New England Centenarian Study: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Content.aspx?DepartmentID=361&PageID=5924
The NECS has gone on to enroll centenarians from throughout the United States and other countries and has grown to be the largest comprehensive study of centenarians in the world. There are currently 1,500 subjects to-date, including centenarians, their siblings and children (in their 70s and 80s) and younger controls.
Elderly Okinawans have among the lowest mortality rates in the world from a multitude of chronic diseases of aging and as a result enjoy not only what may be the world’s longest life expectancy but the world’s longest health expectancy. Read more at http://okinawaprogram.com/
A recent study suggests that a diet rich in antioxidants alone may not be enough. Apparently, other factors are at work too. The BBC article on the study is a little confusing. The researchers agree that oxidants damage cell DNA – and that cells die off when their DNA is damaged(which is a good thing: no one wants errant cells running amok and reproducing). The BBC article teaser contends that an aging theory has been proven wrong, but the body of the article – and comments by the researchers – do not seem to agree. Anyone have comments? What do you think?
Be happy. You’ll live longer. People who are optimistic and have a bright outlook on the future may live longer than pessimists, according to researchers from the Netherlands. During a nine-year study of 941 senior citizens between the ages of 65 and 85 conducted by the Psychiatric Center GGZ Delfland in Delft, it became apparent that people who had optimistic personalities were far less likely to die over the study period than people with pessimistic dispositions, reports Reuters. More…
Corrected: Stressed-out worms die young-study finds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – How well you respond to stress predicts how long you will live, at least if you are a little worm, U.S. scientists reported on Monday.
Genetically identical worms responded to stress in greatly different ways — and those with more active stress reactions lived much longer than worms with less active stress proteins, the researchers found. More active stress responses suggest the animal is coping with the stress.
Dr. Charalambos Vlachopoulos and colleagues, of Athens Medical School in Greece, have found that chocolate consumption led to a significant 7-percent decrease in aortic stiffness. The flexibility of arteries is a key determinant of cardiovascular health. Their work was featured in the American Journal of Hypertension, and can be read about here.
The latest study at Harvard to show the benefits of antioxidants in red wine concludes that the effect was just as dramatic as previous studies that focused on reducing caloric intake.
“We found this chemical that can extend the life span of every organism we give it to,” Sinclair told Reuters in an interview.
Reduced caloric intake alone has led to lethargic, infertile uninspired lives for it’s study subjects, but the resveratrol compounds found in red wine are the key: These powerful antioxidants allow you to eat as much of what you like, while leading an active and vibrant life.
New Scientist magazine reports on a study performed at Great Britain’s University of Kent in Canterbury: Well nourished women, who also believe they are going to live long healthy lives, tend to conceive boys more often than girls. The study findings were published in the journal Biology Letters
The study, published in the journal Neurology – and conducted by the National Cancer Institute – concludes that those born in January or February have the highest risk for the disease, while those born in July or August have the lowest.
Surprisingly, being left-handed or ambidextrous seems to increase the risk of brain cancer.
The study authors may next investigate infections, maternal diet, environmental toxins, and hormonal influences during pregnancy.
Is your cancer risk related to birth month? This new research study on cancer risk and the month of your birth seems to point to yes!