Longevity is considered to be people aged 90 years and over. The average age of longevity is 115 years, and the absolute theoretical limit scientists still have at 125 years.
However, researchers insist that those who have celebrated their 100th birthday should be considered long-livers – the life expectancy of people is growing steadily, and the chances of living to the cherished mark significantly increased.
How to Live More
A person’s health and longevity depend on many factors. The most important of them are:
- Genetics.
- Lifestyle (including nutrition, physical activity and psychological regime, bad and good habits).
- Ecology and environmental conditions.
- Health care in the country of residence.
Scientists have not yet reached a consensus on how much of an impact each factor has as a percentage. For example, according to various estimates, genetic status ranges from 8 to 30%, and the value of lifestyle and lifestyle can reach up to 60%.
These factors don’t contradict each other but complement and reinforce each other. Knowing, for example, about genetically reduced protection against exhaust fumes, you will not choose to live in an industrial city and thus increase your chances of healthy longevity. Or you won’t use plastic dishes if you know your body is susceptible to the toxic effects of bisphenol A in household plastics.
What Influences Natural Longevity
Only genetic characteristics are among the uncontrollable factors. The other three can and should be changed.
For example, the World Health Organization has compiled a list of causes of the most serious diseases that significantly affect the shortening of life. There are nine in total:
- Hypertension.
- Obesity.
- High cholesterol.
- Physical inactivity.
- Bad habits (smoking, alcohol).
- Drug use.
- Poor water quality.
- Polluted air.
And of course, some other factors also affect your health negatively. But watching movies, playing casino slots, or just sitting at your desk for a long time isn’t as terrible as the factors mentioned above.
Longevity Genes
So do the genes of longevity really exist, or the causes of longevity should be sought in lifestyle and diet? Research scientists and debates on this topic have been going on for many years.
On the one hand, there are studies showing that by following the principles of a healthy diet, mortality is reduced by 15%. This was the conclusion reached by researchers at the Japanese National Center for Global Health and Medicine, who studied the diet and lifestyle of 36,600 men and 42,900 women aged 45 to 75 years who had never had cancer, stroke, chronic cardiovascular disease, or liver disease for 15 years.
What a Person’s Health and Longevity Depend on
The key factors of longevity we have already mentioned. These are nutrition and lifestyle. If your goal is to enter the list of long-livers, try:
- Adhere to a balanced diet. Choose a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet (rich in fish and seafood, greens, and vegetables), and adhere to the “rule of the plate”: about 50% vegetables and an average of 25% – protein and slow carbohydrates.
- Be physically active. Don’t aim for Olympic records, but give your body regular aerobic exercise.
Consider some other factors of human longevity:
- Psychological comfort and health. Try to avoid chronic stress and negative emotions.
- Interpersonal relationships and social integration. Human beings are collective creatures, so regular meetings with family and friends and a pleasant social environment should be the rule. Doing charity and volunteer work is also helpful.
- Brain activity. The ability of the brain to solve complex tasks often deteriorates with age, which not only reduces the quality of life, affects the overall energy level, but can also lead to the development of diseases. Consider neurobics, a set of physical and cognitive exercises that develop the brain and keep it active.
- Discipline. It sounds strange, but people with a high level of responsibility and self-organization most often keep a good physical shape and stable weight and thus avoid many health problems.
According to medical researchers, the life span of the heart is 150 years, the kidneys 150-200 years, the brain works for about the same amount of time, and the liver could easily last 600 years. So let’s use these resources correctly!
