Four score and seven—and a few years more
If you want to hit the "Centenarian mark," listen up: Only 25 percent of your chances depend on your genes. The other 75 percent you have some degree of control over it.
And a little attitude doesn't hurt, either.
A couple of studies just came out that looked at how some folks manage to live to a ripe old age.
The first study targeted men to determine what factors help them reach the 90- year mark. Researchers chose 2,357 men who averaged 72 years of age and were participating in the large, ongoing Physician's Health Study.
At the study's start (which was 1981 through 1984), the men filled out questionnaires covering demographic and health information such as their height and weight, general health, and their level of physical activity. They continued to fill out a questionnaire each year through 2006, answering questions about their current health and mobility status.
Of the total number of participants, over 41 percent of them lived to age 90 or older. What these men shared in common were their modifiable risk factors—the things they could work to control. For those who didn't make it to 90, these are the modifiable risk factors that they shared in common:
Smoking
Diabetes
Obesity
High blood pressure
Inactive lifestyle
Not only did 970 of the 90+ crowd outlive 59 percent of their study counterparts, they also lived well, enjoying good physical and mental wellness. For the men who did not make it to 90, insult was added to injury: they just plain didn't feel as good as the men who outlived them.
The researchers concluded: For a 70-year-old man to have a 54 percent probability of making it to age 90, he had to aim for the following:
Not hitting every one of these on the head lowers your chances of getting to 90. Just take a calculator and start deducting.
And if you're feeling especially ambitious and want to set your sights on 100, here are the results of the second study that was done.
Researchers tracked down 523 women and 216 men who were 97 or older. This group also filled out questionnaires about their health status and their level of mobility and functioning. Next, they were divided into groups based on sex and the age at which they began developing age-related chronic diseases (ex. Parkinson's, stroke, dementia, heart disease).
The two groups were classified as either delayers or survivors. Delayers were those who didn't develop any disease until they were 85 or older. Survivors got started earlier—developing disease prior to age 85.
These categories broke down into 32 percent of participants classified as survivors, and the remaining 68 percent as delayers.
Either way—they still lived to 100, even maintaining similar functioning ability regardless of which group they were in. Males, though obviously less likely to hit 100, fared well in terms of having better mental and physical function. However, the females outnumbered them, which indicates that women learn how to deal with having chronic disease—and they don't let it get in their way.
It just goes to show—attitude really is everything.
