In a few weeks I will turn 67, more than two-thirds of the way to my goal of reaching 100 and hopefully receiving a birthday card from the monarch. But what are the chances of me (or any of us) reaching this milestone?
Although average life expectancy in the UK has soared over the last century (from just 46 years in 1900 to an average of 81 years today (79 for men; 83 for women), it has recently plateaued and has begun to decline. That’s the average: many of us can expect to do better than that, and of course many will do much worse.
An obvious step is to look at your parents: my father died of heart failure at age 74, while my grandfather died of the same disease when he was just 66. My mother, on the other hand, who is about to celebrate her 94th birthday. birthday of her, still going strong.
In fact, as I recently discovered while making my TV series, Secrets Of The Superagers, what determines your longevity is a mix of genes and lifestyle, but your genes become more important as you get older.
As part of my research I went to Okinawa, an island off the coast of Japan. It has been nicknamed “the land of the immortals” because it has the highest proportion of centenarians in the world.
Dr. Max Mosley is looking forward to his birthday
I met Craig Wilcox, a professor of public health and gerontology at Okinawa International University, who runs a research program that has examined more than 1,000 centenarians in the region. He told me that twin studies have shown that whether you reach age 80 in good shape or not is 75 percent due to lifestyle and 25 percent due to genes.
But if you’re hoping to get to 100, then what really matters are genes, and one gene in particular, FoxO3, which he described as “the anti-aging gene.”
We all have this gene, but there is a special version of longevity, which seems to be particularly beneficial: if you inherit one copy from one of your parents, you double your chances of reaching 100, while if you inherit two copies (one from each parent), triple your chances.
Professor Wilcox was examined and discovered that he has a copy. They have also done tests on me. I have none. Which is a blow. (Testing for such genes is available privately.) Professor Wilcox believes the variant works mainly by reducing chronic inflammation, which is behind many aging conditions, including heart disease and dementia.
He tried to cheer me up by explaining that even if you inherit only the common FoxO3 genes, there are ways to activate them so that they behave more like the protective version. These include intermittent fasting (as in my 5:2 diet), regular exercise, stress reduction, and, most surprisingly, eating lots of red and purple foods, such as sweet potatoes, shrimp, and salmon. reddish purple color.
These brightly colored foods contain powerful antioxidants that help protect us against heart disease and stroke.
Numerous animal studies have shown that calorie restriction, if done while eating a nutrient-dense diet, is linked to longer life, and recent research has suggested that this applies to humans as well. The idea that it might work, at least in part, by activating the FoxO3 genes is relatively new, but this has only recently been shown in animal studies.
It might also explain why Okinawa has so many centenarians: When the generation of Okinawans now in their 90s and 100s were growing up after World War II, they lived on a very low-calorie diet (less than 1,700 calories per day), but one full of vegetables (like sweet potatoes) and seafood, with very little meat or rice, which does not grow easily there.
Professor Wilcox believes that eating a low-calorie diet rich in vegetables and foods containing antioxidants helps activate genes such as FoxO3 that play a role in healthy ageing.
In fact, a study conducted by the University of Hawaii in 2017 showed that giving mice a supplement of astaxanthin (an antioxidant found in reddish foods like salmon) increased activation of the FoxO3 gene by 90 percent.
Unfortunately, younger Okinawans have largely abandoned the traditional Okinawan diet in favor of a more Western-style one, and as a result, they do not live as long as their parents. The average life expectancy on the island is now 83 years, up from 86 in the 1980s, and lower than that of the typical Japanese (who is 85).
One final lesson I learned from the Okinawans was the value of something they call Moai, a gathering of friends who meet regularly to gossip or share advice and financial help as needed. These groups usually begin in childhood and can last a lifetime. Sometimes they are simply formed to help support a friend who is going through a difficult time.
I went to a Moai that had been created to support an elderly cardiologist whose wife had died. Once a week his friends would meet at his house to sing karaoke (which he loved), eat, dance and talk. It was a lovely atmosphere and you could see how much it meant to all of them.
Research has shown that the richness of our social connections is probably the most important factor in leading a long and healthy life. It’s worth keeping in mind if you’re hoping to receive that birthday card from royalty.
Around 75 per cent of NHS patients refuse to join any weight loss programme, even if it is free.
Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered why: a survey of 4,000 patients revealed that people tend to want a program based on real food rather than meal replacement shakes; they don’t like groups; and would prefer to do the program online. Additionally, they want something that will deliver significant weight loss (10-15kg), rather than more modest goals (2-3kg).
Based on these findings, the researchers said that if the NHS offered more personalized programmes, the number of participants could almost double.
Whether you believe lockdowns were essential or not, there is no doubt that they have had a long-term impact, particularly on children’s mental wellbeing. But I was encouraged to see that they might have had an unexpected benefit: reducing allergies. That’s the conclusion of a recent study of 351 babies by University College Cork, which showed that those born during the pandemic received far fewer antibiotics than a similar group born before Covid.
This led to a healthier microbiome and, in turn, a lower incidence of allergic diseases, particularly food allergies.
Deepen your voice like Thatcher’s to make it sound more impressive
If your voice is rather high-pitched and squeaky, you might want to emulate former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who changed the way she spoke: she became slower and more deliberate, and lowered her pitch to, it is said, be more taken. oh really.
And now, a study has shown that speaking with a deeper voice actually makes you appear more authoritative. Researchers at Penn State University in the United States recorded two men and two women saying the same phrase and then edited the recordings to produce a higher and a lower version of each voice. They then asked more than 3,000 people in 22 countries to listen to these voices.
The results showed that both men and women opted for deeper voices when asked “with whom would you prefer to have a long-term relationship, such as marriage?”, and considered a deeper voice to be “more formidable.” .
They also thought that women with high-pitched voices sounded more flirtatious and men found them “more attractive for a short-term relationship.” If you want to deepen your voice, stand tall, with your back straight and chin raised; This will help open your diaphragm and allow you to exert better vocal control.
And if you’re about to give a speech or ask for a raise, try breathing deeply into your belly first: this will keep you calm and allow you to speak in a deeper, more authoritative voice (again, freeing up your diaphragm).
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach: your hand should rise as you inhale slowly. Or do what Margaret Thatcher did: hire a voice coach.
Whether you believe lockdowns were essential or not, there is no doubt that they have had a long-term impact, particularly on children’s mental wellbeing.
But I was encouraged to see that they might have had an unexpected benefit: reducing allergies. That’s the conclusion of a recent study of 351 babies by University College Cork, which showed that those born during the pandemic received far fewer antibiotics than a similar group born before Covid.
This led to a healthier microbiome and, in turn, a lower incidence of allergic diseases, particularly food allergies.