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.
I learned Bridge later in life. I only play Bridge because it’s the best card game…for me.
There used to be a medical related program on PBS called “Second Option” and one of their guests had studied long agers. The two biggest factors he found in common were not smoking(the biggest) and getting enough sleep. Of course genetics plays a part.
I read one time that the nicotine in cigarettes acts, in general, as an accelerant, causing faster and different rates of aging on different parts of the body. A persons skin can age ten times as fast. Not good if you want to live a long time.
Reading this made me think of an episode that occurred yesterday. Several of my wife’s siblings and spouses were trying to remember the names of two of their niece’s many adopted children. The ages of the siblings and spouses ranged from the sixties to the eighties, two of which were the children’s grandparents, and they were puzzled. So who did they ask but my 102 1/2 mother in law who immediately came up with the answer.
Why is she so sharp? Is it that she has longevity in her genes? Her mother lived to her mid nineties. Her aunt lived to 103 1/2. Or is it the majority of her life she ate mostly what she grew, not highly processed foods. Or is it her positive outlook, interest in others, or is it her faith? It certainly is not exercise as she never has participated in it.
Life is a mystery!
My uncle died at the age of 90’s. Over the period of 70 years, he puffed daily exactly one cigarette. He prayed daily. Whatever he earned during retirement, every time I met him during special occasions, he always handed me a crisp dollar bill. Life is a mystery, indeed !
Great article! As PT, I have been researching the impact that exercise has on aging. What I have found so far: a comprehensive exercise program including aerobic such as walking, resistance training at a level that is challenging, and balance/coordination exercise helps prevent neurological muscular decline as well as all cause mortality. Some studies show that group exercise, protein supplementation and coaching from a professional have added benefits.
I’m not a medical person. In order for someone to become a super-ager, it’s not just about memory. What if you have the genetic predisposition for long-term mental acuity, but are cursed with physical frailty? If someone inherits the genes to be a super ager mentally, but also the genes that lead to early pulmonary failure – we may never know.
Interesting article but balance it out with Ezekiel J. Emanuel’s article titled “Why I hope to die at 75”. Living longer could be a curse as well as a blessing.
Thanks for the interesting story Sonja. I do believe genetics plays a strong part in our lives, but lifestyle has its role. I’ve read that walking is one of the most highly correlated activities to strong mental well being.
Genetic luck helps or hurts, to be sure. For example, having the APOE2 variant of a gene affecting cholesterol processing improves your chances of avoiding Alzheimer’s. But the APOE4 variant makes it more likely (if you have one copy from one parent) or much more likely (two copies) you’ll develop Alzheimer’s.
Regular aerobic exercise and good diet habits significantly improve your outlook whatever your genetic baseline.