of other digestive enzymes (elastase, lipase, and amylase) ...Darwin, Bach, and Professional Decline
What’s the difference between Bach and Darwin? Both were preternaturally gifted and widely known early in life. Both attained permanent fame posthumously. Where they differed was in their approach to the midlife fade. When Darwin fell behind as an innovator, he became despondent and depressed; his life ended in sad inactivity. When Bach fell behind, he reinvented himself as a master instructor. He died beloved, fulfilled, and—though less famous than he once had been—respected. The less...Lower Mortality in Moderate Drinkers VS Abstainers Result...
RESULTS: Without adjustment, meta-analysis of all 87 included studies replicated the classic J-shaped curve, with low-volume drinkers (1.3-24.9 g ethanol per day) having reduced mortality risk (RR = 0.86, 95% CI [0.83, 0.90]). Occasional drinkers (<1.3 g per day) had similar mortality risk (RR = 0.84, 95% CI [0.79, 0.89]), and former drinkers had elevated risk (RR = 1.22, 95% CI [1.14, 1.31]). After adjustment for abstainer biases and quality-related study characteristics, no significant r...The studies fail to take into account that many abstainers are former alcoholics who are biased toward ill health.
Adult Physical Activity Keeps Immune System Young
It is widely accepted that aging is accompanied by remodelling of the immune system including thymic atrophy and increased frequency of senescent T cells, leading to immune compromise. However, physical activity, which influences immunity but declines dramatically with age, is not considered in this literature. We assessed immune profiles in 125 adults (55–79 years) who had maintained a high level of physical activity (cycling) for much of their adult lives, 75 age-matched older adults and ...Hot Red Chili Consumption Lowers Mortality
The evidence base for the health effects of spice consumption is insufficient, with only one large population-based study and no reports from Europe or North America. Our objective was to analyze the association between consumption of hot red chili peppers and mortality, using a population-based prospective cohort from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) III, a representative sample of US noninstitutionalized adults, in which participants were surveyed from 1988 to...Ikigai and Mortality
Among the 43,391 subjects enrolled, 25,596 (59.0%) indicated that they found a sense of ikigai, 15,782 (36.4%) indicated they were uncertain, and 2013 (4.6%) indicated they did not find a sense of ikigai. As compared with those who found a sense of ikigai, those who did not were more likely to be unmarried, unemployed, have a lower educational level, have bad or poor self-rated health, have a high level of perceived mental stress, have severe or moderate bodily pain, have limitation of physic...Busyness Correlated with Improved Cognitive Performance
Sustained engagement in mentally challenging activities has been shown to improve memory in older adults. We hypothesized that a busy schedule would be a proxy for an engaged lifestyle and would facilitate cognition. Here, we examined the relationship between busyness and cognition in adults aged 50–89. Participants (N = 330) from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study (DLBS) completed a cognitive battery and the Martin and Park Environmental Demands Questionnaire (MPED), an assessment of busyness...Physical and Actuarial Escape Velocities
The escape velocity cusp is closer than you might guess. Since we are already so long lived, even a 30% increase in healthy life span will give the first beneficiaries of rejuvenation therapies another 20 years—an eternity in science—to benefit from second-generation therapies that would give another 30%, and so on ad infinitum. Thus, if first-generation rejuvenation therapies were universally available and this progress in developing rejuvenation therapy could be indefinitely maintained,...Caloric Restriction Could Mean a 20% Extension in Lifespan
Sinclair and several other prominent gerontologists are presently seeking human therapies based on the long-standing observation that lifelong restriction of caloric intake considerably extends both the healthy and total life span of nearly all species in which it has been tried, including rodents and dogs. Drugs that elicit the gene expression changes that result from caloric restriction might, these workers assert, extend human life span by something approaching the same proportion as seen ...The Stress of Cold Temperatures Extends Lifespans
In 1986, John Holloszy of Washington University immersed his lab rats in shallow, cool water for four hours each day. They burned so many extra calories that they ate half again as much as control rats, but weighed less. The cold rats lived 10% longer, on average. Holloszy framed his report on this experiment not as a hormetic effect of cold exposure, but as a refutation of the “rate of living” hypothesis. In 2006, Gordon Lithgow of the Buck Institute for Aging Research exposed lab worms...Exercise "Sweet Spot" for Extending Lifespan
They found that, unsurprisingly, the people who did not exercise at all were at the highest risk of early death. But those who exercised a little, not meeting the recommendations but doing something, lowered their risk of premature death by 20 percent. Those who met the guidelines precisely, completing 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, enjoyed greater longevity benefits and 31 percent less risk of dying during the 14-year period compared with those who never exercised. The sweet s...Sugar Impacts Learning
The DHA-deprived rats also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates synaptic function in the brain. A closer look at the rats' brain tissue suggested that insulin had lost much of its power to influence the brain cells. "Because insulin can penetrate the blood–brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss," Gomez-Pinilla said. He suspects that fructose is the culprit behi...Dementia Linked to Carbohydrates
High caloric intake has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Total caloric intake is determined by the calories derived from macronutrients. The objective of the study was to investigate the association between percent of daily energy (calories) from macronutrients and incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Participants were a population-based prospective cohort of elderly persons who were followed over a median 3.7 years (interquartile range, 2.5-3.9...Resveratrol and SIRT1
For the last decade, the science of aging has increasingly focused on sirtuins, a group of genes that are believed to protect many organisms, including mammals, against diseases of aging. Mounting evidence has demonstrated that resveratrol, a compound found in the skin of grapes as well as in peanuts and berries, increases the activity of a specific sirtuin, SIRT1, that protects the body from diseases by revving up the mitochondria, a kind of cellular battery that slowly runs down as we age. ...Evidence on Creatine
Strong scientific evidence for this use Enhanced muscle mass / strength: Several high-quality studies have shown an increase in muscle mass with creatine use. However, some weaker studies have reported mixed results. Overall, the available evidence suggests that creatine does increase lean body mass, strength, and total work. Future studies should include the effect of individual differences such as fitness levels, sex, and age. Unclear scientific evidence for this use Athletic performance...Ideal Amount of Exercise for Longevity
People who got some exercise, but not enough to meet the physical activity recommendations were still 20 percent less likely to die over a 14-year period than those who did not do any physical activity. (The recommendations say to do 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.) People who engaged in the recommended level of physical activity saw even more benefit: They were 31 percent less likely to die during the study period, compared with those w...Who recommendation is 150 minutes moderate or 75 minutes vigorous a week. Three to five times this amount was linked with a 39% reduction in mortality; therefore, 7.5 hours moderate exercise or 3.75 hours vigorous for best results.
WHO Exercise Guidelines
In order to improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, bone health, reduce the risk of NCDs and depression: 1. Adults aged 18–64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. 2. Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes duration. For addit...Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF) Lowers Cancer Risk
A well-established, graded, inverse association exists between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as all-cause mortality in numerous healthy and clinical adult populations.1- 3 Compared with those classified in the lowest CRF category (<7.9 metabolic equivalents [METs]), individuals in the highest CRF category (≥10.9 METs) have a 1.6- to 1.7-fold lower risk of CVD and all-cause mortality, respectively.4 Accordingly, measurement of CRF via for...From Time Magazine article on the study:
Here’s the best part: it doesn’t take a lot of exercise to have a big health impact, Lakoski found. “Just a small improvement in fitness made a difference in survival of those that developed cancer,” she says. Compared to men who could run 12-minute miles on the treadmill at age 50, men who ran slightly faster 11.5-minute miles had an additional 10% decrease in cancer death and an extra 25% decrease in cardiovascular death among those who developed cancer in the study.
Running In Elderly Promotes Walking-Economy of Youth
Older runners had a 7–10% better walking economy than older walkers over the range of speeds tested (p = .016) and had walking economy similar to young sedentary adults over a similar range of speeds (p = .237). We found no substantial biomechanical differences between older walkers and runners. In contrast to older runners, older walkers had similar walking economy as older sedentary adults (p = .461) and ~26% worse walking economy than young adults (p<.0001).Sauna Use Reduces Mortality
During a median follow-up of 20.7 years (interquartile range, 18.1-22.6 years), 190 SCDs, 281 fatal CHDs, 407 fatal CVDs, and 929 all-cause mortality events occurred. A total of 601, 1513, and 201 participants reported having a sauna bathing session 1 time per week, 2 to 3 times per week, and 4 to 7 times per week, respectively. The numbers (percentages) of SCDs were 61 (10.1%), 119 (7.8%), and 10 (5.0%) in the 3 groups of the frequency of sauna bathing. The respective numbers were 89 (14.9%)...The Unmentioned Trade-Offs in Life Extention
Now it is not that the cell biologists can’t point to experiments which seem to fit their views, as is common in natural science. (After all, the Earth’s Moon does indeed have a geocentric orbit.) Good colleagues of mine like Robert Reis are able to produce nematode worms that live ten times longer than their unmutated controls, if they use ingenious genetic and environmental manipulation. But nematodes have well-developed physiological machinery for sustaining states of metabolic arrest,...From Michael R. Rose's "Immortalist Fictions and Strategies"
An Algorithm for Predicting Longevity
For the test, participants exercised on a treadmill at increasing speed and incline. While they were exercising, the researches measured peak heart rate (%MPHR) and their ability to withstand physical exertion. On that latter point, they measured metabolic equivalents, or METs, which gauges how much energy the body expends during exercise. The more intense the exercise, the higher the METs (e.g. slow walking = ~2 METs, whereas running = ~8 METs). [...] FIT Treadmill Score = %MPHR 12(M...You can get your MPHR for your age here. I found a chart of METS here for various exercises.
Activity | METS | Activity | METS |
Aerobic Dancing | 6.0 | Running 12 min/mile | 8.5 |
Backpacking | 7.0 | Racquetball | 8.0 |
Badminton | 7.0 | Rugby | 8.3 |
Basketball | 6.0 | Skating ice/roller | 7.0 |
Bicycling - 24mph | 5.0 | Skiing cross country | 8.0 |
Calisthenics | 4.5 | Soccer | 8.0 |
Golf | 5.0 | Softball | 5.0 |
Gymnastics | 5.5 | Swimming | 6.0 |
Handball | 8.0 | Tennis | 7.0 |
Hockey | 8.0 | Volleyball | 4.0 |
Horse riding | 3.5 | Walking | 3.5 |
Running 8 min/mile | 12.5 | Weight lifting | 4.5 |
Stage | Minutes | % grade | km/h | MPH | METS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | 10 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 5 |
2 | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 7 |
3 | 3 | 14 | 5.4 | 3.4 | 10 |
4 | 3 | 16 | 6.7 | 4.2 | 13 |
5 | 3 | 18 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 15 |
6 | 3 | 20 | 8.8 | 5.5 | 18 |
7 | 3 | 22 | 9.6 | 6.0 | 20 |
Total Durations = 21 minutes
So, if I'm understanding this correctly. If I reach a 160 heart rate out of 179.0 MPHR predicted for my 41 years of age while running 12 minute miles worth 8.5 METS. My score would be:
83.7 12(8.5) - 4(41) = 21.7
The same heart rate for my age running 8 minute miles:
83.7 12(8.5) - 4(41) = 69.7
Memory Systems as a Shared Resource
This inspired them to depart from testing memory for lists of words and events, and to explore the amount of rich, in-depth information remembered by couples about experienced events. They found these social exchanges led to clear collaborative memory benefits, which could take three forms: “New information” such as finally snatching an elusive name of a musical thanks to a chain of prompts between the two parties. Richer, more vivid descriptions of events including sensory information. ...Science is the "Crucible" for Extending Life
People are living longer and societies are getting grayer. You hear about it all the time. You read about it in your newspapers. You hear about it on your television sets. Sometimes I'm concerned that we hear about it so much that we've come to accept longer lives with a kind of a complacency, even ease. But make no mistake, longer lives can and, I believe, will improve quality of life at all ages. Now to put this in perspective, let me just zoom out for a minute. More years were added to av...Our culture, our memes account for our extended lifespans.
Okinawa Culture as a Blue Zone
We found our second Blue Zone on the other side of the planet, about 800 miles south of Tokyo, on the archipelago of Okinawa. Okinawa is actually 161 small islands. And in the northern part of the main island, this is ground zero for world longevity. This is a place where the oldest living female population is found. It's a place where people have the longest disability-free life expectancy in the world. They have what we want. They live a long time, and tend to die in their sleep, very quick...Habits and culture of the people with the longest life-expectancy on the planet.
Adventists Live Longer
In America here, life expectancy for the average woman is 80. But for an Adventist woman, their life expectancy is 89. And the difference is even more pronounced among men, who are expected to live about 11 years longer than their American counterparts. Now, this is a study that followed about 70,000 people for 30 years. Sterling study. And I think it supremely illustrates the premise of this Blue Zone project. This is a heterogeneous community. It's white, black, Hispanic, Asian. The only t...Habits and characteristics of Adventists that may lend to their longer lifespans.
Stress is Healthy
Your heart might be pounding, you might be breathing faster, maybe breaking out into a sweat. And normally, we interpret these physical changes as anxiety or signs that we aren't coping very well with the pressure. But what if you viewed them instead as signs that your body was energized, was preparing you to meet this challenge? Now that is exactly what participants were told in a study conducted at Harvard University. Before they went through the social stress test, they were taught to ret...At least it can be, if we don't think of it as being detrimental. If we don't stress about stress, but rather think of it as healthy reaction and seek social connections as a coping mechanism for it, then stress is good for us.
Additional Note: Could this be why parents have longer lifespans? The oxytocin response tempers the detrimental effects of stress, leaving only the beneficial?
Game That Adds 7.5 Minutes to Your Life
Now, I could tell you what these four types of strength are, but I'd rather you experience them firsthand. I'd rather we all start building them up together right now. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to play a quick game together. This is where you earn those seven and a half minutes of bonus life that I promised you earlier. All you have to do is successfully complete the first four SuperBetter quests. And I feel like you can do it. I have confidence in you. So, everybody read...Quick game that hits on four aspects of a healthy life. The speaker then suggests using those seven minutes on actions that will get you even more longevity.
Healthy Lifestyle Changes Increase Telomerase Length by 10%
Methods This follow-up study compared ten men and 25 external controls who had biopsy-proven low-risk prostate cancer and had chosen to undergo active surveillance. Eligible participants were enrolled between 2003 and 2007 from previous studies and selected according to the same criteria. Men in the intervention group followed a programme of comprehensive lifestyle changes (diet, activity, stress management, and social support), and the men in the control group underwent active surveillance ...Small sample size, but first evidence that healthy living can actually reverse the aging process somewhat.
Shorter People Live Longer
The study was conducted to evaluate one aspect of the entropy theory of aging, which hypothesizes that aging is the result of increasing disorder within the body, and which predicts that increasing mass lowers life span. The first evaluation of the impact of human size on longevity or life span in 1978, which was based on data for decreased groups of athletes and famous people in the USA, suggested that shorter, lighter men live longer than their taller, heavier counterparts. In 1990, a study...5 years on average. Suggesting the medical community's focus on encouraging parents to grow big children is misguided as it may be shortening their lifespans.