A few days ago Besse Cooper of Monroe, Ga., became the oldest person in the world. Cooper, at 114 years and 5 months, took the mantle when another 114-year-old woman died.
People have always been fascinated by extremes of age, and Cooper’s achievement made international news. When we periodically hear news of an extraordinarily old person, one question that invariably comes up is: “How did you get to be so old?”
The obvious answer -- “I didn’t die” -- is unsatisfying and journalistically uninteresting. So usually the old person tries helpfully to answer the question by offering advice. Cooper attributed her longevity to good food and not being nosy: “I mind my own business and I don't eat junk food,” she said.
Do Free Radicals Really Cause Aging?
Another woman, 104-year-old Helen Fox, of Albuquerque, N.M., told the Albuquerque Journalthat “the secret to staying young is having a positive attitude and keeping up with local politics.”
Other secrets to longevity often shared by centenarians include regular church attendance, eating vegetables, having beloved pets, and a cheerful attitude. (I’d love to hear a soft-spoken elderly gentleman tell a reporter on his 105th birthday that his secret to a long life was occasional drug use, atheism and casual sex.)
The implicit message in such advice is clear: If you follow my example, you too can get to be as old as I am.
It is, of course, mostly a polite fiction.
Few of the very old mention the two biggest influences on their long lives: luck and genetics. Genes play a huge role in determining how long you will live, and what diseases you may get. There are perfectly fit triathletes who die at age 30 from accident or disease, and chain-smoking, alcoholic curmudgeons who live well into their 90s.
This is not to say that people can’t significantly increase their chances of living a long, healthy life. They certainly can, but there’s no secret to it. Cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer in the world, and decades of research shows that there are well-known, proven ways to greatly reduce your risk.
The irony is that for as fascinated as we are by extreme old age, and for as concerned as we claim to be about our health, most people choose unhealthy lifestyles. We tell ourselves (and others) that we want to live long, healthy lives, but when it comes to actually doing anything to make that happen (such as losing weight, exercising or quitting smoking), most of us can’t be bothered.
Walking Speed Could Predict Lifespan in Seniors
It’s great that anyone can live to a ripe old age. If you want to do the same, diet and exercise will get you a lot further than minding your own business and being cheerful -- no matter what the centenarians say.
Tags: Cancer, Current Events, Exercise, Folklore and Superstition, Gender
comments ( )