[Niteshade]

The subject of aging has always been interesting to me. What causes aging? In a nutshell it's cellular degradation caused by imperfect cell division. A primary factor in aging? Breathing!  Can't live with it, can't live without it.

Of all the things I have read, it would seem that a good diet and exercise are the best way to prolong our lives.

Can't help but wonder if being healthy reduces the number of times cells have to divide to replace themselves.

A good, concise article: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/telomeres/

[jermmd]

Obviously diet and exercise, not smoking, seat belts, etc. improve your chances of reaching old age and improve the quality of your life. I think the only thing that has been shown to improve longevity is a starvation diet. Linus Pauling thought Vitamin C was the secret to long age but that was never proven (he lived to age 93).

[ctviggen]

Low carb diets come close to starvation diets for certain animals, and even starvation diets are only relevant for certain animals and have not been shown to increase life in adults.  In terms of humans, very few scientifically controlled studies are available. 

I believe the purported link between exercise and long life is solely epidemiological, which proves correlation but not causation.   That is, there are no scientific studies of two groups of people, one told to exercise and one not, which are followed for years.  The effect of exercise on life is unknown. 

As to diet, this brings up a whole host of issues.  Scientific rigor is lacking in this area.  For instance, Jermmd brought up Linus Pauling, but one cannot determine anything from a single person.  As an example, my maternal grandfather lived to be near 90, yet was an alcoholic for 20+ years, smoked unfiltered cigarettes for 30+ (or 40?) years, and had a terrible diet by any metric.   Long life appears to be primarily genetic. 

[JLM]

Live a safe life in moderation and pick your parents carefully.   

[Wind Chaser]

Buster Martin says he's been smoking and drinking since the age of 7.  He's 103 years and still runs marathons but stops along the way for ‘me pint’.

[doorman]

Remember George Burns, when asked why he wanted to live to be 100, replied, "'cause very few people die after 100"!!
Don

[Goosepond]

As someone once said, who the hell wants to be 95 years old?

The answer of course is everyone who is 94! 

Gene

[ctviggen]

Here's a scientific analysis of a study indicating that running is associated with longevity:

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/bogus-studies/running-from-the-proof-correlation-does-not-mean-causation/

I'm not against exercise and enjoy it.  It makes me feel better.  However, it's unclear to me whether exercise lengthens my life, does not lengthen my life but improves its quality, or something else. 

[werd]

Apparently you regenerate a whole new body every 7 years..... obviousily on older looking one.

[BobM]

I really wasn't sure if this thread was going to be about aging one of the below
- meat (which I guess, technically it is)
- wine
- liquor
- or the "sexual effects from..."

Time is relative you know, or at least Einstein thought so. So your chronological age is not necessarily the same as your natural age, although they will certainly tend to be somewhat in the same neighborhood. My parents leved a good long time and always said, stay away from too much of anything. Eat everything in moderation and keep your mind and body active.

So far it's working pretty good for me.

[Mike B.]

I think it is a 50/50 deal. Good gene pool, and healthy living. I would rank stress right up there with smoking and exposure to other toxics.

[TheChairGuy]

What's Your Real Age? Do the test - 10 questions only (you need to know your blood pressure to be accurate, tho):

http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2000/04/living_age.html

John (47....but 'real' age of 40.5.  I think I need to sleep an extra hour a night be get back into my 30's )

[WGH]

What's Your Real Age? Do the test - 10 questions only (you need to know your blood pressure to be accurate, tho):

http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2000/04/living_age.html

John (47....but 'real' age of 40.5.  I think I need to sleep an extra hour a night be get back into my 30's )

Cool test - I'm 61 but it says my 'real' age is 76.5 (if I cheat).

Now if I pick my honest answer's I'm down to 55. If I get married to a dog I'm down to 51.

Wayne

[ctviggen]

What's Your Real Age? Do the test - 10 questions only (you need to know your blood pressure to be accurate, tho):

http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2000/04/living_age.html

John (47....but 'real' age of 40.5.  I think I need to sleep an extra hour a night be get back into my 30's )

That test shows a complete lack of understanding of scientific analysis.  Truly, it's a complete piece of crap.  It disgusts me.  For instance, this statement is completely ludicrous:

"Get a dog. Dog owners stay young longer, possibly because they get exercise caring for their pet. Sorry, cat owners."

Again, association does not equal causation. 

This statement is also very poor:

"If you are an adult with no history of bleeding problems or other contraindications to aspirin, take an 80- to 325-milligram tablet every day to help keep your arteries free from clots and to reduce the incidence of certain kinds of colon cancer."

The incidence of bleeding problems far outweighs the benefits of aspirin.  (Thus, the disclaimer, but he doesn't say that just because you haven't had a history of bleeding problems doesn't mean you won't develop them.) 

This statement also is dubious, to say the least:

"Both vitamins E and C seem to help keep arteries clear."

See, eg, the following:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/ss02/blumberg.html

There, it says " For example, surveys of over 200,000 people in different communities around the world have provided compelling evidence that diets high in vitamin E and/or use of vitamin E supplements reduce the risk of heart disease. Although some clinical trials provide supporting data, the results from several large-scale trials do not confirm these observations." 

So, epidemiological evidence indicated that vitamin E (acquired through diet or vitamins) appeared to reduce heart disease.  But when vitamin E was given through placebo controlled studies, it was useless.  Any epidemiological evidence must be carefully scrutinized.

[TheChairGuy]

That test shows a complete lack of understanding of scientific analysis.  Truly, it's a complete piece of crap.  It disgusts me.  For instance, this statement is completely ludicrous:

"Get a dog. Dog owners stay young longer, possibly because they get exercise caring for their pet. Sorry, cat owners."

Again, association does not equal causation. 

Okay Bob...I can see how you can disagree with this...but, 'disgusted'?

I have a feeling your blood pressure is too high if this pop quiz on aging really disgusts you 

A few rip-roaring bellylaugh's regularly has to take years off, too

John

[macrojack]

Life is like the view from a moving train. The perspective is constantly changing. I'm almost 63 and the hand writing is on the wall. I feel good and appear to be in good health. My family has a history of rather long life. So naturally I expect to be around quite a while longer. But, will I want to be living when I'm 98 and nearly deaf with weak eyes and a bag full of pee strapped to my leg? Everything hurts and I can't remember where I left my teeth. Have you seen them? I can't get any exercise. Everybody I used to know is dead, I think. Bedsores are a constant problem. Why the hell do I keep hanging on?

So this might be one of those "be careful what you wish for" situations.
I've come to believe that aging is about loss more than anything else. And eventually you decide you've lost enough so you quit fighting. And the light goes out...

[FullRangeMan]

Many years ago I made a theory: All healthy people live the same number of breaths (33 million), if you breathe faster (60 times per minute or more) you will live less years, if you breathe slowly (50-52 times per minute you will live more years, more than 80 years).
Do not fast...

[Niteshade]

I wonder- do you think genetics has more to do with longevity than anything else?

I had an aunt that did everything in the world to avoid getting cancer. Well- she died of cancer.

[Woodsea]

What it boils down to is genetics.  The chaos of our genes.  You may live better if you exercise.  You will live better if you don't imbibe in nicotine.   You will enjoy life more with a moderate amount of ETOH and/or THC.  But, my advice is to live, breath deep and enjoy whatever life throws at you.  Whatever it is besides a being thrown down a well and fattened up for a skin suit is better than worm food.

[FullRangeMan]

I wonder- do you think genetics has more to do with longevity than anything else?

I had an aunt that did everything in the world to avoid getting cancer. Well- she died of cancer.

I think yes, but not for alll persons, as everyone is unique or different from others.