Rules for centenarians
The secret of longevity
Boris Bocharov, magazine "60 years is not an age"
(published on the Third Age website)
There are many hypotheses about how to prolong life. Which one is closer to the truth? Or maybe for longevity you need not one, but several prerequisites that help you live for a long time and not get sick?
Genetics or lifestyle?
It is known that 30-50% of centenarians in the family had people who lived to old age. But is it right to put genetic predisposition in the first place? After all, a certain way of life has been preserved in families for generations, which, I must say, also plays an important role in how long we will live.
And here is another important aspect: is there a relationship between a person's health and his intelligence? That's what the observations show.
Smart people lead a healthier lifestyle. In addition, there are areas of human activity in which success and recognition come with age, for example, the work of scientists. At the general annual meetings of the Russian Academy of Sciences, it is striking that this is a meeting of Russian elders, most of them cheerful in body and bright in mind.
The high average age of the members of the Academy of Sciences is only partly due to the fact that it is not young candidates who are elected to it, but elderly doctors of sciences. Something else is more important. With age, perhaps, the most significant incentives to life are demand and independence, which the pundits have. They are awarded titles for life, they are financially secure, continue to do what they love, enjoy authority and even receive Nobel Prizes.
Potential centenariansOver the past decades, gerontologists Leonid Anatolyevich and Natalia Sergeevna Gavrilov, Doctors of Sciences, have been studying the factors of longevity and the prerequisites for longevity at Moscow State University.
Unfortunately, after perestroika, not enough attention was paid to their work, and they were forced to leave to work in the USA. The published results of their research caused a sensation in American scientific circles, which was reflected in the press.
The Gavrilovs studied data collected on 991 centenarians born in the United States between 1875 and 1899, and using information from the U.S. Census and records of the Social Security Administration reconstructed the family history of 198 of them to find out if there is something in common between them.
It turned out that the first-born children have 1.7 times higher chances of living to 100 years than their younger brothers and sisters. An even more significant factor is the age of the mother at the time of birth of the child. If the mother is less than 25 years old, the child is twice as likely to overcome the age-old milestone. Even to reach the age of 70, it is important whether the mother was young.
Scientists believe that the younger the mother, the less likely it is that she could become a carrier of a latent infection that could damage the health of the fetus. In addition, young mothers have healthier ovaries.
Maybe the first eggs are better in quality than the subsequent ones. Indeed, in mammals, eggs are consumed according to the order of maturation. "If the most viable eggs are initially used, then this may explain why the children of the youngest mothers live especially long," says L.A. Gavrilov.
But the statistical dependence of the age to which a child can live on the age of the father has not been found. Although a recent study in European royal houses has established an unexplained pattern so far: in elderly fathers, sons live four years longer than daughters. But this is a local and statistically unreliable result.
About bachelors, smokers and millionairesThere are many hypotheses about what prevents us from living for a long time.
However, if you check them with impartial statistics, as the Gavrilovs did, it turns out that some of them are not confirmed by anything. Bachelors and childless people live as long as family and large families. Growth, if it is within the normal range, has nothing to do with life expectancy. And it is not millionaires who are at the forefront of centenarians, but modest workers of cities and villages, as well as devoted servants of science.
But here's what has been proven for sure: smoking shortens life. In fact, I can't remember which of our academics smokes. By the way, in the USA, life insurance for smokers is carried out at a very strict tariff. However, after 90 years, the relationship between age and smoking is leveled.
Moderate alcohol consumption (better than dry red wines) even contributes to longevity, and I have seen drinking academics in abundance.
Thin people live longerIt turns out that the figure should be monitored not only in order to look good, but also in order to live a long time.
According to statistics, excess weight even reduces the chances of becoming a centenarian by 10-15%.
In addition, being overweight negatively affects mental abilities. This was confirmed by French scientists. For 5 years, they studied 2,200 men and women aged 32 to 62 years. They were asked to perform tests to determine the level of their mental abilities. At the beginning of the study, people of normal build and thin performed 56% of the test, and those who were significantly overweight – only 44%. After 5 years, the indicators of well-fed citizens dropped to 37.5%, and people with normal weight did not change. Anyway, it's more profitable to be thin – and you're smarter, and you live longer.
Mind and health go hand in hand
Harvard University scientists have been monitoring the health of 700 people for 30 years. They examined their health status and conducted mental development tests at the age of seven and thirty years later. It was found that the children who showed high mental abilities, as adults, were distinguished by good health, and those who did not shine with intelligence in the first grade grew up frail.
A similar large-scale study was conducted recently by the British Council. 1 thousand people of different social groups and professions were put under control. It turned out that among people of the same age, the mortality rate for those who have been engaged in mental labor all their lives is 4 times lower than for those who have not been engaged in it. Scientists emphasize that one of the secrets of longevity is a constant intellectual load.
Rules for centenariansThere are general rules on how to prolong life, which reflect common sense and the accumulated experience of generations.
- The diet should be low in calories, contain a lot of vitamins and a minimum of sugar and be age-appropriate. For example, fish is more useful for the elderly, and children need meat.
- Physical exercises also contribute to longevity. Even 8 minutes of sports a day, scientists say, prolong life.
- Prolonged stress causes premature aging of the immune system, so it should be avoided. But short stress leads to the activation of vital forces and increases life expectancy.
- It is harmful to accumulate negative emotions in yourself. The one who never spills them out is more susceptible to diseases.
- An active social life is useful. Psychologists recommend having your own point of view on everything. A person who lives consciously is much less likely to fall into depression, which means that he retains his health.
- Scientists from the University of Flinder (Australia) came to the conclusion that sociable people live longer than closed ones. A happy marriage and good relations in the family are essential for longevity.
- To prolong life, it is necessary to constantly train the brain: work in the specialty as long as possible, play intellectual games, solve crosswords and puzzles.
- Lack of sleep can be the cause of diseases such as obesity or diabetes, which shorten our lives. But sleeping in a cool room at a temperature no higher than 17-18 ° C helps to preserve youth.
As you can see, there are many ways to prolong your life. Don't miss your chance!
Antioxidants are known to slow down aging. Plant - derived antioxidants include: Siberian ginseng (protection from stress, but it must be remembered that its use increases blood pressure); ginkgo biloba (a stimulant of mental activity); sea thistle (liver protection); long turmeric (anti-inflammatory effect); blueberries (anti-rheumatoid effect and vision improvement).Activated charcoal and other sorbents are useful for the general improvement of the body.
These drugs act as filters, limiting the entry of toxic substances into the body from the intestine. However, since they are not selective sorbents and absorb useful substances from the intestine, for example, vitamins, they should not be constantly consumed. It is necessary to conduct periodic courses of sorbent intake. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the use of activated charcoal can cause constipation.Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru