If you are going to live a long life you better start planning for it right away. I believe it was Mickey Mantle who famously said “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself” and no truer words have been spoken regarding age! Anyone reading this bit of text just now has made the first step to enjoying optimized longevity. Most folks do not plan ahead for the things that occur as we age that can obscure a once clear vision of growing elderly. Think of it as planning for your 401k, only having the good health to spend it.

You have to plan for living an extended life because even the most passive of us winds up with some physical breakdown over the years. There is available research that states that upwards of eighty eight percent of United States inhabitants over age sixty five have some form of ongoing medical problem. As tough as this is to deal with it is a fact of life for most of us that we will be living with some medical ailment in old age. Would it not be great though, if we could safeguard ourselves from most of these chronic health issues?

Chronic means ongoing and an ongoing medical malady is classified as a condition that lasts longer than three months. The longer a person lives, the more likely they are to experience a chronic medical problem. These medical ailments just do not occur suddenly. Usually these problems are a culmination of other factors that have been happening over a number of years such as smoking, excessive drinking, not exercising enough and overeating.

Ongoing Medical Situations

• Arthritis – Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and Polymyalgia rheumatica;

• Hearing impairment – Tinnitus, Requiring hearing aids, Presbycusis, Ototoxicity;

• Conditions about the mouth – Periodontal disease, bone loss, false teeth, soft tissue trouble, dental implants, diabetes, gum disease, oral hygiene and health;

• Malignancy – prostate cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, melanoma, gallbladder cancer, stomach cancer, breast, mouth cancer, colo-rectal cancer, skin cancer (non-melanoma), liver cancer;

• Cardiovascular illnesses – vascular disease, stroke, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular illness, angina pectoris, hypertension, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, TIA, arrhythmia;

• Chronic Pain Conditions – Neuralgia, joint pain, shoulder pain, painful feet, hands and hips, back pain and many more;

• Diabetes Mellitus – Type two diabetes causes blindness, limb amputation, circulation trouble, kidney ailments;
 
It is possible to live an extended life and remain fairly healthy while doing so. The first thing that must happen is to respect our bodies more. This esteem for our body occurs in numerous ways.

• Watching what we eat more closely. Hippocrates, he of the famous oath and ancient Greek healer stated “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food”. Pretty good advice for an old timer!

• Maintaining a proper bodyweight. When we add pounds to our frame we also add the risk of developing medical complications such as type 2 diabetes, sky high cholesterol, heart disease, hypertension, vascular diseases and other major medical headaches to contend with.

Calorie restriction is now being discussed by experts as a means of living longer as well as healthier. One specific medical pathologist has spent two decades studying how diet and genetic alterations could make the aging process occur more slowly. His breadth of research included monkeys, rodents etc that had experienced caloric limitation and experienced many different physical as well as mental advantages. There was less joint pain, better mental acuity, and fewer eye diseases. There is much to be learned from our diets.

• Quit smoking Tobacco [or anything else!] – When you smoke, you are causing undue stress and harm to each major organ in your system. Stopping the filthy habit will at least give you better odds at an extended life while aiding in the prevention of lung conditions, heart problems and cancer.

• Keeping Physically Active – Probably the most important advice here is to keep moving to keep fit. That includes anything that gets you moving about like walking, riding a bike, hiking, extreme gardening, extreme bowling, you get the idea. Setting up a small home gym could save your life but short of that have some form of exercise you can do at home, like resistance band training.

• Be Sure To Get Adequate Sleep – It has been calculated that approximately forty million Americans have a sleep problem of some kind. They are being deprived of sleep by various disorders which is unfortunate since we need sleep to live an extended life. A lack of sleep will affect us physically by assisting in the development of diabetes mellitus based on a study conducted four years ago. Sleep deprivation affects the glucose regulation. Only sleeping for five hours each night has been linked to eight gain, memory trouble, inability to focus and a higher probability for heart disease [coronary artery calcification].

• Be Sure To Always Use Sun Block – The rays from the sun are quite harmful, especially in the last twenty or thirty years. UV rays will cause your skin to age prematurely causing wrinkles and creases. You will also be at risk from skin cancers – specifically the quite deadly melanoma.

• Maintaining Oral Health – Be sure you floss each day. Research has revealed that poor oral hygiene causes more trouble than just periodontal or gum disease. There is a connection to heart disease, osteoporosis, lung ailments and a huge association to diabetes as well.

• Find A Way To Rid Your Life Of Stress – Experts the world over claim and medical science researchers now verify that stress is a major contributor to aging and certainly therefore an enemy of longevity. Extended periods of stress in one’s life can be hazardous to health contributing to illnesses such as hyperglycemia, high cholesterol, heart disease and you could enter into severe depression.

Some ways to beat stress are to get plenty of exercise, meditation, go for long walks, listening to soothing music, writing in a journal, begin to practice positive thinking and be optimistic about life, try taking up a new hobby.

• Begin Taking A Good Health Supplement With Antioxidants – There is not much good to say about the diets western society punishes themselves with. Even when we eat plenty of healthy foods, they rarely maintain their nutritional value once we finish preparing them. Most of the food in our supermarkets is so highly processed and refined that the level of antioxidants is greatly reduced. It is for this reason that we need to supplement our diets with antioxidants that are missing from the foods we consume.

Free radical activity is stronger than ever before and we are in mortal combat with this minute but eventually deadly foe. We should also be getting a strong multivitamin with minerals to make up for a lack of essential vitamins and minerals also missing from our diet. If our meals consist of thrown together prepared foods or fast food from restaurants, we need to begin supplementing now. Resveratrol is the latest media darling but it has shown itself to be quite an effectual antioxidant.

Medical science is researching resveratrol quite relentlessly and the findings are actually pretty amazing. Resveratrol is responsible for lowering cholesterol, stroke prevention, heart protection and far too many more benefits to mention here. It would behoove the reader to hurry out and purchase a resveratrol supplement. It would also be a good idea to find a supplement that has ample resveratrol properties but also is combined with another antioxidant such as green tea extract or something similar.

Living for a long time does not need to be a harrowing experience and it is not something that you should begin to fret about. You simply must start doing the necessary things today to prepare for tomorrow. From a health perspective we need to focus our efforts on sustaining an appropriate level of fitness so we can enjoy our extended years. Think how great life will be when we have a chance to enjoy it in our golden years when we will be not only financially healthy but physically healthy as well.

Anti Aging Supplements, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Longevity

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The future is not the result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created – created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.
John Scharr

There is a modern and innovative measurement that is used to scrutinize human well-being with ecological efficiency, and it is known as HPI. It examines happiness of people in respect to use of resources on a world level. The Happy Planet Index is the first of its kind to blend environmental effects with how well people are. It measures the environmental efficiency in various countries to extrapolate how happy people are, and how long they might live.

In July 2009, the second global HPI was published. However, the report shows that much have to be done to meet sustainable well-being. The report does also suggest an approach to help reaping a higher HPI.

It must be noted that the Index does not reveal the world’s “happiest” country. It does rather compile a relative figure showing how countries around the world are able to convert the natural resources of the earth into long and happy lives for their beloved citizens.

The countries that top in the “Happy Planet Index” should not be considered as the happiest places on earth. However, the countries that are ranking high in the Index demonstrate the ability to realize long and happy lives without the need of over-exploiting the world’s resources.

In order words, the HPI clearly demonstrates that in various corners of the world, a high depletion of resources does not necessary result in high level of well-being. Most interestingly, it does therefore, show that high levels of well-being can be achieved without stretching the consumption of resources on the planet. Well-being can thus be nurtured in various ways. The HPI model used in the West appears to provide life-satisfaction and longevity, but it achieves this only through a phenomenal use the world’s resources.

Evaluating the Global & European HPI

When using the HPI the very basic results are achieved. It shed lights on how much happiness and longevity is derived through the inputs (resources). The recent “global index” showed information of 143 nations, and it pinpointed that there is still a lot to be done. “A lot to be done” in respect to using less of earth’s resources in assure longer and happier lives. In other words, all countries can improve. There is actually no country in the world scoring surprisingly high in the index.

Another source compiled in 2007 is available to show the European countries’ HPI. It shows the carbon efficiency of the European countries.

Learning and Improving

All nations listed in the HPI can improve much. The index shows that some countries are better off in assuring long and happy lives. Yet, every nation has some obstacles and could perform better. There are clear trends showing that living happy and longer can be achieved by decreasing the environmental impacts.

Measuring well-being and happiness associated with the use of resources is already one way to identify areas of weakness.

The lasts Report on HPI can be downloaded. It includes some major strategies suggesting how countries can improve their Happy Planet Index.

Download Report on this Link

Source: Happy Planet Index

Gerontology, Health And Aging

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Average longevity is normally recognized as average life expectancy; this referring to that age that sees fifty percent of the people who were born in a particular year perishing. Maximum longevity refers to the specific most elderly age any individual actually achieves. As mentioned above, there are a few factors that affect longevity and average longevity is shaped by those same aspects.

A person’s life span also means the same as average life expectancy. This too is affected by a number of things like susceptibility to illness and disease, murders, suicide and accidental death. Average life expectancy is estimated at any age and for the greatest majority it is approximately thirty thousand days. As always there are those privileged minority who manage to last for about forty thousand days. It is interesting that two thousand years ago the average human life expectancy was approximately seven thousand days.

These extremely short and cruel survival challenges that passed for a life were affected by many variables, any one of which could snuff out life by itself. These included dangerous bacteria, accidental death or injury, dangerous predators, weather fluctuation and erratic and unreliable sources of food. These life challenges were only a problem of course if the individual actually survived their birth. The mortality rate of babies was between three and four hundred for each one thousand live births just a couple hundred years ago. Contrast that with today where only seven out of one thousand births results in infant death.

Of all the nations in the world, Japan is on top with average life longevity of approximately eighty years of age according to statistics provided by government agencies. The same for the United States, where any infant born now could reasonably expect to survive upwards of seventy seven years of age. The longevity age of nations around the plant continue to move upwards and not simply in the industrialized countries.

Longevity is something that has recently seen a dramatic surge in the level of interest from the science and medical communities; both doing their part to keep the number rising. Unfortunately there are a number of factors from an environmental and clinical perspective that impact the average longevity of humans:

• Medical conditions such as cardiovascular illness and Alzheimer’s disease;

• The lifestyle choices you make such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption or a lack of exercise, all affect average longevity;

• Ecological toxicity – environmental contaminants we live with such as polluted water and smog are a constant concern for our health and longevity. Heavy metal in fish, bacteria and cancer causing agents found in our potable water and airborne toxicity are each major contributors to shortened life expectancy;

• Societal ranking has an impact on life expectancy as well based on a reduction of availability to necessary essential services and life sustaining products. Universal access to medical treatment is an ongoing concern for most governments and the minority people in any community are the ones paying the price. Lack of status means insufficient rights to proper care and inadequate food for minimal health maintenance;

The worst part about environmental issues determining longevity is that it is the people themselves who are accountable for the hazards that result. No one forces people to overeat and take up smoking. When was the last time someone had a gun held to their head to make them exercise or eat right? When governments do not do enough to guarantee satisfactory health care to all it is a blight on that society. Any failure to act on the needs of the less fortunate will continue to impact longevity and the price will be paid by societies poor. Lousy lifestyle choices in general are a reckless waste of life and considerably elevate the expense of health treatment.

The noteworthy distinctions which effect average longevity include the following: whether you are male or female, your genetics, and availability of clinical care, one’s hygiene, diet and nutrition, physical activity, lifestyle choices and criminal statistics for a region. Currently, a rise in the number of lifestyle related illnesses such as obesity, diabetes type two; high blood pressure and heart disease might dramatically slow or even turn around entirely the trend to an ever increasing life expectancy in the industrialized world.

An argument could be made that socio- economic and environmental elements come into play regarding average longevity. Men and women who partake in harmful lifestyles involving illicit drug use, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption in numerous societies have a greater risk of mortality caused from lung cancer, and liver disease.
Males in particular are more vulnerable to injuries occurring from high risk lifestyles, recreational or automobile accidents or intentional causes through suicide or violence and war. Men also risk death because of the chief causes of mortality in America which are: cancer of the lungs, auto accidents, taking their own life, alcohol related deaths, coronary heart disease and emphysema.

When it comes to socio economic/ environmental issues leading to death, females still have a longer average longevity over males. This occurs because females have a higher level of immunity to illnesses and degenerative disease. This could be a function of evolution and the female need to carry on the species.

There are numerous ways and means to improve upon average longevity, they would include:

• Eating healthy and nutritious foods will aid in increasing life expectancy. Illnesses such as diabetes mellitus [type two]; cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and obesity among others could all be avoided for the most part by consuming healthy nutritious meals.

• Exercise and getting enough physical activity will assist in helping people live longer lives by reducing their weight and preventing illnesses caused by obesity or weight gain. It improves blood flow and strengthens the heart and respiratory system. Exercise improves the durability of the skeletal system and increased strength means the older a person gets the more independence they will enjoy due to mobility which will increase their longevity.

• Consuming vitamins and dietary supplements has shown it can improve health and increase the odds of survivability. Supplementing diets in this manner can make all the difference when normal food intake is insufficient in supplying the proper vitamin and mineral – specifically the essential nutrients.

• Lifestyle choices need to be reflected on and adjustments made like cutting out the use of drugs and smoking while curbing or stopping entirely all those vices that have been proven will shorten your life.

We now have extensive data that clearly shows how long living members of society manage to live so long. In point of fact, many people who have lived to one hundred years or longer – the centenarians – explain that they never really took part in organized or planned exercise nor did they have the luxury of joining a gym or jumping on a home treadmill, they did not do weight lifting or use elliptical trainers. Any exercise they got was due to a daily regimen of work or routine. Though they slowed in their elder years, slowing down did not mean doing nothing at all, they just did less. Things like gardening or walking still maintained their activity level for their age.

They continued to eat a balanced diet as they had throughout their life but more important to their longevity was having a reason to wake up each day. In business this would be known as a mission statement. These elderly folks also had a network of support that could be family, friends or both whom they could rely on and all lived in or near the same area.

There was a level of respect extended to these senior members in their society who were all treated well emotionally and had no worries financially though they were not necessarily independently wealthy. Many often still live independently and alone, maintaining their own residence and for most people, the lifestyle they lead would be considered boring and uneventful. This in itself is specifically what is needed for longevity – no stress!

Overall, these centenarians who make a mockery of average longevity lead dull, routine lives with little or no stress. In some societies the women would be more prone to stress because they coordinated family life and administered to family in general while men spent their days toiling at work, often by themselves farming. Therefore men lived longer than women, having endured less stress.

One of the main characteristics of most super seniors was how social and connected they were – it contributed a great deal to their extended and satisfying lives. Having others they could socialize with was vital to above average longevity and religious and spiritual social communities in particular seemed to thrive well into old age.

Gerontology, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity

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Scientists from Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and the Boston Medical Center have spotted genes that are related to longevity. They have also been able to predict through the use of genetics, whether the participant in the study will be likely to become a centenarian or not. The result of the study will be published in an issue of the Journal Science.

Co-author Dr. Thomas Perls of Boston Medical Center said in a press conference that genes might help to predict whether one will suffer from disease. It can also act as a tool for physicians to introduce medical interventions even before potential pathologies surfaces.

The study claims that people who are able to live to a 100 year are models of healthy aging. Perls who is the founder and director of the New England Centenarian study says that earlier researches suggested that 90 percent of centenarians are disability-free up to the age of 93.

New England Centenarian study is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and it is the world’s largest study on centenarians.

The research involved a total of 1,055 centenarians as well as 1,267 controlled people who had not reached the age of 100. The researchers examine the genetic of the controlled groups and compared their genetic background to those born in the 1910 or earlier.

All the centenarians from Boston were Caucasian. Perl claims that further studies have to be conducted for other ethnicities and participants. He also mentioned that his team is now collaborating with a group in Japan to examine genes across different backgrounds. It is not necessary that the same genes are responsible for health aging. It can be that different ethnic groups produced unique genes enabling people to become centenarians.

The researchers spotted 150 variations in DNA sequences namely polymorphisms and single nucleotide, which might have helped centenarians to enjoy a health aging. Interestingly, in the controlled group 15 percent had these longevity genes. In pure theory, it would practically mean that roughly 15 percent of American’s population is destined to become centenarians.

Yet, the current national figures for developed countries are much lower, per 6,000 people only one survives to a 100. In the United States of America, there are roughly only 80,000 centenarians (per 2010). Unfortunately, currently only one person will survive and become a “supercentenarian” in a population of 7 million. The main reason for this low figure is that, the current centenarians were born in a time where medicine advancement was stumpy and life expectancy was under 50. This implies that genetic is only one factor determining longevity, lifestyle and environment does also play a predominate role.

In the study the scientists were, nevertheless, able to forecast who would become a centenarian with a precision of 77 percent through the use of genetic samples alone.

Dr. Nir Barzilai who is the director of the Institute of Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, says that it is significant to search for genes that can help to safeguard on from aging. It is something that can be done once we are aware that genetics is a ruling factor of longevity.

The scientists considered 77 percent accuracy to be very positive. However, the result demonstrates that 23 percent of centenarians do not necessarily have the ideal genetic signature. This means that environmental factors are still vital.

Normally, centenarians do not usually tend to be obese and seldom have a history of smoking. An example of how lifestyle influences longevity can be observed on the Seventh-day Adventists, which is a religious group in US where the average lifespan of all its members are 88 years. The religion regulates their lifestyle; they do regularly exercise, consume vegetarian diets and do also avoid smoking and alcohol. Involvement in exercise does effectively help to reduce stress and promote them to live beyond American’s national average lifespan, which is 78 years.

Perls says that “It really does speak to the incredible importance of lifestyle factors”. However, to live an additional 10 to 15 years beyond 88, genetics appears to contribute.

Genetic signature can help to impede diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia. These are common causes of death and thus hindrances for longevity.

According to Perls, it is essential to understand the various means to survive up to a 100.

The study did fortunately spot three particular genetic signatures that were prevalent in 40 percent of all supercentenarians.

Unexpectedly, the research did not spot major genetic differences related to aging disease between the control groups and the centenarians. Paola Sebastiani, a professor of biostatistics at Boston University of Public Health as well as the lead author of the study said that maybe centenarians survive due to genes related to longevity and not genes that protect them from illnesses.

It was even suggested that longevity-related genes could have the positive effect of crossing out links with diseases. In other words, according to the proposals, actual diagnosis for risk of diseases of aging is not fully conducted as longevity-associated genes are excluded. These are genes that might have the potential to cancel risks of aging diseases.

Earlier studies in the genetics of healthy aging have already contributed to the development of pharmaceutical products According to Barzilai, drugs such as CETP inhibitors meant to decrease “Bad” cholesterol (LDL) and augment “Good” cholesterol (HDL) are entering the market.

Barzilai is committed to help people to live up to a 100. Besides, centenarians must remain healthy and free of diseases at an advance age. In reality, the only drawback of these drugs can be said to be longevity.

Moreover, Barzilai said that there are lots of cost savings that can be reaped when living to a 100. Based on estimations, people who die at their 80s have to disburse as much as three times more on medical expenses in comparison to people who die at age of 100.

Perls underlined that the predictions done by companies of whether one will live to a 100 or not, are not always reliable because precision is merely of 77 percent. Factors such as environment and lifestyle are still of paramount of importance. They do influence the chance of living longer.

The interesting fact about the study is that there might be a possibility to introduce personalized medicine in the future. This involves developing medicine that improves our genetic signature.

Source: CNN

Anti Aging, Gerontology

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• Raise the level of mental awareness and acuity.

• Build a strong immune system and reduce the chance of serious life threatening infections.

• Increase the level of energy experienced by seniors.

• Improve the time required for recuperation from illness.

• Make the regulation of chronic conditions easier to manage.

Reasons Why Nutrition Is Lacking In Seniors

• Metabolism slows down – The human metabolism begins to slow about the age of forty years old. It then becomes reckless to continue eating the kinds of food that was so easily ingested as a youth. Should they ignore this advice they will gain weight.

• Appetite diminishes as does taste – When an individual ages their sense of taste begins to wane. When this occurs, the person will either heavily garnish their meals or simply just not put much effort into dining any more. The appetite slows along with the metabolism.

• Inadequate digestion – during the aging process the digestive tract undergoes many modifications. Because of this the individual will generate fewer digestive acids and reduced quantities of saliva. It becomes harder for the system to digest and breakdown particular vitamins and minerals and this will only exacerbate digestion troubles.

•  Health problems – When a senior must take numerous drugs to manage their health these can have an unconstructive influence over the appetite. If this is the case a consultation with their primary health care provider can alleviate the issue.

• Reduced physical activity – along with advanced aging comes a lessening of physical activity. Seniors slow their once bustling lives down for both physical and medical reasons. When there is no action occurring the stomach knows it and reduces appetite.

• Emotional causes – When a person is depressed or experiencing isolation from social environments this affects their appetite and diet significantly. Seniors might not feel compelled to eat if they must do so by themselves. If depression is the root of the problem it can lead to a reduction in appetite or the opposite – overeating.

If people staring at their senior years are unable to correct these issues they will endure an unhealthy decline in their golden years when life should be pleasant. It is crucial that family or primary caregivers, along with a capable geriatric specialist assist the elderly as they steer through these difficulties. There are numerous elder care enterprises available with government assistance or private enterprise that support seniors with meals and food prep.
 
A Nutritional Diet For The Aging Individual Includes:

• Lower salt intake to avoid the retention of water and hypertension.

• Decreasing the consumption of fat in their meals to keep cholesterol levels regulated

• Increase intake of Vitamin D and calcium for healthy skeletal structure.

• Consume more fiber laden foods like salads, vegetables and fruits to aid proper digestion.

• Cut back on sugar consumption and also dry foods.

• Whatever they eat it is vital that it contain adequate quantities of minerals and vitamins.

• Start drinking more filtered water.

• Increase their physical activity – even if it means simply walking around the block after dinner.
 
Minerals That Impact Our Health As We Age

It is critical that seniors get enough of some specific minerals to maintain their health and add years to their life. Minerals are necessary to sustain peak functionality of organs, cells and physiological systems. It is significant that the food we eat each day holds all the nutrients our body needs to work at its finest. Any lack of mineral content in our systems and we begin to break down physically. It is imperative to understand which minerals are important to our health, what they do and where we can get them.

• Calcium
This mineral is of considerable importance for every age group but it is crucial for aging adults to maintain strength in their bones and balancing the transmissions of nerve impulses. In addition, it is very useful for muscularity – the heart in particular, to assist in the relaxing and contracting action while it encourages blood coagulation. Moreover, calcium aids in the maintenance of your hair, skin and dental health. When we lack enough calcium we risk osteoporosis and other hazardous conditions. We get our calcium naturally in the food we eat such as dairy, green leafy veggies are an excellent source of high grade calcium, soybeans, yogurt, raisins and fish in cans like salmon, tuna and sardines.

• Iron
Iron makes up a central element of hemoglobin; this is how we move oxygen throughout our bodies. When we have insufficient iron it is easier to come down with anemia. This condition occurs when we do not get enough blood oxygenation. We can get sufficient iron from our diets by eating liver, kidneys, red meats, broccoli, nuts, cheddar cheese, chickpeas, prune juice and wheat germ. [note: I could write an entire article about the benefits of prune juice alone!]

• Magnesium
This special mineral is necessary to aid the body in repairing and maintaining its cells. It is also important for the function of nerve impulses that race through our bodies. It also helps the metabolism and has a lot to do with the health of our skeletal structure. Natural sources of magnesium can be found in fish, fruits and leafy green veggies, dairy items, nuts, brown rice, soy beans and wheat germ.

• Phosphorous
This mineral aids with the up keep of bones and teeth while it assists the metabolism while it breaks down various B vitamins and it can help thwart bone fractures and speed healing. Additionally, it works with the body to augment tissue growth and provide energy. We can get a good amount of phosphorous from red meats, poultry, dairy, seafood, dried beans and peanuts, whole grain and soybeans.

• Potassium
Potassium is significant to our body by keeping things running smoothly and healthy. Our red blood cells depend upon it as does our heart, nerves and muscle functionality. Moreover, it helps the kidneys with waste removal from our body and assists with supplying our brain with much needed oxygen. Foods complete with potassium would be avocados, bananas, citrus type fruits, milk, nuts, molasses, whole grains potatoes and tomatoes – oh, and green leafy veggies [could we seriously do without these!?]

• Selenium
The most important job of selenium is to provide defense for cells that are at risk from free radicals. Top natural sources for selenium are cabbage, broccoli, liver, celery, garlic and whole grains. Men in particular should be taking selenium for their health.

• Zinc
This important mineral is required to regulate the energy supply within the body and aids with the blood cells as they transfer waste CO2 from our body tissue into the respiratory tract where it is ousted from the lungs. Crucial to our cells, it aids in their growth, separation and restoration. It also helps with our sense of taste and smell as well while it assists the body to heal injury. We find zinc in beef, pork, poultry, and soybeans, dairy and whole grains.

• Chromium
We utilize chromium to trigger the manufacture of insulin. Chromium is found in liver; meats in general, cheese and whole grain cereals.

The importance of these mineral just mentioned cannot be overstated for anyone staring at or in the midst of their declining years. They help us maintain healthy bodies so they can function at their peak performance. We are daring our health if we do not get adequate levels of these minerals in our diet. If diet is an issue we can also take these minerals in supplemental form.
 
For the older people reading this they should be encouraged to begin taking a high performance liquid vitamin that contains minimum requirements of these minerals above. Liquid forms of these supplements are idea for troubled digestive tracts [that occur in many seniors] and makes absorption of these nutrients far easier and you will notice the difference.

Anti Aging, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Longevity

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In today’s western world we are more closely aligned to the Eskimo than the Igabo. The difference is our ice flows are called “Shady Meadows” and “Pinedale Lodge” or something close to that. Younger relatives do not give position to the elder folks and they abandon many as the Eskimo culture as a normal part of life, the final part.

The inclination these days is to do away with independent living for the aged, placing these folks in some form of supportive care facility. The government will often step in at some point and provide assisted or long term care once their assisted home care services are deemed to be insufficient. For the most part these decisions are made out of a financial need rather than some form of humane gesture on the part of the bureaucrats.

Throughout parts of North America, older individuals are being pressed into service as foster grandparents by child care services and this seems to benefit all who take part.

Several Definitions Concerning Aging

Just What Is Aging?

Aging: Aging takes place as an innately occurring experience and has to do with alterations that happen during the course of a person’s life time. The net result is dissimilarities in physicality and functionality during the process of time between younger and older age groups.

Gerontology: This is the acquisition of knowledge having to do with all things linked to aging from the perspective of science, psychology and sociology.

Geriatrics: This has been a previously neglected specialty of medicine that deals with health issues of the elderly.

Social Aging: This is the study of social customs and the role that individuals have regarding their culture and societal situations. It has been revealed that when social aging occurs the person often will undergo a modification of their social circles and interaction often suffers.

Biological aging: This has to do with how the body and its systems become altered in the declining years of a person’s life span. This can easily begin occurring prior to the sequential age of sixty five years.

Cognitive aging: Is when a person’s capacity to absorb the latest information is decreased. They also have difficulty retaining any novel skills or behaviors.

Normal Difficulties With Aging

Noted psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson, came up with the theory of human development involving eight phases post birth. Each of these life stages concerned differing divisions constituting best and worst case effects. What follows are the contradictory phases of life and their significance.

• Infancy. From birth to two years old – involves trust, basic trust as opposed to suspicion.

• Early childhood. From three to five years old. Independence as opposed to a lack of confidence/ shame. Wilfulness.
 
• Age of Play. Five to eight years old – enterprising as opposed to feelings of guilt. Purpose.
 
• Age of formal education. Nine to twelve years old. Industrious as opposed to feeling inferior.

• Adolescence. Thirteen to nineteen years old. Individuality as opposed to character uncertainty Faithful.

• Becoming a young adult. Familiarity as opposed to segregation. Love.

• Adulthood. Procreation as opposed to self desire. Care.

• Age of Maturity. Character and truthfulness as opposed to hopelessness. Wisdom.

The final phase, stage eight, the age of maturity and mature adulthood starts at around the time of mandatory retirement and continues for the duration of life. Arriving at a place of truthfulness of character or ego integrity is an indication of having arrived at maturity and not realizing this phase is a signal of poor adherence and growth during the previous phases of the life path above.

The definition of ego integrity or truth of character signifies that an individual has come to terms with their entire life and can look back on it in a positive fashion, according to Erikson – it is achievement. Integrity is when one fully accepts one’s self and is able to accept the fact they will die. Being able to be held accountable for the life one has led and be able to recount the previous years with a sense of satisfaction is of considerable importance. When a person cannot achieve this they suffer from despair and that person will start to fear their approaching death. Wisdom is achieved if a good balance is found somehow during this phase.

Emotional And Character Traits

There are emotional repercussions to aging. Apart from actually passing away, our realization that we are growing old might just be among the most severe jolts we experience. When we cross through that transparent gate of age sixty five each year becomes a point of reference for the remaining time we have. There is no confusion anymore about how old we are or if we are in the middle mature age phase – we are simply known as old, or as a senior citizen. Our ability to handle these changes and the stress of modified position now has much to do with our character and personality. What follows are a trio of general personality variations that have been recognized. It might appear to be oversimplified but the message is clear regarding personality:

• The Autonomous – these are folks who appear to be able to renew themselves. Perhaps they are determined to achieve some objective or idea and are devoted to maintaining a productive life. This may safeguard them from certain aspects of physiological aging.

• The adjusted – these are individuals who live via rigidity and do without the capability to adapt, though this aids in supporting their strength, prestige or well organized regimen. However, if their circumstances are altered in any significant manner they suffer psychologically.

• The anomic – These people are lacking in any clear or certain inner values and have no defensive vision for life. They have been defined as being too early to accept their fate and thus might decline quite quickly.
Understanding The Stress Associated With Growing Old

• Lowering of income levels and halting work. Many of us derive our sense of personal value from our work. It is our basic identity and a social net where we interact with others. Compulsory retirement can be disheartening.
 
• The nervousness of damage and death. There is an elevated chance of becoming seriously ill and the chance of recovering is a nonstop source of worry. If that individual has a stroke or cardiac event, this level of stress is even harder to manage.

Some people stare down death with a sense of aplomb, often due to a spiritual connectedness or philosophical provision they adhere to. Some might well invite death and accept it as a means of ending suffering or a way to put an end to unsolvable problems, having no concern for the value of life or their own existence. While some others will stare death down while experiencing severe stress and no coping mechanism due to a lack of ego defences.

• Segregation and seclusion. Older people are faced with inevitable loss of those precious to them, friends and loved ones, even enemies who were a reason to get worked up. When a spouse is lost, a person one has depended upon for companionship and support it can be very upsetting. The offspring of that union grow older themselves, move away and marry or just become distant. As one’s memory, vision and hearing start to fail, remaining sociable becomes tough to do.

Should these developments mean that person becomes bitter and their attitude becomes less flexible, their chances for socializing are lessened and this person probably will not take advantage of any social time that is available to them anyway.

• Sexual prowess and physical attractiveness are decreased. Experts in sexual functionality in men have determined that there is a gradual decline in sexual activity as age progresses and that a plausible pattern of satisfaction can certainly carry on into exceptionally old age. The older person must also learn to get used to losing some sexual attractiveness while surviving in a society that places extreme importance on sexual appeal. This modification in self image and how we see ourselves can be a tough transition to make.

• Influences contributing to self depreciation. Too often the knowledge of the more experienced generation is perceived to have little or no use to the issues facing the younger age brackets. Hence, the elderly age group is left out of many of the decisive moments in families and occupational environments.  Parents can be perceived as being redundant burdens and their children must secretly want them dead so they can be liberated from the chore and attain some financial reward or benefit. The seniors might well begin to feel they really are a burden and this is contributory to their personal self depreciation.

Major Sources Of Concern Or Need

Health – Housing – Income Sustainability – Interpersonal Relationships
 
Physical Transformation:

Physiological alterations: Catabolism or [the collapse of protoplasm] surpasses anabolism or [the accumulation of protoplasm]. All body functionality and mechanisms are affected and the ability to restore itself is influenced. The process of aging has a unique rate of occurrence for every individual.

How We Look From A Physical Perspective And More Alterations:

As we lose subcutaneous fat and our epidermis becomes less supple we begin to form wrinkles and fight sagging skin. Our bodies lose their contoured shape and innately smooth lines. Joints are becoming stiff tightened and painful to move and our range of motion is more limited.

Breathing Changes:

There is an accumulation of fibrous tissue in our lungs and chest cavity and this will mean a restricted amount of respiratory movement with less oxygen consumption. The elderly are known to suffer from more respiratory infections and the younger folks suffer upper respiratory infections.

Nutrition Modifications:

Tooth deterioration and loss can reduce the joy of eating. Atrophying taste buds leads to food becoming tasteless and caregivers need to be aware of this. Changes in their digestive function occur due to a lack of exercise [intestinal stimulation] and a diminishing of digestive liquid production. Constipation and indigestion become common complaints because of this.

If financially strapped the elderly take to eating less expensive carb loaded diets rather than eating protein based diets with vegetables and this only furthers the problem. The result is a loss of vitamin ingestion and issues like anemia and a greater likelihood of contracting infections are a problem.

Adjustment To Stress:

Stress is a problem we face at any age. Adjusting to cope with stress takes energy and as we age we can ill afford to lose any energy. There are three main stage of stress:

1. Early alarm reaction.  2. Resistance.  3. Exhaustion.

If stress is allowed to carry on than tissue damage will begin to happen and aging starts to occur. The elderly have spent their entire lives dealing with emotional stressors. Their reserve of energy becomes diminished and that older person then surrenders to stress much earlier than a younger person might. Stress builds up over a lifetime. Studies reveal, including those performed on animals that each stress will keep us more susceptible to the following one and even if we feel we have bounced back entirely, the fact remains that each stress we suffer leaves scarring behind.

Additionally, stress is experienced in the mind and body so this means it does not matter which kind of stress we are dealing with. Physical stress might mean we are more prone to emotional stress and the reverse. Rest alone will not entirely rejuvenate a person subsequent to a stressful period. Caregivers need to be attentive to this and recognize the types of things that could potentially cause stress in the elderly.

Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Gerontology, Longevity

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It has now been more than ten years since scientists have believed that a diet that is low in calorie tends to lengthen the lives of many organisms, monkeys, fruit flies, yeast and may be human beings as well. However, the link may have as much to do with the smell as it does with the eating. For instance, in the year 2004, Cynthia Kenyon, a molecular geneticist from the University of California in San Francisco, found out that the removal of specific olfactory neurons blocks round worm’s sense of smelling as well as extends their lifespan. Moreover, a few years after, Scott Pletcher, a geneticist from the University of Michigan Medical School along with Gregg Roman, a biologist from the Baylor College of Medicine and their colleagues shortened the life of fruit flies by blowing the smell of live yeast-which is a tasty treat- in the direction of the fruit flies while they were on a diet.

Pletcher and his colleagues were of view that a particular odor was at work, however they did not know which one in question. During that time, other scientists had found a receptor in a group of neurons that allow the fruit flies to smell carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is responsible for signalling the presence of a fine meal of tasty yeast.

In order to verify if ever it was the carbon dioxide that was the key to shortening the dieting lives of the fruit flies, Pletcher and Roman got hold of mutant flies that did not have the CO2 receptor. They discovered that the mutant flies were able to live up to 30 percent more than normal flies even when they were put on a standard diet.

Afterwards Pletcher and Roman provoked the neurons that sense carbon dioxide to self-destruct and were confronted with similar life-extending outcomes. Ultimately, when the gene for the CO2 receptor was restored back in the mutant flies, by the researchers, the flies did not enjoy a longer lifespan compared to their normal cousins.

It is noteworthy that the mutant flies that were unable to smell carbon dioxide not only benefited from a long life but they moreover remained resilient and strong by various measures. For instance, according to what the researchers have reported in PLoS Biology, the mutant flies were able to store more fat. This is a crucial to promote a psychological state which helps the flies to fight against stress. Furthermore the number of offspring that the female flies were able to produce was no less than the normal flies.

According to the authors, by blocking the perception of CO2, the animals are tricked to believe that there is no food in the surrounding. As a result, their metabolism is slowed down and they react by conserving their nutritional supplies similarly to the way hungry animals do.

Tadeusz Kawecki, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, finds that the result is a very exciting one. He explains that if the physiology and metabolism can be changed by specific odors, then drugs which are capable of blocking certain odros could also changer the physiology and metabolism in human beings. This as a consequence could assist in the preventing diseases or prolonging lives. This idea may seem improbable at this stage; however it definitely works in the case of flies.

Source: Science Magazine

Anti Aging, Bioscience, Gerontology, Health And Aging

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There is no reason why we cannot grow older and actually do it gracefully and in good health. We can begin now living a happy and productive lifestyle and enjoy each year more than the last one, greeting every new year in a vigorous manner. How well you cope with aging has more to do with your mental outlook and a positive track record than it does with genetics. By doing right by yourself and others and leading a healthy lifestyle as your get older, you will be on track for a meaningful experience in your golden era.

Enhance Your Aging Experience

In order to attain not only an extended life span but also a taste of that youthful vigor that is so sought after, now famous National Geographic voyager and writer, Dan Buettner recommended some fundamental, and really no brainer lifer habits that apparently work quite well for some people. I say no brainer because they are truly common sense ideas yet so many of us neglect to maintain any kind of discipline with any of them.

Buettner researched those people around the world who were known to be living the longest and he found that each of us has the capability to better our experience with advancing age. Who you are is not important but rather how you are living the life you have been blessed with that makes the difference. What are you eating? Are you getting enough physical activity? Do you handle the stress in your life with cool composure or pull your hair out?

Buettner traveled extensively to every remote corner of the planet in order to seek out where the world’s healthiest, hardiest and happiest elderly individuals resided. What Buettner discovered should be enough to send warning flags flying in many western developed cultures. There is a good reason why America and other “Comfy” societies around the world are falling behind in terms of health, the lifestyle that many lead is a recipe for disaster. All the trendy diets and mad workouts, or worse, poor diets and no workouts, are not really necessary or should be looked at differently in an aging society. Keeping things simple and avoiding any upheaval is definitely the way to proceed.

Buettner says there are really only nine basic secrets to living a good long life filled with wellness and vitality. Following these nine suggestions should spice up your aging progress when you incorporate them into your current way of life. Often as we grow older we become set in our ways and change can be difficult. When it comes to making serious changes in our senior years, these come about only after a crisis of some sort. There is no reason why you could not build these changes into your lifestyle now so you can avoid future difficulty and improve your well being as you grow older. It is time to have a closer look at each of these nine lifestyle improvements.

• Maintain An Active Lifestyle But In Moderation

Keeping up an active lifestyle will pay dividends; however, it is better to take pleasure in those physical activities you are spending time on. When you are getting active, it is better if you do so naturally and not give much thought to it. Doing something you really enjoy but that will have some physicality to it is good, challenging yourself is always preferable as a part of your day to day activity. For instance, if you enjoy gardening, make it feel like exercise but do not overdo it. You could also do more walking or cycling instead of driving wherever you need to go.

Making this kind of thing second nature means it will become integrated into your way of life. If you feel an exercise regimen is required in your life, disciplined routines can lose their appeal and you could get bored fast. Many folks quit exercising from boredom and the repetitiveness of the exercises they must perform.

• Learn The Okinawan – 80 Percent Full Secret

People who inhabit the island of Okinawa, Japan are renowned for their longevity and youthful vitality. It is also fascinating that they follow a manner of eating they refer to as “Hara hachi bi”. This is their way of knowing when enough is enough and they quit eating when their stomach is eighty percent full.

People do not always need to be too hard on themselves when trying to manage their weight. It could be as simple as watching how much food you are ingesting. Buettner thinks that selecting a smaller dinner plate, bowl and drinking glass would be helpful. Additionally, you should always eat with your legs under a table. Only fill your plate with what you feel you will eat comfortably, then put the remaining food away prior to beginning to eat your meal. Do not eat standing up and never consume your food near the fridge. Avoid eating while you watch television and do not rush your eating; take your time to savor what you eat.

• Increase The Amount Of Fruits And Vegetables You Eat

Ever since we were children it has been driven into us that we need to eat our veggies and fruits if we want to grow into healthy adults. This mantra has not changed. You should also be sure to eat some nuts as part of your daily diet. They are very good for you and curb your hunger for junk food.

• Start Drinking “Virgin” Red Wine Each Day

Red wine contains the exceptional ingredient known as resveratrol that will give you a healthy heart and keep your body lean and vital. Red wine has abundant quantities of antioxidants that elevate your healthy cholesterol as it reduces the unhealthy cholesterol from your system. When you consume non alcoholic red wine at dinner time each day you will be assisting your body in attaining maximum health and with no adverse effects from the alcohol found in regular wine.
 
• Be Sure To Find A Purpose For Your Life

Find something meaningful to do with your time, have a good reason for getting up each day. Take on a new challenge, experience something unique and embrace all changes in your life. At the end of your days it would be nice to know that your life had a bigger purpose than perhaps you ever imagined and this can happen by doing good for others. Buettner thinks it is a good idea to set objectives for yourself and make it your task in life to attain these goals.

• Try To Relax More, Learn To Be Cool About Things

Stress will kill you if you allow it to so managing the stress in your life is paramount if your desire is to live as long as possible. This does not mean you must pay for a spa treatment every other day or take a vacation each month. Simply be aware of stressful situations and focus on relaxing. In fact, make relaxation techniques a part of your daily regimen.

Try not to set yourself up for stress by giving yourself more time for attending meetings and being prepared in advance. Take some time for just you each day. Turn of the television, radio or computer or anything else that will disturb you. Sit alone and quietly sip some tea or practice deep breathing.

• Become More Spiritual, Find Your Higher Power

Join a religious group that you feel comfortable with. Dedicate yourself spiritually to some significant higher power and strengthen your faith. Keep your “tank” full of the faith you will require for some future day when you are emotionally and or physically tested.

• The Family Circle

As you get older your family takes on a new significance in your life, its importance becomes far more evident than ever before. Value the time you have with family and strengthen the bonds between all members of your familial unit. Buettner agrees that forming family traditions that create enduring bonds with those closest to you makes for a happy, healthy life and personal well being.

• Your Circle Of Friends

Pick and choose those you spend time with carefully since their influence on your life will be considerable. Your friends have much to do with your healthy routine and the type of lifestyle you will lead. Choose to be around people who compliment your circumstances and do not bleed you of your emotional resources. Likeminded acquaintances and understanding friends will support you when you need them most.

• Start Taking Supplements

There is quite a bit of media promotion leveled at us to supplement our diets, particularly as we grow older. This hype targets the boomer generation who are advancing in age. There is nothing wrong with this idea; in fact it is going to assist you greatly provided you choose the right the right supplements that coordinate with your way of life and current health situation.

Find supplements that are good for you, not necessarily the one that spends the most on advertising. Do your homework and ask questions of the health care professionals. A great place to begin would be taking resveratrol, krill oil pills for omega 3 fatty acids and a measured quantity of human growth hormone based on what your physician recommends for you. Discuss this with your primary health care provider for their advice.

People are living longer in many places on earth but they are doing so in easy going societies based on old world principles and values. What is meaningful to these elders may not seem at odds with western values but the result in their longevity speaks volumes. As we age, our core values also change but far too often this change occurs too late in life to do us any good or the change is a negative one.

The time to commit to a new positive outlook and healthy lifestyle is right now, regardless of how old we are. We cannot turn back the clock but we can choose how we will live with the remaining time we have. Making that decision could be all that is required to add a few more enjoyable years to our existence, Buettner has seen the evidence.

Anti Aging Theories, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Longevity

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As remarkable as the changes have been in the last hundred years or so, a period of time we have added a number of decades of longevity to our life expectancy, as a species we have not changed in any significant way. We certainly are not making great strides in evolution. The reason for this increase in life span is that our life conditions have improved, dramatically. Take the simple field mouse; it has a life expectancy of about one year in a feral environment. Take that same mouse and put him in a controlled space with everything it needs and it should last about three years.

Humans have had it pretty good in the last half a century especially, factory farms pumping out our groceries to modern supermarkets, Water purification pumping stations and sewer treatment facilities, central heating and air conditioning, not to mention medical resources like antibiotics for infection. A simple wound could have killed an unlucky person 100 years ago from infection and gangrene. We are living our life the same way that fat and happy mouse is. Where once our ancestors struggled only a few centuries ago to make it too middle age, we have increased that life span nearly three times.

Longevity is under intense scrutiny, being researched and investigated by the brightest minds in the science and medical research communities, scholars and theorists abound in the field of senescence. Only several decades prior to today, there were few biologists willing to make a career out of longevity research. It was not an exciting opportunity and had lost its luster after many centuries of study from the academics and intellectuals from various cultures like the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Babylonians. Societies in the Far East also gave it their all to find the secret to immortality as did many European cultures; all to no avail.

These days it is entirely different. Longevity is a hot science and rapidly gaining both in popularity and significance. It is also being pulled into a whirlwind of confusion and perhaps even some misdirection; too many Generals and not enough non-comms! That in itself makes it exciting and vibrant. There is much new and younger blood in the field of longevity bringing with it fresh debate and billions of dollars. Post graduate students are scrambling to get into the longevity game. It reaches into many areas of bioscience, medicine and technology. The field is vast indeed.

Professionals in this field of longevity refer to themselves as gerontologists, rooted from geron which in Greek means “old man”, that in fact is a slightly misleading description of a profession with such a broad syllabus. Aging can be a cruel part of life and caring for the elderly, when they are in such an obvious decline is indeed part of the job description, but it transcends these final years of life. It is important that gerontologists understand the human life span from beginning to end. Medical specialties range from pediatrics for children to geriatrics for the old. Gerontologists endeavor to learn why our physiology changes when we age from our youth to old age, how it occurs and why we have to die period. Where longevity is concerned the issues are immense since to truly appreciate the problems and to be able to overcome any of them, there are certain significant obstacles to figure out.

It is necessary to learn why we are mortal in the first place and why we perish? Why is it that we gradually age in a steady progressive process toward death? When does this process actually begin; at what age does our decline start and where exactly does this decline originate? Is it a cellular issue or do our vital organs stop responding to one another or maybe they listen very closely to each other conspiring in the process of our mortality. Understanding what aging really is all about is the most noteworthy of all biological questions. Answering this question makes explaining our human awareness simple; at least we understand what part of the anatomy is responsible for it.

Since gerontologists have begun to score some victories and mortality is given more clarity, states of near inconceivable exhilaration surrounds the business; and make no mistake, it is a business with billions invested. So far the oldest individual on record has reached one hundred twenty years old, perhaps even more but faulty record keeping means anyone claiming to be older would be speculative at best. Frustratingly, even those people who reach super centenarian status seem to top out at a particular age with many in the extended life community all but accepting this as the end of the frontier, so to speak. There is fervent hope however that with their research, many more of us will attain this benchmark while easing much of that aforementioned cruelty while they are at it.

What the science of aging and longevity requires is some kind of major breakthrough. Gerontologists collectively agree that the chances of moving past our present life expectancy or moving beyond our highest life span will necessitate a more thorough knowledge of the origins of mortality. They must learn what causes aging and how they can alter its advance before another meaningful spike will appear in the life spans of humans. The bad news is many of these longevity experts do not foresee this occurring in their own natural lives.

There is one well regarded, if not conservative sector of this profession who have made the proposal that our ambition ought to be the addition of seven healthy years to the current human life span. Some of the more eager members of the profession believe that this figure is too low and we should strive to achieve a good deal more. Now we are talking in biblical time spans since it was written that Moses lived to age one hundred twenty, Just a kid compared to Noah, who it is said lived to nine hundred fifty years old; outdone by a mere nineteen years by the bible’s supergenerian, Methuselah, at nine hundred sixty nine years young-ish.

Renowned gerontologist and Cambridge scholar, Aubrey de Grey, believes there should be no restriction. He is certain that we could add to our life span by two or three times as much while continuing to add to it exponentially. Imagine designing a life span that is made to order, even immortality if that was our wish. This line of thought concerning life extension is not the popular theory by any means. That does not really matter too much within this community, where trying to reach a consensus these days is akin to herding cats.

There is so much disagreement within the ranks of gerontologists on many obvious issues such as a standardized method of measuring senescence or even an exact definition of aging for that matter. Even more absurd, since the ball is being carried for the most part by American and British experts, a proper spelling of their main science cannot even be agreed upon – is it spelled aging or ageing?

Heated debate continues over the correct description of the terms – health, longevity, life span, life expectancy, maximum life span and yet the vastness of the basic question continues to fuel imagination and expectations. Urgency though, should trump personalities and egos because as aging reaches critical-mass while the fiddles play, the risk is investors could lose their patience.

Anti Aging Theories, Gerontology, Immortality, Longevity

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Moreover, the last 2 decades are responsible for the most massive reduction in the number of death amidst newborns, infants and one-to four years old children. The fall has been from 11.9 million to approximately 7.7 million as for 2010.

However, there is still an appalling quantity of young lives that are lost. The world’s poorest nations account for most of the childhood death toll. The deaths are also mostly due to preventable diseases.

For a child born today, in Mali, Nigeria or Chad, the future is uncertain. They are sixty times more prone to die before their fifth birthday in comparison to a child born in Scandinavia.

UN’s Millennium goal is also far beyond reached. Its objective is to decrease global child death by 66 percent for the period 1990 to 2015.

Nonetheless, the slash in childhood death under-five years by 60 percent is a prodigious achievement. It is likely going to make more progress feasible.

There are 31 countries that are likely to meet UN’s objective for 2015. This includes countries like Egypt, Mexico, Malaysia and Brazil.

The study proclaims that 54 out of the 187 countries examined are poised to meet the UN’s goal.

Some 40 years ago several countries were classified with a childhood death for children under-five years of 200 per every 1,000 live births. However, in 1990, there were only 12 countries having such a grimy childhood death index. Nowadays, no country in the world has a death toll of 200 per 1,000, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal: The Lancet.

Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said that the most exceptional accomplishment over the recent 20 years has been to decrease child mortality in countries having had the worse historical child mortality figures.

UN’s figures have been unequally matched with IHME study showing much lower statistics. However, this novel benchmark has not yet been challenged.

Another variation in child mortality for children under-five years come from UNICEF. They published the death toll for child mortality under-five years to be 8.77 million in 2008. However, a more recent for the same year suggested that the child death toll for children under-five years to be 7.95 million. The gap is 820,000 lives.

The overall contributors to the declining mortality rate have been achieved through anti-malaria bednets, immunisation, anti-retroviral drugs and prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

In general, developing countries has a much higher mortality rate in comparison to industrialized ones.

Statistics for Rich-nations

In Europe, Britain has not improved its childhood mortality figures. They have since 1970 to 2010 experienced a fall in global ranking from 12th to 33rd position. However, Portugal made the most progress. They have moved from 74th to 10th position for the same time period. This represents a fall in death per thousands equivalent to 74 to 3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.

In the world, Singapore ranked 1st having the least mortality rate for children under-five years in 2010, followed by Iceland, Sweden, Cyprus and Luxembourg. In the eastern side, the United States has experienced a fall from 20th position to 42nd for the period 1970 to 2010. The States has a mortality rate which is almost twice that of European’s average.

Countries like China, ranked 77th in 2010. They have only improved slightly during the recent years. India has practically remained stagnant at 146th to 140th for the period 1970 to 2010.

Source: Health Disease (Yahoo Health)

Gerontology, Health And Aging

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