Demographers expect the number of centenarians in the US to soar from the 50,000 counted in the 2000 census to 800,000 by midcentury. That is a massive change in the near future. Has everyone been listening to my anti-aging approach?
Centenarians today are real survivors, having persisted through wars, diseases and accidents that kill millions every year. Ordinarily, when considering what makes a 100-year-old so special, those who study aging examine genetics and environmental influences like good nutrition and other health habits.
However, a new statistical study of centenarians by researchers at the University of Chicago has found some other surprising factors associated with extreme longevity. In total, 75 million computerized genealogical records were reviewed at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, to identify centenarians born from 1875 to 1899.
The interesting factors identified included:
- Women and men who were the first born in large families were two to three times more likely to make it to 100 than later-born children.
- Those raised in the rural West had a better chance of reaching that age.
- People who were born in October and November had longer life expectancy than those born in April through June.
So what’s going on here? The improved chances of first-borns reaching 100 may simply relate to generally being born to relatively young parents. The all important sperm and eggs can become damaged over time, so children of older parents may have more health problems related to genetics. However, this is mere speculation as age of parents was not a studied variable.
Birth month has correlated to life expectancy in other studies. This may be an indication of seasonal vitamin deficiencies or illnesses that affect childhood health, with an impact later in life.
I don’t know anyone recommending adjusting one’s birth order to improve longevity! However, for some excellent anti-aging nutritional support, take a close look at our recommended products for this purpose.
Much has been said recently about homocysteine levels becoming a new critical marker for heart disease and stroke, even more important than cholesterol levels. It now appears that high levels of this amino acid may also be linked to osteoporosis.
Homocysteine is a naturally occurring metabolite of the amino acid L-methionine used by the body for many functions including detoxification. It normally shows up in the blood at levels of about 6 millimeters(mm) to 8 mm for women and 8 mm to 12 mm for men. As long as the body keeps levels in check, there’s not much of a problem. However, excess homocysteine may be toxic and inflammatory and this can lead to serious consequences, including heart disease.
Kilmer McCully, MD, is a respected authority on homocysteine and author of The Homocysteine Revolution (Keats). Dr. McCully first became interested in homocysteine back in the 1960s when he came across a few unusual cases involving children with atherosclerosis, a heart disease that generally is associated with much older people. Dr. McCully also found atherosclerosis scattered through the arteries of a boy who had died of a stroke and he noted that all these children had high levels of homocysteine. In 1969 he wrote a paper suggesting that homocysteine was causing artherosclerotic plaque. Now, 35 years and a substantial amount of research later, it is well accepted that elevated homocysteine is a risk factor for vascular disease.
But what about the connection to osteoporosis? Talking to Carole Jackson of Bottom Line’s Daily Health News Dr McCully said "Osteoporosis is a prominent feature of children with high levels of homocysteine. About two-thirds of the children with high levels of homocysteine also have severe osteoporosis." He added "They also get scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, and have an increased risk for fractures. More recently, we’ve found that adult patients with elevated homocysteine also have an increased risk for osteoporosis."
Dr. McCully explained that the osteoporosis connection was revealed through a rather ingenious study in Japan, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in the spring of this year. The study was done on stroke victims who, for reasons not completely understood, have a much greater risk for hip fractures.
The Japanese researchers divided a number of stroke patients into two groups and followed them for two years. One group was given a combination of 5 milligrams (mg) of folic acid and 1,500 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B-12 while the other group received a placebo. Researchers wanted to see if the B vitamins would reduce hip fractures in this high-risk population. The results were dramatic: In the placebo group, 43 people had hip fractures, but in the vitamin group, only 10 did. Furthermore, homocysteine levels dropped in the treatment group by 38%, while they increased in the placebo group.
Could homocysteine be the connection? It sure looks like it. "Two other studies, in Germany and the Netherlands, also demonstrated that patients with higher homocysteine have a higher risk for osteoporotic fracture," Dr. McCully said. "It’s likely that homocysteine affects the matrix upon which calcium and other minerals are deposited in the bone. This matrix becomes calcified during bone formation. Homocysteine seems to affect the formation of this matrix in a negative way."
Dr. McCully also pointed out that men are less susceptible to osteoporosis than women, probably because testosterone maintains the bone matrix better. In women, it’s a double whammy since osteoporosis risk goes up after menopause, and for reasons not fully understood, so do homocysteine levels.
So how can homocysteine levels be lowered? "Easily," According to Dr. McCully. "It can be done with dietary improvement and by increasing B vitamins. Eliminate processed foods, including flour and sugar, and eat more fresh vegetables, fresh meats, fresh fruits and whole grains." The three vitamins which have been shown to markedly reduce homocysteine are B-6, folic acid and B-12. "Only about 400 mcg of folic acid and 3.5 mg of B-6 are needed," said Dr. McCully.
I would add that before going overboard with grains, check that you do not have allergies or sensitivities to them. Wheat, rye, oats and barley are particularly problematic.
Ensuring adequate vitamin B-12 is more challenging, since older people have a harder time absorbing it. Approximately 15% of people over age 65 are deficient in B-12 largely due to poor absorption. For older people supplementing B-12 (at least 1,000 mcg) with the sublingual variety is a good idea since part of it is absorbed directly through the mucous membranes. Make sure that the B-12 is in either the hydroxycobalamine or methylcobalamine form. The conventional cyanocobalamine is poorly absorbed through the mucous membranes. Read the label on the bottle as it will clearly indicate which type it is.
So this is good news and bad news. It’s good that more is understood about the importance of a good diet for controlling homocysteine. It is bad news for your orthodox doctor and the drug companies that make billions of dollars annually by selling statins for cholesterol control and equally useless drugs to combat osteoporosis. I wouldn’t worry too much about them though!
It is probably a good idea to get your homocysteine checked by a blood test, especially if you have some other risk factors for heart disease or osteoporosis. Improve your diet and talk to a health care professional about B-12, B-6 and folic acid supplements, preferably a naturopathic doctor. Assuming proper dosing, taking these supplements is one of the easiest possible things you can do to improve your health and reduce your risk for both heart disease and osteoporosis.
And the big bonus is that following a healthy diet will provide many other health benefits. Now that’s what I call good side effects!
Following the above guidelines will help you quickly deal with any serious homocysteine threat. An excellent way to procede then is to optimize your nutrition with quality nutraceuticals, which you could explore here. Do sort out any homocysteine problems as soon as you can.
Is it time for a little maintenance? Your motor car and even your lawn mower, perhaps even the heads on your old VCR, possibly get more attention to maintenance than you give yourself. If you don’t maintain the car it won’t operate efficiently, which will increase your costs, and eventually it will perform sub-optimally, malfunction and finally break down.
Now, as much as I generally dislike simple mechanistic metaphors for health, I have to say that pretty much the same outcome will apply to you if you don’t take some maintenance action. Perhaps, if you think about it for a minute or two, you may realize that you already are performing sub-optimally. Maybe you have already suffered some malfunction and health breakdown. The truth is, this describes the situation for almost every single person I meet. Most people simply don’t take as good care of themselves as they do their mechanical tools.
I received an advertisement for a health education manual a few days ago. It was one of those hard-hitting types and just a bit too hyped for my liking. However, it made several perfectly valid observations. I have a significantly edited down version for you to see here.
We’re living with dozens of 21st century poisons. Recent studies have now proven:
The average glass of drinking water has over 2,000 carcinogens in it.
Every day we’re exposed to toxic metals like mercury, lead and even uranium.
Breast and stomach cancer have been traced to chemical estrogens in our food.
Early senility may actually be caused by environmental chemicals.
Even organic produce contains residual pesticides.The cause of your joint or muscle pain could be lurking in your colon. This is where all the pesticides and contaminants in our food wind up. Unfortunately, they often irritate the colon so much, it goes spastic.
Then it’s not getting rid of the toxins. And as they collect and spread through your system, the result can be:
Crohn’s disease.
Ulcerative colitis.
Even colon cancer.
And a host of ‘mysterious’ aches and pains everywhere else.You can cleanse your systems of these poisons, ending a lifetime of pain. Friendly bacteria can ‘digest’ these toxins and neutralize them.
High blood pressure? Your liver could be the culprit. The liver is the purification plant for your blood. So, it too gets incredibly stressed by environmental toxins. And not only can this raise your blood pressure, but it can also lead to:
Unexplained weight gain and diabetes.
Fatigue, chronic weakness and depression.
Year-round allergies.
Even infertility!You can repair an ailing liver. First, you can rid your liver of toxic wastes. Then remove all of its excess fat deposits. Finally regenerate damaged liver cells.
Constantly sick with colds, flu and other bugs? The answer could be coursing through your veins. Just 1% of your blood cells bear the responsibility of defending your entire body from these germ invaders. The problem is, they also have to protect you from heavy metals and other toxic residues that find their way into your bloodstream.
And these days, they get easily overwhelmed. When that happens, your entire immune system breaks down. Your blood itself turns toxic — and actually becomes a super highway for viruses, bacteria and poisons. Eventually, this corrodes your blood vessels leading to:
Hardening of the arteries.
Heart attacks.
Strokes.
And many other conditions, ranging from leg pain to senile dementia.
So what can you do in the health maintenance department for yourself? Plenty! Search this site for details on the dimensions of health and make sure you are on the right track. You know what I mean don’t you? Yes, that’s it: fresh air, exercise, rest, sleep, pure water, quality nutrition, safety and so on. But you have to actually do something, OK? Don’t just read about it.
Then, unless you’ve been on a different planet where you had some pretty remarkable nutrition, perfectly clean air and water and no stress, you had better do some more things to help undo the damage you sustain every day. Here I will unashamedly refer you to my own HealthProductsSite where you can get some absolutely essential maintenance supplies.
What do you need? Start with a series of herbal cleanses with the products you’ll find there. Then, at the very least, add some probiotics. Once you are cleaned out and have your bowel improved with probiotics, go to the nutraceutical page and follow the link to get quality, balanced nutrition supplements. These actions are essential, basic maintenance. If you are reasonably well, these actions will help ensure you stay that way and improve your health. If you already have some issues requiring maintenance, get moving now! Follow the above and monitor your progress. Then take some time to identify what other specific supplement you may need, at least for a period untill you can go on with the above approach as ongoing maintenance.
Specific details about various therapeutic herbs may be found at our herbs site. Nutrition information is on our vitamins site.
Make no mistake my friend. If you adopt an ostrich mentality where you figuratively stick you head in a hole and say nothing bad can happen to me, you are doomed! Life in the modern world, developed or not, is not conducive to maintaining your health and wellbeing without positive maintenance actions on your part.
You probably know too, that there are some mechanics you simply wouldn’t let work on your car, for several reasons. The same applies to health care professionals too, so be careful about whom you consult. Consider this: if the orthodox, drug prescribing doctors consulted by the masses are so good, how come there are so many seriously sick people around and so very few people who report that they feel simply wonderful?
Ultimately, your health is totally your responsibility. It’s your life. Do something to maintain it. Start right now.
Most adults in the UK do not eat enough fruit and vegetables despite their proven health benefits in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. Actually, much the same would be found in most developed nations.
A Government-led drive to boost fruit and vegetable consumption, called the "5 A Day" program, may have had the opposite result, according to research published recently. The UK Department of Health launched the program in March last year as a way of promoting healthy eating. It aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by raising awareness of the health benefits and increasing availability to all.
One element of the program involves an on-pack logo to help consumers calculate how much different products add to the recommended five portions a day of fruit and vegetables. This is a large and quite commendable undertaking.
The UK Government’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey from 2002 showed women consume 2.9 portions a day and men 2.7 portions. Research conducted in October this year suggests consumption has dropped even further. A survey of 2,645 revealed men ate 2.3 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and women just 1.6 portions.
A portion is approximately 80g of any fresh fruit or vegetable under the 5 A Day scheme. This equates to a medium apple or banana, a bowl of mixed salad, or three tablespoons of peas or carrots for example.
The Department of Health said fruit and vegetable consumption varied throughout the year. It also claimed there was strong public awareness of the 5 A Day message. Food Standards Agency’s consumer surveys also show a year on year increase in awareness of the 5 A Day message, which rose from 52% in October 2002 to 59% in October 2003.
More than 400 organisations have signed-up to display the logo both on packaging and on posters and literature to promote the healthy eating message. But not everyone is interested. Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s refused to use the logo on its products shortly after the launch because the scheme excludes added sugar, salt or fat and food giant Heinz announced it was pulling out of the logo campaign in March this year amid fears of planned new rules on eligibility.
It is a great shame when positive initiatives are taken, offering real health education and support for health behaviors, that both consumers and vendors show disinterest. There is just no helping some people.
Researchers have identified a variation in a gene that appears to account for about 17 percent of cases of dyslexia, the reading disability. Dyslexia is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders, affecting up to 17 percent of the population. Sufferers have trouble processing language-based information, making it difficult to learn to read, write and spell. Early educational interventions can help compensate for some of these difficulties. Dyslexia is also accompanied by alterations in the structure and functioning of the brain.
This research finding "is highly significant," said Jeffrey W. Gilger, associate dean for discovery and faculty development at Purdue University. "It is the first really good study that combines molecular genetics with brain imaging research, as well as actually testing whether these genes they think they found are really active in the brain."
Frank Wood, professor of neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, added: "This study is the first one to make a connection between a gene that is known to be associated with dyslexia and an anomaly in brain development. The authors have persuasive evidence that this particular gene variant causes altered migration of neurons and therefore alters the structure of the brain. That’s a very important step in the evolution of our understanding of the neurogenetics of dyslexia and it will lead to further steps."
The study’s senior author, Dr. Jeffrey Gruen, an associate professor of pediatrics at Yale University’s Child Health Research Center, said genetic tests for the variant could start right away that might steer people to the appropriate educational treatments.
Gruen’s enthusiasm for the finding, while understandable, is not yet entirely justified. As yet, tests of sufficient sophistication to provide routine screening simply don’t exist and the tests that could be used are prohibitively expensive.
Additionally, finding the gene is one thing, knowing that it will lead to dyslexia is a different matter. What factors ultimately determine whether or not people with this genetic variation end up with dyslexia remain unknown. A number of environmental and other genetic influences may also influence or determines whether somebody with this particular genetic variation ends up being dyslexic.
Functional MRIs conducted in humans revealed that the gene was expressed in reading centers of the brain. "Dyslexics use alternate circuits and alternate pathways, the thought being that the circuits for normal reading are disrupted and alternative pathways are less efficient," Gruen said.
Whether or not these findings translate into concrete gains for people with dyslexia, the research sends "a very important message to educators, parents and children, which is that you’re not dumb. This isn’t your fault. You’re not a bad parent," Gruen said. "This is a transmitted difference in our gene that makes one person learn differently than another. That’s all it is."
The research will appear in next week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.