Do You Want to Live Longer? Here’s How!

Most people around the retirement age of 60 or 65 think in terms of living to age 80. As we come closer to that age, we begin to think about what lies beyond. Will we live to 85? Or even 90? Do we want to reach that age? Do we aspire to live to 100 and beyond?

The average life expectancy in the US is 79.11years. In my country, Canada it is 82.96 years. If you live beyond the average life expectancy of around 80 years old, you could be described as having longevity, a combination of health and lifespan.

Human life expectancy has increased during the past few years. But the years we remain in good health has been slower to catch up. This creates an imbalance, with some people reaching old age, but spending their last few years in poor health.

The maximum potential lifespan of human beings is not fully known but some gerontologists have estimated it to be somewhere between 120 and 150 years old, although this has not yet been reached.

What happens as we age?

We are more likely to become ill with age-related diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This happens as our bodies experience cellular and stem cell decline that come with aging. This contributes to loss of tissue and causes health deterioration.

As well, our appearance begins to show our aging. After the age of 30, we may notice fine lines and wrinkles on our faces. Skin becomes drier and less elastic, a result of exposure to sun, pollution, smoking, and poor nutrition.

We may begin to lose our balance and muscle strength. These are all known as the hallmarks of aging. Aging itself is inevitable, but the health issues that often comes with it are not. If we wish to have some control over them, first we need to understand them.

Three main factors, namely genetic, environmental and lifestyle affect longevity. It can be a combination of all three:

• Genetic: Family history can be a major factor in whether an individual will develop disease, with certain common conditions running in families.
• Environmental: Where and how we live can also influence our health. This involves our standard of living. When we have better access to health care, good water quality and clean air, we have a higher stand of living and we are healthier.
• Lifestyle: This is one factor that we can control. Generally, eating a balanced diet, exercising, and sleeping well can contribute to longevity. Unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking alcohol excessively, and prolonged sitting in front of a television or computer all impact longevity.

This is where the emerging field of epigenetics comes in. While genes are important, they are not the deciding factor in how long we live.

Is their any good news about aging?

The good news is that how we live and where we live can change the way our genes react. This is known as epigenetics.

Epigenetic changes do not change your DNA, but they change how your body reads a DNA sequence. Responding to factors you can control, like nutrition, behaviour, stress and physical activity can change how your genes perform.

In some areas, notably the world’s Blue Zones, people often live to a great age, 90 years. They consume five foods daily (mostly fruit and vegetables) on the Mediterranean diet which is associated with lower risk of mortality.

But that’s not all. There are several other approaches to a long life that we can take, including fasting, taking longevity supplements and sleeping more.

Niamh Aspell Ph D, of Sigma Nutrition, says, “The general premise is that fasting regimens may trigger a metabolic shift from glucose-based to ketone-based energy, with increased stress resistance, and cell survival resulting in decreased incidence of disease and increased longevity. This is usually coupled with weight loss, which also likely attributes to the benefits of fasting.”

Longevity supplements like Spermidine, NAD and Resveratrol, are all claimed to have antiaging and longevity benefits. They contain active ingredients that work on causes of aging, like molecular and cellular damage, slowing them down. For example, spermidine supplements act as a caloric restriction, which tricks the body into fasting and induces autophagy.

Why is sleep so important?

Sleep, is critical when it comes to slowing down aging. I wrote about it on this blog on March 17, 2019, so you may want to follow the link. But if you would rather not do that, here is a comprehensive section:

A 2018 study, for example, concluded that one human function, sleep, depends on the establishment of routine. Dr. Daniel Smith, professor of psychiatry at the University of Glasgow and a lead author on the study which used 91,000 UK residents, says,

“It’s widely known that a good night’s sleep is a good thing for well-being and health. That’s not a big surprise. What’s less well-known, is the fact that having a regular daily routine where you’re active in daylight and inactive in darkness is also important for mental health.”

The subject of sleep is near and dear to me, since I have long had difficulty sleeping. Over the years, I’ve searched for solutions. I discovered other studies about sleep habits and found that some people just naturally have nocturnal circadian rhythms that tells their body to go to sleep when it becomes dark and wake up at dawn. However, not all of us are able to maintain sleep hygiene that rises and falls with the sun. So, all I can say to that is, “I wish!”

An Addendum::

The five Blue Zones are located in:

• Sardinia, Italy – home to the world’s longest-lived men
• Okinawa, Japan – home to the world’s longest-lived women
• Loma Linda, California – A community where people outlive the average American by a decade.
• Ikaria, Greece – a tiny island community with significantly reduced rates of common chronic illnesses
• Nicoya, Costa Rica – an area where people are more than twice as likely as Americans to reach 90 years of age.

Some parting thoughts from Brainy Quotes:

“Longevity trumps everything.” Jay Sean

“I’m most proud of the longevity of my marriage, my kids, and my grandchildren. If you don’t have that, you really don’t have very much.” Bob Newhart

“If you ask what the single most important key to longevity is, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.” George Burns