A woman from Surrey, 115, Ethel Caterham officially received the title of the oldest living human living.
Many people who read this news may wonder what Caterham’s secret is.
Although it is generally not a good idea to follow the health and longevity advice of supercentenarians (because they are often the exception rather than the rule), there are pointers of lifestyle that we can draw from research on groups of long -standing people who could help us to increase our chances of living a longer life.
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1. Physical activity
Physical activity is good for you – who knew? Research shows that people who are more physically active every day tend to live longer and healthier. A study revealed that switching from physical activity to around 75 minutes per week of fast walking increased life expectancy per About two years.
But perhaps less known is how bad inactivity is for your health and your longevity. It is a bit difficult to explain, but the positive effects of the exercise are in fact different from the negative effects of inactivity. This means you can have a Positive influence on your health By being both more active and avoiding being inactive.
However, as well as the structured exercise is for you, it cannot in itself compensate for the damage of inactivity and the position seated all day. Research even shows that being sedentary is associated Higher risk of premature death of any cause.
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Sitting is bad for your health and the exercise does not seem to compensate for the harmful effects
If you want to live longer, you should try to avoid sitting for long periods if possible. Practical advice for this Include the standing position every 30 minutes, go see someone in the office instead of calling them or sending them by e-mail and standing in public transport during travel. This, the more the aims to do about 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days Will help maximize your chances of a long and healthy life.
2. Eat your vegetables
The advice that many children fear: eat your vegetables if you want to live for a long time.
A recent study This followed around 100,000 people over a period of 30 years revealed that people who had reached 70 years in good health (which means that they had no chronic diseases) generally ate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and less trans fat, red or transformed meats, fried food and sweet foods. Above all, this study does not say that you should be vegan, or never eat red meats – it only identifies trends in diets associated with healthy aging.
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When and how much you eat can also play a role in aging. Research on calorie restrictions and intermittent fasting in animals has shown that both can increase lifespan. Our preliminary work in humans also showed that following a fasting diet for three weeks can cause Similar metabolic shifts similar This correspondence that we have seen in animals that will live longer. However, larger studies on longer deadlines are necessary to establish effects on health and lifespan in humans.
3. Sleep
Regular and good quality sleep is also important for Lifetime health and global longevity.
In a study of around 500,000 British, irregular sleep habits were associated with a 50% higher risk of early death Compared to those who have regular sleep habits. Quarter -work workers have shown a higher risk for accidents Less healthy and has had earlier deaths Retired from nurses who have not worked.
Although this data suggests good quality, regular sleep is important for good health, how much you need and when you should go to bed seems to be very individualistic. This makes recommendations to the level of the population difficult – that is why the NHS recommends that adults between 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
4. Stress
Stress has many effects on your health.
For example, growing evidence shows that early stressors (such as loss of a parent, negligence or abuse) can negatively affect health later in life – even to a molecular and cellular level by Increase in inflammation levels in a way that could increase the Risk of poor health and premature death at higher age.
Conversely, the elderly who show increased psychological resilience to stress less likely to die of any cause. As little as eight weeks of ordinary yoga is enough for Improve psychological resilience in the elderly.
Perhaps linked to the effect of social connections. Those who live socially active lives also tend to live longer. In fact, people over 65 who are socially active daily are Three times more likely Living for five more years compared to those who almost never engage in social activities.
It is a common conclusion that solid social networks seem improve longevity. This may be due to the way social connections help us relieve stressors in our lives.
The role of genetics
Although there are many lifestyles that we can change, something that we cannot control with regard to our lifespan is genetics. Some research suggests that natural mutations in genes associated with longevity are more common in people with long lifespan.
Although it is difficult to disentangle the role of genetics against lifestyle with regard to lifespan, current predictions suggest that longevity is longevity Between 20 and 40% linked to genetic.
But good genetics is not everything. Although Ethel Caterham reached the remarkable age of 115 – and one of his sisters lived at 104 – Caterham’s two girls disappointed her at 71 and 83.
And even if you win the genetic jackpot and follow a good lifestyle, you would always be very lucky to go to the old age of Caterham of 115 years. Cells mute, the shape of the clots, the biological chance is exhausted. However, if you want to maximize your chances of living longer and staying as healthy as possible, aim to be more physically active every day, take a good diet, make a good night’s sleep and keep low stress levels.