Lessons From Earth's Elders

Long-Lived People Share Their Wisdom On Long And Healthy Lives

(WebMD) 
No Smoking: Very few centenarians have ever smoked. Need we say more? Both smoking and obesity have been linked to life-threatening health problems, including heart disease and cancer. In fact, one recent study suggests that smoking and obesity accelerate human aging by causing damage to telomeres in cells. Telomeres are the tips of chromosomes that contain DNA. While telomeres naturally shorten over a lifetime — as a normal part of the aging process — smoking and obesity speed up that process.


The Role Of Stress

Stress Reduction: Centenarians are better able to handle stress than most other people.

Studies have shown that the stress hormone cortisol dampens the body's immune system, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and other life-threatening health problems. Having a strong social support system offsets that risk; so do meditation and prayer, listening to music, and getting a massage.

A strong spirituality is part of this coping mechanism, explains Eisdorfer. "We humans don't deal very well with ambiguity and unpredictability, and faith gives us a sense of order and organization in the universe. Studies show that having faith helps relieve stress — a belief that things will work out, that you will get help when you need it."

Optimism: Centenarians have a good sense of humor and an ability to put things in perspective. They also have more reasons for living, says Butler. "People who continue to have goals in life live longer. Having a goal reflects a positive, optimistic attitude, which gives them reason to get up in the morning, a real purpose in life. Those who had purpose are the ones that lived the longest."

This optimism is the spark to stretch one's mind, notes Eisdorfer. "Every spring, we pick up the newspaper and see that some 80- or 90-year-old has graduated from college. That shouldn't be unique. We need to get rid of this 'one gas tank' theory of aging. It's never too late to start something new."

"We all have multiple abilities and interests," adds Robert Roush, EdD, MPH, a professor of geriatrics at the Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor University School of Medicine in Houston. "The key is to pursue them over the life course. It's never too late to learn. People take up painting, write poetry, all sorts of things because they are interested in them. It promotes good physical and mental health, and helps you stay cognitively intact."


Exercise And Long Life

Exercise: Exercise also keeps body and mind in good shape, Roush says. The body loses bone strength and lean muscle mass rapidly as we age. That leads to brittle bones, balance problems, and bad falls that send too many older people to a nursing facility.

Studies have shown that — even among the oldest old — strength training can offset these problems, Roush explains. By lifting weights and doing resistance exercise, older people can build muscle mass and stronger bones. Regular exercise also keeps the joints limber, the heart strong, and keeps weight under control. Plus exercise can boost your mood because it triggers endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in the brain.

Perhaps that was 115-year-old Fred Hale's secret to longevity. For 30 years, he road his bike to work (he was a rural postman). He also kept a big farm going — cleaning the barns, tending the hayfields, maintaining the roads during Maine winters. "It kept him healthy," writes Friedman. "He can't remember ever taking a pill in his life." Even after Hale retired, he kept up the chores, spending his free time hunting and fishing.

"He was such an amazing person, he really stuck out in my mind," Friedman tells WebMD. "He was as lucid as you and I, and his recall was much better than mine — considering the span of time he covered, he was even more impressive. There was virtually nothing he couldn't answer."

Yet all those years of physical work didn't prevent the inevitable. Hale took a bad fall awhile back, and has spent the last year confined to a wheelchair in a nursing facility. Yet he still plays cards, still cracks jokes, still watches the Red Sox. "I've enjoyed all my years, each one, even the recent one," he told Friedman.

Fred Hale's words of wisdom: "You have one life to live, live it well, and don't disgrace your family."

Sources: Friedman, J. Earth's Elders: The Wisdom of the World's Oldest People. Carl Eisdorfer, MD, director, University of Miami Center on Aging. Robert Butler, MD, director, International Longevity Center. Robert Roush, EdD, MPH, professor of geriatrics, Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor University School of Medicine, Houston. The New England Centenarian Study. WebMD Medical News: "High Stress Raises Risk of Fatal Stroke." WebMD Medical News: "Obesity, Smoking Linked to Faster Aging." WebMD Medical News: "You, Too, Could Live to 100 — Or At Least 80."