This is the big subject for the Baby Boomers and the
generations that follow. How look 10 years younger, how to feel better, how remain active, how to avoid disease?
These are the big questions and there are a lot of answers. To understand some of those answers we need to understand
the basics, the normal structures and functions of the human body. Once you understand the basics and understand the
process of aging and disease, some science and some common sense go along way to keeping us healthy.
In studying of why and how people age, a
basic question comes up. How does the body know what time it is? The body is a tightly choreographed symphony
of trillions of cells that replicate, differentiate into the right type of cell, and know when to stop replicating in a healthy
body. We have all seen how a baby grows and changes in such dramatic fashion over the 20 years or so it take so
become and adult. The changes keep happening, but are much more subtle day to day and year-to-year. Decade
to decade, pretty obvious changes occur. So why do we age and why do our bodies fall out of health.
Starting with
the anatomy and physiology of the normal body and changes that occur as we age, the endocrine system seems to have the largest
impact on aging as the amounts of powerful secretions of that system decrease over the years. The impact of the
water we drink, the food we eat, alcohol, smoking, various "recreational" drugs and other potentially detrimental
activities reduce our inborn life span.
In his book " Healthy at 100" John Robbins research shows that
while of the above mentioned inputs have an effect, the biggest factor in long and healthy lives is psychological.
Interaction with family and friends in a positive happy environment is crucial to a long and healthy life. A negative
attitude is worse than smoking.
Dan Buettner, in his book "Blue Zones", identifies 4 specific
locations on the planet that have the longest life spans: Sardinia, Okinawa, Loma Linda California and Costa Rica.
Within those locations are very specific locations where living over 100 is not uncommon. The common the commons
themes are "close family relationships, a sense of purpose, healthy
eating habits"
Sardinia, Okinawa and Costa Rica all conjure up visions of
exotic landscapes and foods. Loma Linda threw me. What about Loma Linda would make rank it in the top four
locations worldwide. Answer - a large concentration of Seventh Day Adventists live there. What special about them?
Diet based on religious belief. Start with, what don't they consume: alcohol, caffeine and other stimulates
like pop and foods rich in simple sugars and meat. No smoking. They are vegetarians that eat grains, beans,
soymilk, tomatoes and other veggies, fruit and whole wheat breads.
The
US National Institute for Health did a study of their lifestyle from 1976 to 1988 and concluded that they live 4 to 10 years
longer than fellow Californians. More in Blue Zones in the November 2005 National Geographic - by Dan Buettner.
We will cover these Blue Zones in more depth on this site. The other focus is on anatomy
and physiology of the human body. You really can't understand aging with out the details!
BTW: the name Blue Zone is originally derived from the blue ink used by demographer Michael Poulian
when circling Sardinia on the map.
