Angeline
Sun, Oct-27-02, 13:38
Be high on your strength training and low on neuroses, doctor says
AARON DERFEL -The Gazette
Forget the fountain of youth. But if you lead a lifestyle that's high on strength training and low on neuroses, you can probably add an extra decade to your life.
That's the message to baby boomers from one of the world's foremost experts on centenarians, who spoke yesterday in Montreal at a national conference on aging.
"Most of us are actually born with a pretty remarkable set of genes," said Dr. Thomas Perls, a geriatrician and researcher at the Boston University School of Medicine.
"The problem is that instead of playing that hand very well, we play it very poorly.
"In the United States, and I would imagine in Canada as well, 70 per cent of the population is now overweight, way too many people smoke ... and way too few people exercise. It doesn't surprise me that we live, on average, eight years less than what our genes are capable of achieving for us."
Perls and his colleagues have studied dozens of centenarians - who now make up the fastest-growing segment of North America's population.
For the last eight years, Perls has directed the New England Centenarian Study, seeking to unlock the secrets of longevity. His research has dispelled the notion that getting older means getting sicker.
In fact, many centenarians manage to put off illness until the last few years of their lives.
Take Anna Morgan, for example. She lived an active life until she was 102, when she developed an irregular heart rhythm and died within a few weeks.
Centenarians are gifted with extraordinary genes, but genetics alone do not explain their longevity. Perls discovered that almost all centenarians are optimistic people who tend not to fret about life.
"We've done some personality testing, and they tend to score low on one test: neuroticism," he told the conference delegates.
"All that meant was that they didn't dwell on things. They weren't neurotic. They didn't internalize things. They kind of let go. So it correlates well with the ability to manage stress."
Centenarians, by and large, depend on their faith and find meaning or a cause in life, Perls also found.
In Canada, the average life expectancy for a man is 76 years and for a woman, it's 81.
But Perls's research suggests that most Canadians could live until their mid- to late 80s by following a low-carbohydrate diet, abstaining from smoking, and exercising regularly.
"One of the things that I push as a geriatrician is strength training," he said. "There's been a lot of evidence now to show that strength training, rather than aerobic exercise, gives you more bang for your buck in terms of quality of life and ability to get the fat down and become lean."
Perls also recommends that baby boomers pursue a variety of interests to stimulate the brain, like learning a new musical instrument or language. "When cognitive function starts to decline, that is our No. 1 indication of impending mortality," he explained.
Perls criticized the "anti-aging" industry, warning that products like human growth hormone, DHEA and melatonin can be harmful to your health.
"The anti-aging industry is very dangerous from a social point of view," he said. "I think these people are liars, cheats and snake-oil salesmen. And they sell the population on the idea that old people are bad."
Perls has devised a life-expectancy calculator based on 23 questions, ranging from whether you floss your teeth to whether you eat more than a couple of hot dogs each week. If you smoke, the calculator automatically subtracts 15 years from your life.
You can log on to the calculator at the following Web address: http://www.livingto100.com/sign_in.cfm
Full link (http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id={70575BB2-D640-4C32-845E-E16518940B81})
AARON DERFEL -The Gazette
Forget the fountain of youth. But if you lead a lifestyle that's high on strength training and low on neuroses, you can probably add an extra decade to your life.
That's the message to baby boomers from one of the world's foremost experts on centenarians, who spoke yesterday in Montreal at a national conference on aging.
"Most of us are actually born with a pretty remarkable set of genes," said Dr. Thomas Perls, a geriatrician and researcher at the Boston University School of Medicine.
"The problem is that instead of playing that hand very well, we play it very poorly.
"In the United States, and I would imagine in Canada as well, 70 per cent of the population is now overweight, way too many people smoke ... and way too few people exercise. It doesn't surprise me that we live, on average, eight years less than what our genes are capable of achieving for us."
Perls and his colleagues have studied dozens of centenarians - who now make up the fastest-growing segment of North America's population.
For the last eight years, Perls has directed the New England Centenarian Study, seeking to unlock the secrets of longevity. His research has dispelled the notion that getting older means getting sicker.
In fact, many centenarians manage to put off illness until the last few years of their lives.
Take Anna Morgan, for example. She lived an active life until she was 102, when she developed an irregular heart rhythm and died within a few weeks.
Centenarians are gifted with extraordinary genes, but genetics alone do not explain their longevity. Perls discovered that almost all centenarians are optimistic people who tend not to fret about life.
"We've done some personality testing, and they tend to score low on one test: neuroticism," he told the conference delegates.
"All that meant was that they didn't dwell on things. They weren't neurotic. They didn't internalize things. They kind of let go. So it correlates well with the ability to manage stress."
Centenarians, by and large, depend on their faith and find meaning or a cause in life, Perls also found.
In Canada, the average life expectancy for a man is 76 years and for a woman, it's 81.
But Perls's research suggests that most Canadians could live until their mid- to late 80s by following a low-carbohydrate diet, abstaining from smoking, and exercising regularly.
"One of the things that I push as a geriatrician is strength training," he said. "There's been a lot of evidence now to show that strength training, rather than aerobic exercise, gives you more bang for your buck in terms of quality of life and ability to get the fat down and become lean."
Perls also recommends that baby boomers pursue a variety of interests to stimulate the brain, like learning a new musical instrument or language. "When cognitive function starts to decline, that is our No. 1 indication of impending mortality," he explained.
Perls criticized the "anti-aging" industry, warning that products like human growth hormone, DHEA and melatonin can be harmful to your health.
"The anti-aging industry is very dangerous from a social point of view," he said. "I think these people are liars, cheats and snake-oil salesmen. And they sell the population on the idea that old people are bad."
Perls has devised a life-expectancy calculator based on 23 questions, ranging from whether you floss your teeth to whether you eat more than a couple of hot dogs each week. If you smoke, the calculator automatically subtracts 15 years from your life.
You can log on to the calculator at the following Web address: http://www.livingto100.com/sign_in.cfm
Full link (http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id={70575BB2-D640-4C32-845E-E16518940B81})