longevity – thirdAGE

The Power of Optimism

Optimism is linked to a longer lifespan in women from diverse racial and ethnic groups, and to better emotional health in older men, according to two studies funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). One study showed that the previously established link between optimism and longevity applies to racially and ethnically diverse populations of… Continue reading The Power of Optimism

Create More Retirement Income and Cut Your Longevity Risk

When you retire, your monthly income will plummet unless you have an unusually generous pension. But there is a way to replace income no matter how long you live. An annuity can pay guaranteed monthly income for the rest of your life. But some prominent self-serving ‘experts’ spread myths about annuities that discourage people from… Continue reading Create More Retirement Income and Cut Your Longevity Risk

Calorie Restriction and Fasting Diets: What Do We Know?

You may have heard about calorie restriction and fasting diets and wondered why they’re getting so much attention in the news. Aren’t they just other terms for dieting to lose weight? No, they’re not. Calorie restriction means reducing average daily caloric intake below what is typical or habitual, without malnutrition or deprivation of essential nutrients.… Continue reading Calorie Restriction and Fasting Diets: What Do We Know?

The Odds of Living to 110-Plus Level Out — Once You Hit 105

Want to be a supercentenarian? The chances of getting to the ripe old age of 110 are within reach – if you survive the perilous 90s and make it to 105 when death rates level out, according to a 2018 study of extremely old Italians led by the University of California, Berkeley, and Sapienza University… Continue reading The Odds of Living to 110-Plus Level Out — Once You Hit 105

Retirees With a Guaranteed Income Are Happier & Live Longer

Retirees who are surrounded by their family and friends – and who also have a substantial check coming in every month for the rest of their lives – are much happier, according to a study published in The Wall Street Journal several years ago. They also live longer, studies show. That makes sense because the… Continue reading Retirees With a Guaranteed Income Are Happier & Live Longer

Redefining Knowledge of Elderly People Throughout History

An archaeologist from The Australian National University (ANU) is set to redefine what we know about elderly people in cultures throughout history, and dispel the myth that most people didn’t live much past 40 prior to modern medicine. A release from the university explains that Christine Cave, a PhD Scholar with the ANU School of… Continue reading Redefining Knowledge of Elderly People Throughout History

Is Your Retirement Plan Ready for The Longevity Revolution?

Americans are living longer than ever, with the average life expectancy now rising to about 79 years. Some have referred to this trend as the “longevity revolution,” but it’s also creating a revolution in the way people think about retirement. What worked for retirees a generation ago isn’t going to work today. For most people,… Continue reading Is Your Retirement Plan Ready for The Longevity Revolution?

Leaving the House Every Day May Help Older Adults Live Longer

In a Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study of community-dwelling individuals aged 70 to 90 years who were participating in the Jerusalem Longitudinal Study, leaving the house daily was linked with a lower risk of dying over an extended follow-up period, independent of social, functional, or medical factors. The findings were published in November… Continue reading Leaving the House Every Day May Help Older Adults Live Longer

Scientists Decipher Mechanisms Underlying the Biology of Aging

Understanding the factors that control aging has been one of humanity’s endless pursuits, from the mystical fountain of youth to practical healthful regimens to prolong life expectancy. A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego has helped decipher the dynamics that control how our cells age, and with it implications for extending… Continue reading Scientists Decipher Mechanisms Underlying the Biology of Aging

The Coffee-Mortality Link

Drink up that coffee: It can be a lifesaver, according to new research. People who drink around three cups of coffee a day may have a reduced risk of death when compared with non-coffee drinkers, a landmark study has found. The findings come from the largest study of its kind, in which scientists analysed data… Continue reading The Coffee-Mortality Link

The Longevity Gene that Isn’t Permanent

Variants of a gene thought to be linked to longevity appear to influence aging into the 90s, but do not appear to affect exceptional longevity, or aging over 100, a new study has found. The research challenges previous findings that indicated some variants of the gene, FOXO3, played a role in exceptional longevity, said Harold… Continue reading The Longevity Gene that Isn’t Permanent

Living Long and Living Well: Is It Possible to Do Both?

Exactly when does old age begin? Which health markers best predict who will live a long and healthy life versus a life spent in poor health? Developing metrics to help answer these questions and to understand the tradeoffs between lifespan and health span is the subject of a June 2017 paper by MDI Biological Laboratory… Continue reading Living Long and Living Well: Is It Possible to Do Both?

How To Avoid Becoming A Financial Burden On Your Kids

Americans are living longer than ever, which means retirement could last 20 to 30 years for some people – maybe even longer. That’s great for those who remain in reasonably good health and retire with plenty of financial stability. But lengthy life spans also increase the odds that many seniors will deplete their savings, face… Continue reading How To Avoid Becoming A Financial Burden On Your Kids

As Life Expectancy Grows, Men Are Still Lagging

People worldwide are living longer, healthier lives. A 2016 Duke University study of mortality patterns in humans, as well as monkeys and apes, suggests that the last few generations of humans have enjoyed the biggest life expectancy boost in primate history. The study appeared the week of November 21st 2016 in the online early edition… Continue reading As Life Expectancy Grows, Men Are Still Lagging

We’re Living Longer, and Free of Disabilities!

For those worried about the burden of old age, a 2016 Harvard study has some good news. David Cutler, the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics in the Department of Economics, Mary Beth Landrum, Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, Michael Chernew, Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Policy at Harvard Medical… Continue reading We’re Living Longer, and Free of Disabilities!

A Genetic Flip-On Switch for Longevity

Newly discovered genetic switches that increase lifespan and boost fitness in worms are also linked to increased lifespan in mammals, offering hope that drugs to flip these switches could improve human metabolic function and increase longevity. These so-called epigenetic switches, discovered by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de… Continue reading A Genetic Flip-On Switch for Longevity

Telomeres – A Key to Aging?

In each of the human body’s cells there are 23 chromosomes, which are twisted, double-strands of DNA molecules. Chromosomes are vital as they provide our singular genetic map to every cell within our body. Lucky for us, on the ends of each of our chromosome strands sits a protective cap called a telomere. This cap… Continue reading Telomeres – A Key to Aging?