Why does the thought of aging cause such a strong (and often overly-dramatic) emotional response? This may be because aging is often associated with aches and pains, decreased strength, memory loss, and as the plastic surgery industry wants us to believe, decreased beauty. Regardless of how much we may hate it, we have come to accept this loss of health and vitality as a natural part of the life cycle. But what if old age did not automatically mean the decline of our minds and bodies?
According to the National Institute on Ageing, people are living longer than they used to. Some researchers even claim that if the illnesses associated with aging could be cured, there is no limit to how long a person could live. In most cases, though, the goal of ageing research is simply to extend our “healthy years”; the number of years that we can live a full, vibrant life. For example, the onset of age-related illnesses could be delayed until a person reached their 90s or beyond. This would give us about 30 more healthy years to spend with our families, to travel the world or to make up for our wasted youth. A healthy older population would also ease the pressure on health services currently strained with the care of the elderly.
Obviously, there are many benefits of extending our healthy lifespan. Unfortunately, this is not a simple task. The combined influence of our genes and the cumulative effect of our environment over the years makes it difficult for researchers to pinpoint drugs that would slow down, prevent or cure all age-related illnesses. The most promising candidate is a drug called rapamycin, which is normally used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients and to treat certain cancers. In the laboratory, animals treated with low doses of rapamycin start showing signs of ageing at a later age and generally have a longer lifespan than untreated animals living under the same conditions. The effects of rapamycin are currently being studied in detail in laboratory animals. These studies may someday lead to the use of rapamycin to slow down ageing in people, though this is still a long way off.
While we wait for researchers to work their magic, there are several steps that we can take to extend our healthy years:
1)
Have an exciting social life - Research has shown that deep connections to friends, family and our
communities creates a sense of purpose especially as we age. A strong social network gives
us an essential support system, which helps prevent depression and its associated ailments.
2)
Reduce stress - Continuous stress lowers our immune response, ages the body and reduces our
lifespan. Finding fun, stress-relieving activities keeps us young, both in body
and in spirit.
3)
Exercise - Regular exercise, even for a few hours a week, helps ward off age-related
conditions like muscle and joint pain, heart disease and high blood pressure.
4)
Give your brain a workout too - Adding crossword puzzles, sudoku and other brain games to our daily routine
keeps our minds active, improves our problem-solving ability, and helps keep
away memory loss associated with aging.
5)
Enjoy your meals, in moderation - Life would be dull without tasty treats.
However, moderation helps limit diet-related effects of aging such as type 2
diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
6)
It’s all in the attitude! - Surprising research findings
show that having a positive attitude has a strong impact on our health and
wellness later in life. People who go through life with an optimistic outlook
are less likely to suffer from depression, and more likely to engage in all the
aforementioned ways to improve your old age.
The thought of aging and all its unknowns can be scary. It
helps to know that it’s never too early or too late to start taking better care
of ourselves. The next time you realize that Father Time may be catching up
with you, just pick up the phone and call a friend, go for a brisk walk, or
solve a puzzle. You’re working your way to a vibrant old age.
PS: If you could be relatively healthy, would you want to
live forever?
No comments:
Post a Comment