Category Archives: Human Longevity

Star Bradbury| Guest columnist

Did you happen to read the story recently about the oldest living human being? Kane Tanaka, who is Japanese, is 119 years old. She is what is known as a supercentenarian.

What has changed? Are people really living much longer?

As many as half of todays 5 year olds in the United States can expect to live to the age of 100 and, according to the Stanford Center on Longevity, this may become the norm for newborns by 2050. Why are people living longer? Better health care and nutrition, a focus on disease prevention, better education and rising standards of living for a larger portion of the world population.

Everything I just listed is expected to improve in all countries, even the poorest. If you doubt this, pick up the book Factfulness, by Hans Rosling, past advisor to the World Health Organization and UNICEF. This book was a real eye-opener for me on world trends and how the world is in a much better state than we think.

It is hard to believe that the average lifespan in 1950 was just 47. Human life expectancy has doubled between 1900 and 2000 and is still rising, despite the COVID pandemic. Currently in the U.S. there are over 75 million aging baby boomers, and many are expected to live well past 90.

The possibility of living for nine, ten or more decades raises a uniquely twenty-first-century question: what are we going to do with our century-long lives? The Stanford Center on Longevity poses this question and does an excellent job of answering it. In 2018 it launched an initiative called The New Map of Life, believing that one of the most profound transformations of the human experience calls for equally momentous and creative changes in the ways we lead these 100-year lives, at every stage.

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This study is truly inspirational, as it calls on all of us to completely reevaluate what it means to grow old. We need to reinvent ourselves on many levels such as the way we work and for how long, housing, financial planning and new policies for health care. Instead of focusing on lifespan, we need to look at what they call health span, or the years in which people are healthy, active, mentally sharp and free of pain.

The Stanford Longevity Center has a goal: … we take a forward-facing perspective on the economic potential of a more age-diverse population in which older adults contribute increasingly significant and measurable ways to the social good and to GDP, so that opportunities for healthy longevity are shared across races, geographical regions, and socioeconomic status.

All of us need to re-think everything from front-loading education into the first two decades of life, to retiring at age 65. What if education was a continuum of lifelong learning, acquiring knowledge at each stage of life? If you thought you could live to 100 with a reasonable quality of life, would you go back to school at 50, have multiple flexible careers, take better care of yourself?

Currently workers over the age of 55 make up 25% of the work force. Contrary to old stereotypes, evidence suggests that older workers show superior judgement, reliability and mentoring skills, and are fully capable of mastering the technology needed.

Meet Earth's 5 oldest people, all born in the 1800s

Five people born in the 1800s are still with us - and they're all women. Three of these supercentenarians live in the United States.

With so many younger people leaving the workforce, employers need to consider the value of hiring older workers on a flexible schedule. They offer a vast amount of life experiences whether as paid workers, mentors or volunteers. Having a truly age-diverse workforce also has the added benefit of improving intergenerational communications, something we could all benefit from.

Before you say you dont want to live to be 100, read this study and see their predictions for the future. The emerging field of geroscience will transform how we age, able to re-program the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms that result in age being the primary factor for degenerative conditions.

Advanced interventions will be possible that may be able to slow or even reverse some aging processes. Imagine a wearable exoskeleton that allows you to stay mobile or ride a bike at age 90!

Start by asking yourself personally what you would do differently if you knew you were going to live to 100 and draw your own Map of Life. You might be surprised by the changes youd make.

Star Bradbury (www.starbradbury.com) is the owner of Senior Living Strategies in Gainesville.

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Read more from the original source:
Living to 100 years old is becoming the new normal - Gainesville Sun

Chautauqua County is eyeing raises for its part-time sheriffs deputies.

During a meeting last week of the legislatures Public Safety Committee, members approved a labor contract with the CSEA Unit 6322 to give a 5% raise in 2022, a 5% raise in 2023, a 3% raise in 2024, a 3% raise in 2025, and a longevity payment of $75 per year upon completion of three years of service.

CSEA 6322 would be our part-time deputy sheriff contract. That was the final last and final contract that we negotiated for 2021, explained Human Resources Director Jean Riley.

They did have a tentative agreement in December; however, due to the holiday schedule, they were unable to present the resolution to the full legislature for a vote.

Riley said the union has 49 members and they unanimously backed the four-year contract. Theres really no benefits associated with this. Its really just salary and rate of pay, she said.

If approved by the full legislature, initial hires would start at $20.27 an hour. Riley said theyve looked at part-time deputy sheriff pay across the state, and that is $21.59 an hour, so the new rate would still be under the average.

She noted the longevity payment impact is minimal because most part-time deputies become full time in a couple of years. Out of this 49, we might have a dozen that might be more than three years in title, she said.

According to Riley, the impact to the county budget would be $50,000 to $75,000 a year and that is before the state reimburses the county for court officers. This contract was not budgeted for due to where negotiations were at when the budget was passed.

Committee Chairman Terry Niebel said he backs the resolution, which he believes will help with recruitment and retention. This contract is very much needed, it appears, he said.

The committee unanimously backed the resolution, which will now go to the full legislature for final approval.

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New contract proposed for part-time sheriff deputies - Evening Observer

Youve probably heard of the placebo effect. And perhaps youre aware that sugar pills can accelerate healing.

But did you know that your overall expectations of your own fitness can influence your risk of an actual heart attack?

What about the notion that labels for diet foods can make you hungrier than if you had eaten nothing at all?

Or that people who associate ageing with personal growth live for seven years longer than those who associate it with frailty and disability?

When New Scientist Live comes to Manchester Central this March, science writer and author David Robson will discuss all this and more as he explains the power of your mindset to influence your health, fitness, happiness and longevity.

Drawing on a pioneering new theory of the brain, Davids event is just one of many thought-provoking talks, ground-breaking discoveries, interactive experiences and hands-on activities, workshops and performances you can expect at the mind-blowing festival of ideas.

Renowned Professor of Theoretical Physics, Jim Al-Khalili will explore how thinking scientifically can help us navigate todays world, and science writer Michael Marshall will delve into the quest for lifes origin one of the most profound questions we can ask.

Dr Daniel Jolley will help us understand why some people believe in conspiracy theories, and Dr Beth Singler will explore the hopes and fears that AI and robots inspire in us.

Metabolic researcher Dr Giles Yeo will explain how our body works harder to extract calories from some food compared to others, which is why calories dont always count, while Dr Jennifer Wild will reveal seven key tools to help tackle stress and fear.

Other topics for talks include Dr Emma Yhnell on the risks of personal genetic testing, Dr Fraser Smith on the battle for male mental health, Jon Copley on how humanity is exploring the deep ocean, and Stephanie Wright on how the material that makes up plastic bottles can enter the human body via our airways, with future health impacts.

It will be the first time New Scientist Live has come to Manchester, a world-class hub of scientific and technological learning, research, innovation and industry.

Over 9,000 visitors, 40 speakers and 30 exhibitors are expected at the event, alongside a global audience of 5,000 online, with the first two days, a Saturday and Sunday, open to all, and the final day, Monday, dedicated to schools and home learners.

Or if you would rather enjoy the event from the comfort of your home, all the stage talks from Saturday and Sunday will be streamed live, and the Engage Stage will be connecting a virtual audience with the stimulating experiences and engaging activities that New Scientist Live is famous for.

All the talks from the Saturday and Sunday of the event will also be available on-demand for 12 months afterwards, so if you miss any of the talks or just want to relive your favourite moments from the weekend, you can do so at your leisure.

Fun, entertaining, informative and inspirational, New Scientist Live will stimulate the mind and senses like no other event.

New Scientist Live will come to Manchester Central on 12th-13th March 2022, with 14th March a schools only day. The talks will also be available online.

More:
Can your mindset shape your health, happiness and longevity? - I Love Manchester

According to the researchers, two cannabinoid acids commonly found in hemp varietals of cannabis, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) were found to bound to the coronavirus spike proteins, which are the proteins that allow the virus to enter human cells. By biding to the spike protein, the cannabis compounds help prevent infection by stopping the virus from entering cells in the first place.

The findings also revealed that the cannabinoids were effective against new variants of the virus, which is of primary concern.

These variants are well known for evading antibodies against early lineage SARS-CoV-2, which is obviously concerning given that current vaccination strategies rely on the early lineage spike protein as an antigen, said study lead Richard van Breemen.

Our data show CBDA and CBGA are effective against the two variants we looked at, and we hope that trend will extend to other existing and future variants.

This is not the first study to highlight the potential that cannabis has when it comes to combating COVID-19.

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Is Cannabis The Secret To Combatting COVID-19? - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE

Altos Labs, a new biotechnology company dedicated to unraveling the deep biology of cellular rejuvenation programming, was launched on Jan 18(Tuesday).

Altos said it will work on restoring cell health and resilience to reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout life.

Altos is among a number of startups pursuing reprogramming technology, specifically aimed at rejuvenating parts or all of the human body. rejuvenate cells in the lab that some scientists think could be extended to revitalize entire animal bodies, ultimately prolonging human life.

Altos will be initially based in the US in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego, and in the UK in Cambridge. The company will also have significant collaborations in Japan.

The biological reprogramming company is said to be funded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Russian-Israeli billionaire Yuri Milner.

The company has assembled an impressive community of leading scientists, clinicians, and leaders from both academia and industry.

Nobel Laurates As Advisors

Shinya Yamanaka, who shared a 2012 Nobel Prize for the discovery of reprogramming (induced pluripotent stem cells), will serve as Altos senior scientific advisor without remuneration and guide the activities of the lab in Japan.

Yamanaka is among the world's leading authorities on stem cell science. He currently serves as the director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University and a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institutes.

Yamanaka said, "I am delighted to be a part of Altos and believe it to be one of the most important and exciting new global scientific endeavors. The possibility of rejuvenation programming has only recently become a scientific reality and has the potential to enable us to approach human disease in an entirely new way. I am glad that I will help scientists in Japan to work in this exciting field."

Another notable scientist who will be part of the venture is Spanish developmental biologist Izpisua Belmonte.

Belmonte, who is currently a professor and chair at the Salk Institute, in La Jolla, California, is known for his research work on mixing human and monkey embryos. He also predicted that human lifespans could be increased by 50 years.

His team injected monkey embryos with human stem cells and watched them develop. They observed human and monkey cells divide and grow together in a dish, with at least 3 embryos surviving to 19 days after fertilization.

Besides Yamanaka, the company will have at least three other nobel laurates as part of the advisory group

Frances Arnold, PhD (Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology and Nobel Laureate)

Jennifer Doudna (Li Ka Shing Chancellor's Chair and Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, President of the Innovative Genomics Institute, and Nobel Laureate)

David Baltimore, PhD (President Emeritus and Judge Shirley Hufstedler Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology and Nobel Laureate),

Executive Team

Hal Barron, who is is currently the President of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer at GSK, will come on board as CEO and co-chair of the board.

Rick Klausner, a former director of the National Cancer Institute and an entrepreneur, will serve as the Chief Scientist.

Klausner is the co-founder of Altos along Hans Bishop, a former CEO of GRAIL and Juno Therapeutics. Bishop will serve as the president. Ann Lee-Karlon, a former Senior Vice President at Genentech, will serve as the chief operating office.

Altos said that the it will structure itself to integrate the best features of academia and industry -- from academia the freedom to pursue the most challenging problems in biology, and from industry the focus on a shared mission, ability to foster deep collaborations, and the passion and commitment to transform science into medicines.

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Altos Labs: A Startup In Silicon Valley Is Betting On Cellular Rejuvenation Programming To Enable 'Longevity' - Swarajya

Women whose paternal grandfathers and great-grandfathers started smoking before the age of 13 share one trait: they reportedly have higher body fat mass, according to new research. While research so far has focused attention on early smoking to health issues like asthma and lung impact, the genetic link impacting body fat is underresearched.

Published in the journal Scientific Reports last week, the study is among the first pieces of evidence to argue peoples exposure to certain substances may affect generations that follow.The present research gleaned information from three generations within a family, drawing parallels between the health and social aspects.

Whats quite pioneering is the longevity and scope of the study. The research, under the Children of the 90s project and led by the University of Bristol, has been studying a cohort of more than 14,000 individuals born in 1991 and 1992 in the U.K., along with their parents, for 30 years. The present study chose to pick the dataset pertaining to male smoking, with the researchers noting smoking among grandmothers and great-grandmothers would have been a relatively rarer habit.

This is not the first time the phenomenon was discovered. Earlierresearch from 2014 showed a fathers smoking habits, if they started before reaching puberty (before 11 years of age), influenced the sons body fat more than expected.Additionally, other experiments done on animals have found that when the male is exposed to chemicals before breeding, it can impact the anatomy of the offspring. However, scientific evidence has remained tepid in substantiating whether this trend is present in humans and what factors could be at play here.

If these associations are confirmed in other datasets, this will be one of the first human studies with data suitable to start to look at these associations and to begin to unpick the origin of potentially important cross-generation relationships, said Jean Golding, the founder of the Children of the 90s study and the reports lead author,in a news release.

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How Secondhand Smoke Is Harmful In the Long and Short Term

The study highlighted strong relationships which were sex-specific, both regarding the sex of the exposed grandparent and the sex of the affected grandchild. The body fat and smoking link were observed between paternal grandfathers and women only. Moreover, another finding from last year linked exposure to smoking in the paternal side of the family before puberty was associated with increased risk of asthma, reduced lung capacity, and increased fat mass in the offspring.

Arguably, the intergenerational link between ancestors and childrens anatomy is observed in other cases. 20 years ago, research found women who eat oily fish during pregnancy were more likely to have children with sharper eyesight. This was among the first correlations between a womans diet and a childs visual development. Some links were also made in children as young as eight-years-old, and finding markers of Type 2 diabetes in their blood from such a young age about 50 years before its commonly diagnosed. The researchers noted, this is about liability to disease and how genetics can tell us something about how the disease develops.

The interaction between smoking and genetics binds both how we view both smoking and obesity as public health challenges. A similar study in 2018 suggested smoking has a greater effect on the body mass index (BMI) and obesity-related traits than expected. In other words, a persons odds of being a smoker was higher if they had excess body fat even though smoking has long been associated with being relatively thin. Published in PLOS Genetics, the research highlighted the potential of using biomarkers as a measure of an individuals past environment and lifestyle. Moreover, the environment we experience may have long-term effects by altering the way our genetic makeup influences our health and related traits.

There also seems to be a circularity between smoking and obesity. United Nations scientists in 2018 cited research to state obese people were more likely to smoke; identifying a common biological basis for addictive behaviors, such as nicotine addiction and higher energy intake.

If there is a genetic relation here, it may shed new light on how we view obesity. One of the reasons why children become overweight maybe not so much to do with their current diet and exercise, rather than the lifestyle of their ancestors, added Golding.

For now, there remains much more to explore.

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New Study Finds a Generational Link Between Smoking and Body Fat - The Swaddle

My family and I have always enjoyed dining out. Whether we are at a two-star pancake house or a five-star restaurant, it is always a memorable occasion.

At the same time, there are drawbacks to dining out. Unknown ingredients, high calorie meals and general over-ordering can create unintended consequences. This week, I will discuss some dining out strategies to help reduce the downside while preserving all the things I love about restaurants.

It's no secret that restaurant meals are, in general, higher in saturated fat, sugar and salt when compared against home-cooked meals. There are certainly exceptions, but by and large restaurant meals are less healthful. So, the first tip for dining out relates to frequency.

A 2021 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that people who dine out twice or more per day showed an increased risk for premature death. The study included 35,084 adults who reported their dietary habits via the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from 1999-2014.

How many Arkansans dine out two times every day? My guess is not many (especially not lately). But there are lessons to be learned here. We should think about how often we eat out. It's not only healthier to cook at home but one's appreciation for a nice restaurant meal will be greater when it's less frequent. That's just human nature.

The other factor to consider is what to order when dining out. If our frequency is low, I think it's fine to splurge once in a while. But this strategy can backfire in terms of after-meal effects (you know what I mean). I like to find a balance by ordering a main dish that is grilled, roasted or baked. I also try to enjoy vegetables in different forms (soups, salads and side dishes) so that I'm not consuming a lot of starches or high-fat items.

These strategies have allowed me to maintain my enjoyment of dining out with very few negative side-effects. But barbecue is my guilty pleasure and it probably always will be. That's one type of meal that I find difficult to "throttle back," especially with all the great barbecue restaurants throughout the Midwest.

Now that my mouth is watering, it's time to introduce an exercise to help tighten up the midsection. Of course the best "exercise" for reducing excess belly fat is push-aways, as in push away from the table. But the Decline Plank Jack requires total body engagement, so it's a perfect addition to a "day after" routine.

1. Set an aerobics step on the lowest height.

2. Get into the "up" phase of a pushup with both feet on the end of the step.

3. Jump both feet out sideways so they land on the floor.

4. Jump them both back onto the step.

5. Continue this pattern of movement for 12 repetitions, and do two sets.

I know there will be readers who scoff at the notion of bringing any sort of discipline to dining out, especially in these pandemic days, when it's been such a special treat. For some, letting loose is part of the enjoyment. I get that. I just find a lot more enjoyment in sticking to a plan while enjoying a nice meal that I select with my health and longevity in mind. But even I am faced with kryptonite from time to time it's called brisket!

Director of business development and population health solutions for Quest Diagnostics, Matt Parrott began this column 20 years ago at Little Rock. He has a doctorate in education (sport studies), a master's in kinesiology and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.

[emailprotected]

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MASTER CLASS: Eating out doesn't have to hijack your health - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Global Microbiome Therapies Market 2021 Industry Size, Business Opportunities, Future Trends, Top Key Players and Forecast to 2027 Discovery Sports...

Unusual herbs and spices could be the best kept secret when it comes to boosting ones longevity. From its anti-cancer properties, increased brain cognition and reduction risks for diabetes, could a certain herb be your best answer to helping increase your lifespan?

A study, published online in the peer reviewed journal, Rejuvenation Research found the plant Rhodiola rosea increased the lifespan of fruit fly populations.

The study found that flies that ate a diet rich in Rhodiola rosea lived an average of 10 percent longer than those not eating the herb.

"Although this study does not present clinical evidence that Rhodiola can extend human life, the finding that it does extend the lifespan of a model organism, combined with its known health benefits in humans, make this herb a promising candidate for further anti-aging research," study leader Mahtab Jafari of the University of California, Irvine, said in a statement.

"Our results reveal that Rhodiola is worthy of continued study, and we are now investigating why this herb works to increase lifespan."

Rhodiola is one of the best herbs when it comes to brain health and longevity benefits. This is because it plays a strong role in boosting mental recovery.

"We need to be able to flip into a system that is performing well, but we also need to be able to flip out of it and be in that rest and digest and neutral state," says plant-based expert Rachelle Robinett.

She adds that Rhodiola also helps inhibit the release of cortisol, which is supremely helpful because no shock here stress can be very detrimental to your brain health in chronic doses.

In a review of 36 animal studies, Rhodiola was found to improve both learning and memory function.

In another study involving nursing students, Rhodiola showed to help reduce both mental and physical fatigue after 42 days.

The students took 364mg daily of either Rhodiola or a placebo at the start of their wakeful period, followed with up to one additional capsule within the following four hours.

An animal study found that just a single dose of Rhodiola increased memory and had an antidepressant effect on mice.

It suggested that Rhodiola could become a good tool to increase cognition and counteract mood disorders in people.

People with diabetes commonly use insulin injections or medications that increase insulin sensitivity to better manage their blood sugar levels.

Interestingly, animal research suggests Rhodiola may help improve diabetes.

The salidroside compound in Rhodiola has been shown to help protect against diabetes and diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease) in rats.

Read the rest here:
How to live longer: Lesser-known herb shown to reduce cancer and diabetes risk - Daily Express

(Image source from: indianexpress.com)

How to improve the longevity of Liver:- Liver happens to be one of the crucial and important organs of the human body. It helps to digest the food and the storage of energy by removing the toxins. The liver is located on the upper right side of the belly and it should be protected from fatty liver (Alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and cirrhosis and liver damage. Diet and Detox are the first steps to treat the liver diseases. Excessive fat stays in the liver due to the alcohol and it is called as alcoholic fatty liver disease. When it happens due to the excessive sugars, drinks and saturated fats, it is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Here are some tips that can give your live a better life:

Everyone has to be careful about their meals. Practice a carb curfew which can make your liver healthy. Restrict yourself from taking carbs during the evening hours. Sweat out on a regular basis through exercises. Workout for 20-40 minutes for five days in a week and this will keep the liver healthy. Processed foods and fats can raise the blood sugar levels which is not healthy for the liver. Avoid them and keep a track on the sugar drinks, desserts. Use omega-3s which can work well. Some of them are walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds oil, canola oil, fatty fish.

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How to improve the longevity of Liver? | Liver Health News - Andhrawishesh