Tag Archives: living longer

Family & friends key to longevity – Evercare survey

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New York: Key to living a long and happy life are close relationships with family and friends, according to the third annual Evercare 100@100 survey.

The US poll of 100 centenarians also reveals, that contrary to conventional stereotypes, some of the oldest Americans are using the latest technologies to keep close to friends and loved ones – talking on cell phones, sending emails, “Googling” lost acquaintances, surfing Wikipedia and even online dating.

“We serve Centenarians and other older Americans every day who inspire and educate us about the keys to longevity – they are teaching us what it means to live longer, healthier, happier lives,” said Dr. John Mach, a geriatrician and chairman of Evercare, a part of UnitedHealth Group.

“We conduct the Evercare 100@100 Survey to understand the secrets to successful aging and to put those findings into action to better serve our members – helping them maintain their independence and achieve better health outcomes.”

Created to be a cultural snapshot of 100 Americans turning 100 or older in 2008, this year’s Evercare 100@100 Survey also polled 900 of those in other generations to compare and contrast the generational findings on topics of maintaining relationships and staying independent. The other generations surveyed included G.I. (ages 84-98), Silent (ages 63-83), Baby Boomers (ages 44-62), Gen X (ages 30-43) and Millennials (ages 20-29). According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau data, there are more than 84,000 Centenarians in the United States, and that number is projected to increase seven-fold, to 580,000, by 2040.

Among the key findings of the 2008 Evercare 100@100 Survey:

– An apple a day may keep the doctor away: . . .but these Centenarians say staying close to friends and family is most important to healthy aging (90 percent). Keeping the mind active (90 percent) and laughing and having a sense of humor (88 percent) also ranked high for living longer.

– Surveyed Centenarians are no technophobes: 19 percent say they use cell phones to keep in touch with friends and family. Other technology used to stay in touch includes: e-mail (7 percent), sending or receiving digital photos by email (4 percent), and text messaging (1 percent).

– Love 2.0: As many Centenarians as Baby Boomers (3 percent) say they have dated someone they met on an online dating site. Twelve percent of Centenarians surveyed say they have used the Internet and some have “Googled” someone they have lost contact with (2 percent) or have visited someone’s personal Web site (2 percent).

– Centenarians have seen a slew of historical presidential match-ups: FDR defeat Hoover, Kennedy defeat Nixon, Reagan defeat Carter and Clinton defeat Bush I. But majorities (54 percent) of surveyed 100-year-olds say that the 2008 election is more important than previous presidential elections.

– Heading to the polls: In keeping with typical voting habits in which older voters regularly turn out at the polls, 70 percent of Centenarians surveyed say they are very likely to vote in this year’s presidential election, as compared to only 60 percent of Millennials surveyed.

— Little white lies can spell big trouble: Centenarians surveyed say that being honest with each other, even if the truth sometimes hurts, is the most important factor in a lasting relationship (91 percent). They also say it is very important to have fun and laugh together (88 percent) and to respect each other’s independence (83 percent).

Evercareis a national care coordination program for people who have long-term or advanced illness, are older or have disabilities.

Pet Longevity Guide – by Dr Carol Osborne

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The Pet Longevity Revoultion
by Dr Carol Osborne, D.V.M.
People and pets are now living longer than ever before. As owners, we naturally want our pets to live the longest, healthiest lives possible. After all dogs and cats aren’t just pets, they are cherished members of our family and for most of us, best friends. In fact, according to a recent Gallup survey the relationship we share with pets gets stronger with every passing year. Our love is so deep, and our relationship so special, that today almost 75% of us wouldn’t hand over their pets even in exchange for $1 million cash.

So, What’s Best For Pets?

Prevention and early disease detection combined with good nutrition, exercise, and proper veterinary care are the cornerstones of good health. Although the aging process is different for every animal (large and giant dog breeds tend to age faster than smaller ones) it generally begins at maturity, somewhere between one and two years of age, for dogs and between 10 and 12 months of age for cats. Most pets become senior citizens at seven. Giant dog breeds are considered seniors at age 5. Shorted lived cat breeds, like Persians, are considered seniors at age six.

How Old Is Old

To determine whether or not a pet is old, it’s important to distinguish between chronological and biological age. Chronological age is determined by the year in which your pet was born or the number of candles on your pets birthday cake. Anti-ageing medicine focuses on biological age, which is determined by how your pet looks, acts and feels.

LONGEVITY AND HEALTH

Longevity is attributed to 70% to lifestyle and 30% to genetics. Up to 90% of diseases in dogs and cats are due to the degenerative processes associated with ageing. Longevity research confirms the fact that a fresh organic diet along with optimal nutritional supplementation can deter and slow the aging process and can help your pet stay younger longer and enhances his or her life expectancy.

Backed By Decades of Research

A successful longevity program starts by supplementing your pet’s body with the critical nutrients it needs on a daily basis. Look for anti-ageing supplements, like PAAWS, specifically designed for pets that contain a scientifically proven, natural blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, anti-oxidants, herbs, essential omega 3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, immune system boosters and longevity factors. They should be are synergistically balanced to optimize your pet’s health and maximize his or her longevity.

SIGNS OF AGEING IN PETS
Signs of aging occur slowly. Their detection requires your close observation and keen eye. Before beginning any supplement use this checklist to identify signs of aging in your pet. Then monitor your pet’s progress by filling out this list 30, 60, and 90 days later.

AGEING SIGNS in DOGS & CATS:
• Weight gain/weight loss
• Changes in skin, hair coat
• Excess shedding
• Changes in appetite
• Drinking more
• Increased urination
• Loss of house training and/or
Accidents in the house
• Hesitant to climb the stairs
• Limping/less mobile, stiff gait
• Harder to get up and down
• Has trouble or can’t jump in and
out of the car
• Bad breath
• Gas or indigestion after eating
• Vision and/or hearing loss
• Less interaction with family members
• Aimless wandering/ walking in circles
• Skin problems
• Excess itching
• Excess barking
• Frantic or cries when left alone
• Easily irritated
• Less enthusiastic when owners return home
• Sleeping more during the day and/ or staying awake at night
• Disoriented or confused
• Litter box problems
• Behavioral changes

TEST YOUR TEST YOUR PET IQ
True or False
1. Over half the dogs and cats in developed countries are overweight.
True False
True. An overweight pet is 15% or more above his or her ideal body weight.
2. Being 10% overweight decreases a pet’s life span.
True False
True. Being 10% overweight also predisposes pets to heart, liver and kidney disease,
as well as arthritis, diabetes and cancer.
3. It is okay to feed my pet my leftovers.
True False
False, Throw out table scraps.
4. Leave meals in your pet’s bowl all day.
True False
False, don’t free-feed. This leads to obesity.
5. Exercising an old pet is not a good idea.
True False
False. Exercise for dogs and cats (of all ages) is essential for good health
6. It is risky to put a pet on a diet.
True False
False. It is risky to let any pet stay fat.

DR. CAROL’S GORMUTT TREATS:
Recipes for Tail Wagging K-9 Treats
BOW WOW’S Blazin Biscuits

3/4 cup flour 1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 cups regular oats (uncooked)
1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup butter 1/2 cup wheat germ
2/3 cup brown sugar 1 cup bacon, cooked crisp &
1 cup bacon, cooked crisp 1 egg (slightly beaten)

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in one egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture, stirring well. Stir in cheese, wheat germ and crumbled bacon. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute and serve!

Carol Osborne, D.V.M. is a leading authority on alternative veterinary medicine and age-related pet diseases. She is worlds only veterinarian to be a board certified Diplomat of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and is the author of international best sellers Naturally Healthy Dogs and Naturally Healthy Cats. She is a popular lecturer and broadcaster on the subject of pet longevity and wellness has her own patented line of longevity nutritional products for pets which can be purchased at www.drcarol.com

UK adults who reach 65 will live longer than ever

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London: Adults who reach the age of 65 will live longer than ever before, according to statistics from the Office for National Statistics.

Men who pass the milestone should live to 81, while women should reach the age of 85.

But although women still live longer the gender gap is closing. Men who reach 65 can expect to live for another 16.6 years while women at the same age can hope for a further 19.4 years.

The gap is just 2.8 years. But in the mid-1980s, men of 65 could expect another 13.2 years while women expected at least 17.2. Life expectancy at birth throughout Britain is also rising. Men will on average live to almost 77 and women to 81. In 1983 life expectancy at birth for men was only 71 and for women 77.

The figures also highlight a geographical gap, with the top ten areas for life expectancy for newborn children all in England, and half of these in the south east.

In Glasgow, men on average die before they are 70 while the life expectancy for women is also the lowest, at just under 77.

In contrast, the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea has the highest life expectancy. Men there live on average to 82 and women to

The statistics also reveal the number of years men and women can expect to live healthily before disability begins to affect them. The men of Hart in Hampshire enjoy 68.8 years, compared with Easington in Durham at 50.5 years.

For women, those living in Elmbridge in Surrey enjoy 70.5 years com-86. 19.4 years. pared with those in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, who had just 54.1 years.

There was a clear North-South divide in the time people could expect to live without a disability.

Highest expectations are in the East, South-East, and South-West of England and the lowest in the North-East, the North-West and Wales.

The disability figures may be skewed, however, because they are based on replies to the notoriously inaccurate 2001 national census.

This asked if people suffered from a long-term disability and may have encouraged false replies from those without a disability who are nevertheless claiming state benefits.

The statistics show Kensington and Chelsea is the area where both men and women can expect to live longest. Top ten areas for men also included Wokingham, Brentwood and Horsham.

The top ten areas for women included Rutland, Guildford and the New Forest.

Worst areas for men included Glasgow, Manchester and Blackpool, while Liverpool and Hartlepool were among those for women.

Older mothers live longer, say doctors

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London: Older mothers may live longer because of the hormone oestrogen and because they don’t have lots of children, according to doctors in a TV programme on the National Geographic Channel programme called Animal Ageing Secrets (12 March 2pm UK).

Larger amounts of the hormone oestrogen are released when a women becomes pregnant helping extending lifespan by protecting the body from various diseases of ageing such as osteoporosis. Normally the hormone declines from around the age of 30.

Oestrogen is given to women as part of hormone replacement therapy to relieve some of the effects of the menopause which can lead to loss of skin elasticity, hair loss and othe symptom such as hot flushes and obesity.

The bodies of older mothers are also likely to suffer less wear and tear than younger mothers because they tend to have fewer children, say scientists from the University of Manchester. Dr Dawn Skelton said: ‘After 30, there is a dramatic reduction of oestrogen in women.

‘By leaving it longer before having our first child, we’re giving ourselves a big burst of oestrogen, which helps in all sorts of ways – muscle, bone, nervous function.

‘It also helps that the later we reproduce, the less we reproduce.

‘It means that we’re not going to have lots of babies – the more children we have, the bigger toll it takes on our bodies.’

A good love life may also increase life expectancy.

‘A healthy sex life can have enormous benefits,’ added Dr Skelton, who is to feature on a
‘Testosterone levels drop in men and women as they grow older. But sex produces more testosterone, which may help keep our hearts in good shape. Those people who maintain a healthy sex life have a better outlook on life.

‘And trials of the oldest among us – 90-year- olds and above – show that 20 per cent are still actively engaged in sex.

‘That activity increases heart rate and the metabolism and decreases stress.’

In the UK in 2004, 22,700 women over 40 became pregnant, up by 1,800 on 2003 – the highest number since the post-war baby boom of the early 1960s. The figures follow growing concern of a ‘baby gap’ caused by women putting their career and financial security ahead of starting a family. And sn estimated 92,000 planned babies a year are never born because women who choose to delay motherhood have fertility problems.

Cancer figures grow as people live longer

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London: More people are suffering from cancer because of the increase in longevity, according to a leading cancer expert.

Professor Karol Sikora, of Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital also believes that cancer is likely to become a controllable disease, in the same way as diabetes within the next 20 years.

Speaking at a cancer prevention conference in London he said the treatment of the illness is progressing fast and that by 2015 there would be a blood test to detect those at risk. This would determine genetic makeup and the likelihood of having cancer within their lifetime.

He said: ‘The prediction is that by 2025 we will be talking about controlling cancer in the long term, not eradicating it but making cancer like diabetes. But the cost will be high.’

Globally, health services would struggle to pay for new treatments and prevention strategies, he said.

But the best solution was to prevent the disease, largely by encouraging healthier lifestyles by, for example, stopping smoking

An ageing population

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Facts about ageing

Ageing is a highly complex biological process resulting in the progressive loss of the ability of organs and cells to maintain biochemical function, eventually leading to age associated diseases and death.

As a result of improved nutrition and medical care we are all living longer than ever before. The socioeconomic impact on society of the growing ageing population is an area of growing research and debate.

Here are some ageing facts:

• one person in five is 60 or older
• The majority of older people are women – 55%
• Most live in urban areas
• Over the last half century 20 years have been added to the average lifespan bringing the average global life expectancy to 66 years
• The impact of population ageing is revealed in the old-age dependency ratio, the number of working age persons (15-64 years) per older person (65 and above) – this ratio will double in developed countries and triple in the less developed by 2050.
• A child born in 1997 will expect to live 29 years longer than one born in 1900
•In the West men who reach 65 can expect to live an additional 16 years and women 18 years
•100 years ago 1% of the world’s population was aged over 65 whereas today 13% of the world’s population is over 65
•In 2005 approximately 20% of the world’s population is over 65 and by 2050 it will be 30%
•The total world population is growing at 1.7% pa but the population over 65 is growing at 2.5% pa
•Between 1998 and 20025 the number of people over the age of 65 will grow by 200% and those over 85 by 400%
• Life expectancy in Ancient Rome was 22 and in the Middle Ages 35
• Many individuals live to 115 today
•In the UK were life expectancy is 80.5 (women) and 75.8 years (men) 1 in 5 people are aged over 65.
• In Australia the proportion of those aged over 65 has risen from 4% to 12% in the last 100 years
• Life expectancy in Japan – 85.23 years for women and 78.32 for men in 2002 – is the longest in the world. The explanation, experts say, is partly the traditional Japanese diet, which is low in fatty foods

Anti-ageing medicine

As we increase in age we become more vulnerable to disease and other illnesses. The main diseases of ageing are degenerative conditions which account for 90% of all medical treatment needed in old age. Genetic and infectious diseases and accidents account for only 10% of illnesses suffered.

As a result of the huge spurt in longevity by those of us living in the 20th century and the potential economic burden of age-related illness, anti-ageing medicine is gaining an increasing prominence and pioneering research to discover the cause/s of the degenerative diseases of ageing. Th early detection, preventation and even reversal of age-related diseases would alleviate many of the burdens of the growing ageing population not just in health care costs but in improved quality of life.

Scientists have many theories on what precisely happens in the molecular process of ageing. Among the factors being examined are: the influence of genetic programming, the function of the neuro, endocrine and immune systems, molecular instability and free radical damage. The main degenerative diseases of ageing are diseases of the heart and vascular system, diabetes and stroke. These conditions on average begin at about the age of 50 – the age of life expectancy at the turn of the century. The onset of these diseases, is acerbated or provoked by unhealthy lifestyles – poor diet, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, taking too little exercise and stress. Which is why we can all live longer, happier and healthier lifestyles by taking action to improve our lifestyles in these areas.

Science also has its part of play. It is belived that as we age the energy producing parts of our cells, known as mitochondria, become defective and these defects increase with age. The mitochondria produce our body fuel ATP and it is the loss of this vital energy that leads DNA mutations and then to disease The supplement Coenzyme Q10 has been shown to play a positive in role in preventing some of this damage, particularly in relation to heart disease, by re-energising cells.

There are also a number of other key anti-ageing therapies/nutrients, explained in greater detail within ElixirNews (Elixirs), that can improve your chances of living a longer, healthier and happier life. These include Human Growth Hormone, DHEA, Melatonin, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Cysteine and Procysteine, NADH, Lycopene, Vitamin E, Vitamin B5 (Pantothetnic Acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Synthetic Antioxidents, Selenium, DMAE, Vinpocetin, Chromium Picolinate, Pregnenolone, Testosterone and Estrogen and Progesterone. Some doctors also recommend calorie restriction as a way of extending life.

Everyday scientists are making new discoveries about how and why we age and how we can slow and treat its affects – these discoveries include developments such as stem cells and other medical technologies.

In anti-ageing medicine the use of nutrition, hormones and even some drugs have been proven to assist and even prevent the apperance of serious diseases such as as arthritis, Alzheimer’s, cataracts and diabetes. Ultimately we are all responsible for our own quality of life. Living longer, healthier and happier lives is really in our own hands.