FREE NEWSLETTER
IN A NEW YEAR’S article, I offered eight ways to potentially become a super-ager. A super-ager is a person age 80 or older who has the memory of someone 20 to 30 years younger. Vigorous exercise, a good diet and getting enough sleep were considered some of the key ingredients.
Or is it just luck? A new study conducted in Spain and published in The Journal of Neuroscience examined the world of super-agers by following two groups for five years: 64 super-agers and 55 typical older adults. Both groups underwent batteries of tests, including memory assessments, brain scans and blood tests, while also answering questions about their lifestyle.
The study found that, in comparison with others, the super-agers had more volume in their hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, brain regions deemed essential for memory. Among the super-agers, those regions also displayed better connectivity, as well as minimal signs of the markers for Alzheimer’s disease.
That raises the question: Can we commit to becoming super-agers through diet and exercise, or is it simply a matter of genetic luck? A recent New York Times article highlights the work of other researchers, including Emily Rogalski at the University of Chicago, that corroborates the findings from Spain. Rogalski’s research finds super-agers are energetic people with good physical and mental health and mobility.
The surprise in both studies was how little separates the super-agers from their over-80 brethren. In the Spanish study, there were few differences between the super-agers and the normal adults in terms of diet, sleep, profession, and alcohol and tobacco use.
The super-agers in Rogalski’s group had strong social relationships. But some still smoked, some exercised regularly, some none at all. Some lived on TV dinners. What super-agers did have in common was a brain that appeared decades younger than their chronological age, a characteristic that fewer than 10% of the over-80 population displayed.
So, do super-agers have a lucky predisposition when it comes to memory, or does doing all the right things matter? According to Tessa Harrison, an assistant project scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, the answer may lie in our genes. These lucky folks may have a resistance to—or predisposition for—something we don’t yet understand.
That understanding could grow with more research. Nir Barzilai, director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Institute for Aging Research and scientific director of the American Federation for Aging Research, has started studying super-agers who are 95 and older.
He’s found that these older super-agers had genetic mutations that predisposed them for longevity, such as high “good” HDL cholesterol and lower triglyceride levels. If they develop cancer, its onset was 10 years later than typical.
In the hope of extending his own life, Barzilai walks, does strength training, practices intermittent fasting and sleeps at least seven hours a night. In his research, Barzilai hopes to find drugs that can forestall illness in the rest of us.
Want to know if you’re a super-ager? If you’re 95 or older, here’s a study that you can join. Researchers hope to discover why a lucky few seem to age more slowly than the rest of us.
My great grandmother lived to be 98. She wanted to make it to 100. She was a business woman, who ran a country store by herself well into her 80s. She was the only person (besides my mom and dad) who never confused me with my brother. She always knew my name, even on her deathbed. Genes? Hard work all her life? Probably both. But my daughter who is a genetics major and now a med students says, genes are usually the root answer to every health issue. I will still try to eat healthy and get more exercise!! but won’t sweat about it. (pun intended, sorry).
The following is not scientific but gave me a small insight into old age.
I have been playing Bridge(cards) 4-5 times per week. For $1 you play for about 3-4 hours at our local adult center and we live within 3 cities. Where can find so much fun for just $1?
Bridge players use memory, strategy, and taking calculated risks. You also socialize with other people, make new friends, and play more in private homes.
I have played with many in their 80-90s and tried to pick their brain and find common themes, but couldn’t find any.
Most of the players in their 90s are women, most didn’t have a pressured job or any job, some are skinny, some are “normal”, some are overweight, and there is a guy 96 years old who is obese. Some have been active, some haven’t done anything, some eat right, others didn’t.
But, I found one common thing, the 90+ years old players are good players. We have a woman who died at age 100 and was an excellent player until her last week.
My observation is that great players who start playing worse do not survive more than a couple/several years. There is a connection here.
I can’t tell about bad players, because I can’t trace their decline.
I also observed that people who live much longer don’t get injured after age 70-75. That means paying attention to stairs, going slower, being athletic with good balance helps, and getting rid of all your rugs. I have noticed that many who fell never healed completely and deteriorated.
Lastly, nobody I know in their 90s is tall, over 6’2″, maybe being 5’8″ and playing competitive basketball for 40, is worth something 🙂
I find your personal study fascinating. Maybe I need to learn how to play bridge.