UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement commissioned a poll of 100 year olds to find out among other things, what factors they believed were responsible for their longevity.  One-hundred participants were surveyed. This was actually the 6th annual “100@100″ poll.  It also included their opinions on a wide range of issues including politics, technology, and health care. Centenarians [...]

Life is full of stress.  There are some reasons to believe that stress might reduce lifespan, being that the stress response leads to increased production of adrenaline and cortisol both of which have long term deleterious health consequences. There is of course the alternate theory that low levels of continuous stress through hormesis actually protect the body against aging. These theories were [...]

There are several lifestyle choices under our control which play play a role in mitigating disease and enhancing longevity. One of those, which is simple to comply with, is good oral hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing in an effort to reduce periodontal infections. A new meta-analysis has been published in which the study authors examined the literature for studies measuring association [...]

The Mediterranean island of Sardinia in Italy is a Blue Zone – a geographic region containing a higher than expected frequency of centenarians. Sardinia is especially unique in that the female to male ratio of centenarians is 1.34, much higher than usual making the region especially rich in male centenarians. The present study was undertaken to quantify and determine which particular lifestyle [...]

In the search for lifestyle choices that may affect how long a person lives, fertility and reproduction appear to play a role. It is already well known that married men have longer life expectancies than singles. In a new report published in the journal of Human Reproductive Health, researchers found that men with children live longer than men without children, and the more the better. This builds [...]

Age related hearing loss is a very significant detriment to quality of life in the aged.  As we strive through lifestyle and technology to expand our lifespans it is important to avoid age related hearing loss. Age related hearing loss is poorly understood.  Oxidative stress causing loss of hearing cells is one theory, but it is also believed that chronic exposure to loud noises in the environment is [...]

The media seized the recent report from the Albert Einstein gerontology group which determined centenarians were no more likely than those who died earlier to engage in healthy lifestyle decisions. Unfortunately, people love that stuff – “Well if its my genes there’s nothing I can do about it, I’ll just keep smoking, overeating, and not exercising.” This of course [...]