Category Archives: Human Longevity

I called Asselborn to ask him what he thought about all of this. He apologized for his English (I have to speak Luxembourgish in the morning, read the papers in German, talk to diplomats in French and now to you in English. Its a lot.) and was somewhat bemused by the fuss, but agreed to a brief interview. The following transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Anne Applebaum: So what happened?

Jean Asselborn: Nothing, really. The U.S. ambassador in Luxembourg told us that Pompeo has a meeting with [NATO Secretary General] Jens Stoltenberg on the 14th, and that he would like to stop by Luxembourg too. We were waiting to hear details. And then Sunday evening we were told Pompeo will not come.

Applebaum: Do you know why?

Asselborn: Nobody spoke with me, but The New York Times seems to think it was my comments, so that must be the reason. We also heard that in Brussels they were planning to meet with him, but without any press conference or public statement; maybe that bothered him too? I did call Trump Brandstifter, pyromaneI think it means pyromaniac in English. From my side, this is correct, and I will not correct this.

Applebaum: Had you met Pompeo before?

Asselborn: I met him once in Washington and saw him several times in Europe. It was never easy with him.

Applebaum: What does that mean?

Asselborn: I heard Trump twice at the UN General Assembly, both times speaking about this wrong idea of patriotism. It wasughawful. In the 1930s, in Europe, we learned where this wrong patriotism can go. We never understood it. A big majority in the EU never understood it. But Pompeo was always repeating this too.

Applebaum: He was an emissary of Trumpism?

Asselborn: He was somebody who defended the positions of Trump. Very difficult cooperation with him. Pompeo is really one of the last pillars of Trump. In a week, it will be better.

Applebaum: What lasting damage did the Trump administration do?

Asselborn: I am not defending Iran. On human rights, Iran is catastrophic. But we negotiated with them for 13 years, and finally in 2015 we got the deal that Iran could not build nuclear weapons. The idea was to engage and change this regime. I was twice in Iran, in 2015 and 2016young people expected something from the free world; now that is all destroyed. Trump destroyed this. He destroyed solidarity with the Paris climate agreement. He did all of these aggressive things on trade. He left the World Health Organization.

I dont know of one positive thing on foreign policy that has come out of EU-U.S. cooperation during the past four years. I dont see one single positive thing. It would be healthy to have again a president and a secretary of state who understand the past, the history of the European Union, who know that before World War II we had exactly this wrong sort of patriotism, nationalism, racism. The EU was created to help us to overcome this wrong patriotism.

More here:
Europeans Recognize Trumpism for What It Is - The Atlantic

Watching frontline health care workers and other volunteers receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is reason to believe after months of uncertainty that this pandemic will indeed end. The challenge now, though, is to keep ourselves safe until enough of us have been inoculated and possess protective immunity.

It will not be easy. As we write this, more than 21 million Americans have been diagnosed with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and more than 365,000 have died. Across the nation, hospital intensive care units are at or even beyond capacity. In California, state officials have ordered thousands of additional body bags and refrigerated storage units to serve as portable morgues. San Diego County escaped the worst of the summer COVID-19 surge, but the current situation is not good. Case and mortality rates in the county continue to rise, each day seemingly worse than the last. Our hospitals and health systems are stressed to the breaking point.

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But we are fortunate that the countys hospitals have a long history of close cooperation and coordination and that they have worked through these difficult times to provide and process lab tests, review predictions for hospital needs and revamp in-patient processes to effectively meet ever-increasing patient loads and needs.

In addition to its strong Health & Human Services Agency, San Diego County enjoys abundant public health expertise at San Diego State University, University of California San Diego and other local institutions. Experts at these institutions have been involved from the beginning in helping predict and map viral spread and supporting county contact tracing efforts, and they have offered guidance and services to other institutions, such as local school systems. The pandemic has strengthened and deepened these inter-institutional partnerships and called on us to find new ways to prioritize the needs and health of those most vulnerable.

But more can be done, and more could be better coordinated, including nationwide public health efforts to provide messaging aimed at reducing transmission through early diagnosis, case investigation and contact tracing. We offer some suggestions on how.

Efforts must shift to prioritizing the rapid identification of cases among those who have symptoms or have known exposures, so they can be isolated and treated if positive. The focus needs to be on making sure that those who have positive tests are quickly informed and appropriate actions taken to prevent further spread of the disease, with contact tracing performed only for cases with a high risk of spread to multiple individuals. Finally, but no less importantly, we must reimagine the public health messages about facial coverings and distancing so that they resonate in a time when we are grappling with frustration and fatigue.

Public health professionals at UCSDs Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and the SDSU School of Public Health urgently call for a convening of stakeholders to discuss how we can pool and reallocate resources at institutions across San Diego County to meet the current crisis. We must prioritize our needs based on the most acute stresses to systems, institutions and communities. We must come together with tangible offers of available capacity to test, trace and treat our families, friends and neighbors and new, innovative ideas for effective prevention strategies and public health messaging that connects us all.

We can do this. UC San Diego alone has the capacity to conduct at least 10,000 COVID-19 tests per day. It conducts routine testing of thousands of on-campus students and staff every week and, under contract from the county, has traced thousands of COVID-19 contacts. Similarly, SDSU, which has developed exceptional skills in community health worker-led contact tracing and testing through its Communities Fighting COVID! program, could expand it to meet near-term needs throughout the region. Immediate efforts should be directed to reaching positive cases within 24 hours. This may require shifting of staffing priorities to ensure prompt containment of COVID-19. Our local universities have deep knowledge about public health messaging and communication, which could be leveraged to create new connections to populations at greatest risk.

It is critical that we identify and consider possibilities now before we find ourselves overwhelmed. Lets bring our strengths to a virtual table so that we those of us with the most protections and those of us with the least outlast these dark times and reach a brighter future of immunity.

Anderson is dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity at UC San Diego and lives in Del Mar. Madanat is a distinguished professor of public health and interim vice president for research and innovation at SDSU. She lives in Sabre Springs.

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Commentary: Health experts and other San Diego leaders must unite to better coordinate pandemic response - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Sow mortality has been making the headlines as producers grapple with rising sow death loss in the U.S. pork industry. Although the topic deserves discussion, some experts believe it is time to focus on gilt retention.

Sow mortality has been scrutinized ad nauseum, but gilt retention hasn't been focused on quite as much. I think it may be the top of the bottleneck when it really comes back to what we can do to improve things downstream in production, said Hyatt Frobose, USA commercial director at Jyga Technologies-Gestal, during a recent webinar.

In a 2003 study published by Ken Stalder at Iowa State University that was reiterated in 2017, it showed on average, replacement females failed to generate a positive return on investment until parity three to four, depending a little on farm size and conditions, Frobose explained.

In general, our females aren't really paying for themselves until they've stayed in the herd for three parities, he said. What's concerning to me is we know that the parity averages for the U.S. sow herd, as represented by Agristats and Swine Management Systems, are only averaging about 2.4 to 2.6. So somewhere, we're not really matching up with when these sows are paying for themselves. It seems to me we're leaving opportunity on the table.

How can we get these animals into their most productive parities?

In North America, most growing gilts are housed in similar housing environments compared to their growing-finishing counterparts. Ad libitum feed access is provided until just prior to breeding, with most gilts receiving diets with marginally elevated levels of amino acids, vitamins and trace minerals. While this rearing strategy is prevalent due to convenience, consistency and availability, recent research suggests it may not necessarily be best for sow longevity. Frobose suggests its time to rethink how gilts are raised and developed.

Limit-Feed GiltsMost of the farms Frobose works with provide ad libitum feed access for gilts from the time they enter the gilt development unit (GDU) until they move into breeding stalls. He said a common issue in commercial GDUs is that gilts grow too fast and are bigger than ideal. Research indicates these gilts are more likely to prematurely exit the herd.

Frobose offered producers two suggestions to help optimize gilts, as they move into breeding.

1. Change feed presentation method. Change feed presentation method to moderately restrict gilts from the end of the nursery period by targeting gains of 1.65 lb/day to1.76 lb/day until flushing two weeks prior to breeding.

2. Change the feed composition. If ad libitum feeding is the only option, add fiber, increase micron size and adjust energy and lysine targets downward by 10% to 15% in order to slow growth rate.

Controlling gilt weight at breeding may also offer downstream diet savings, by moderating mature sow size and reducing annual maintenance costs. Simple math would suggest that reducing gestation feed by as little as 150 g/d could reduce annual feed costs by USD $9/sow/year, Frobose said.

Revisit GDU DesignGDU design is often an afterthought in sow farm design, Frobose said.

It's human nature to lay out your ideal floor plan and equipment and technology. Then, when you get down to the price tag, we try to figure out where we can shave off some dollars and cents to make it more palatable, Frobose said. Unfortunately, in my experience, the GDU becomes a target area that gets the axe on some extra dollars and cents. I think that's unfortunate, because we really should be treating that as the proving ground for the next gilts that are going to be entering the herd.

GDUs are often designed like a grow-finish environment. Frobose said this may be convenient and easier, but he argued it may not be best for the gilt long-term.

Clearly, were getting these gilts to grow fast enough, and we don't really need them to grow any faster than they already are, he said. So, if we're ad lib feeding in the GDU (which I think needs questioned), are wet-dry feeders the right way to go to maximize growth, or would we be better off with a dry feeder that can maybe help us slow down that growth just a little to keep gills from getting too big?

Frobose suggested producers implement these ideas into GDU design.

1. Mimic the environment of the sow farm. Frobose suggested using the same flooring and maintaining the same type of ambient temperature environment and air quality to prepare gilts for moving into the actual sow farm flow. Avoid creating new stresses as they move into the breeding environment.

Waterers are a big thing that Ive seen messed up, Frobose said. Its easy to make the mistake of having a different waterer type in the GDU pens, or even in gestation, than what those gilts will experience in farrowing. I can count too many times where I've seen a gilt that didn't find the water or know how to drink when she got into farrowing. That can really set her on the wrong path as she enters production.

2. Maintain group cohesiveness. If possible, maintain the hierarchy of a group of gilts that were raised together by keeping them together as they move from breeding into pen gestation to minimize aggression and lameness. Research shows grouping gilts or even gilts and P1s separately from older sows can increase farrowing rates and help improve retention of those animals in the herd, he added.

GDUs are continuous flow and that's one of the key differences from most grow-finish environments that are managed all-in, all-out. It's always a challenge of how to optimize stocking density with our different age groups, he said. But its something we've got to continue to think about.

3. Consider precision feeding technology. Most would agree its best to give gilts multiple diets throughout the grow-finish period, Frobose said.

Unfortunately, in my experience, the in-herd nutritionists are usually the last people asked on pen design or barn design for GDUs, and so they end up kind of effectively hamstringed by whatever the construction folks decide is the best thing for the GDU, he added.

Additional feed systems usually require more gilt movement, increasing labor requirements that are already lacking in the GDU. Frobose said blending technologies, however, can enhance pen flexibility and help deliver multiphase diets to a pen of gilts based on their age and weight while reducing diet cost and increasing feed efficiency.

Invest WiselyGilts may have historically been thought of as a cheap investment, but as an industry, we have become accustomed to introducing gilts at an average of 70% to breed at a 55% annual replacement rate, Frobose explained.

In a 2019 study, Derald Holtkamp, Iowa State University, showed that implementing a gilt management program yielded a 10% reduction in annual gilt replacement rate (62% to 52%) on a 2,400-head sow farm and resulted in 829 additional marketed pigs and 222,310 additional pounds of pork produced per year, ultimately yielding a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2.41:1.

Once you account for genetic premiums, overhead costs and the currently low value of cull sows, isnt it worth realigning your gilt development programs to improve herd retention? Frobose asked.

More from Farm Journal's PORK:

A Look at the Unknown Factors in Sow Mortality

No Magic Bullet to Reduce Pre-Wean Mortality in Pigs

Remodeling Facilities: You Have Options

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Is it Time to Rethink Gilt Development? - Pork Magazine

Chlorophyll is a pigment present in all green plants and a few other organisms. It is required for photosynthesis, which is the process by which light energy is converted into chemical energy. According to health experts, chlorophyll should be part of our daily lives and with the numerous health benefits its easy to see why.

Chlorophyll contains vitamins, antioxidants, and therapeutic properties that all majorly benefit the body.

Dr Keith Kantor, nutritionist and dietician and CEO of the Nutritional Addiction Mitigation Eating and Drinking program said: Chlorophyllsuppresses appetite, aids in weight loss, decreases spikes in insulin which lessens cravings, helps with skin healing, helps in detoxifying the blood, reduces the risk for cancer, increases energy, helps in eliminating odours (as a natural deodorant), and helps in boosting the immune system.

People have used chlorophyll as a health supplement for many years.

A variety of medical studies have suggested that it may be helpful for skin conditions, body odours, and fighting certain kinds ofcancer.

READ MORE:How to live longer: Consume this spice to reduce heart disease risk and inhibit cancer

In a study published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, chlorophylls ability to extend lifespan was investigated..

Results of the study indicate that chlorophyll is absorbed by worms and is thus bioavailable, constituting an important prerequisite for antioxidant and longevity-promoting activities inside the body, noted the study.

It continued: Our study thereby supports the view that green vegetables may also be beneficial for humans.

In conclusion, our experiments demonstrate that chlorophyll exhibits substantial antioxidant activity and significantly improves antioxidant resistance ofC. elegans.

Therefore, dietary chlorophyll derivatives support the recommendation of nutritionists to eat green vegetables and salads containing high contents of chlorophyll, as this could also help to improve human health and prevent diseases.

In another study published in Science Alert, the effects of chlorophyll on body functioning and blood glucose levels were analysed.

The study noted: Blood glucose levels can be affected by the various types of chlorophyll.

Experiments have proven that chlorophyll has antioxidant activities that are present in various foods.

A diet rich in chlorophyll led to a slight decrease in the number of white blood cells, haematocrit, haemoglobin and an increase in red blood cells compared with control.

It is concluded that chlorophyll is likely to have important implications regarding blood sugar and has benefits in body weight with further studies being warranted.

In addition to its neuroprotective and appetite-suppressing effects, chlorophyll promotes liver health and balances the gut flora.

A recent study posted in Frontiers in Physiology in 2018 has found that chlorophyllin may help relieve hepatic fibrosis symptoms by reducing harmful gut bacteria.

The study also indicates that chlorophyllin may reduce liver inflammation and protect the small intestine in mice with hepatic fibrosis.

Its beneficial effects on the gut microbiota hold promise for future research.

Originally posted here:
Live longer: Chlorophyll reduces cancer risk and promotes liver health to boost longevity - Express

WISeKey develops WISeToken utility token, a blockchain-based asset for drones and robots to secure IoT interactions (drone-to-drone or people-to-drone), recognize and trust each other

WISeTokens will not be listed on secondary markets, will not be subjected to price fluctuations, and will be sold on a fixed price basis

Geneva January 13, 2020 - WISeKey International Holding Ltd (WISeKey, SIX: WIHN / Nasdaq: WKEY), a leading cybersecurity, AI and IoT company, today announced that it has developed WISeToken utility token, a blockchain-based asset to be used by drones and robots to secure IoT interactions (drone-to-drone or people-to-drone) and to recognize and trust each other. The WISeKey Validation Service (the certificates validation authority), using the WISeKey Public Key Infrastructure, analyses WISeToken digital certificates to recognize and trust the identity of the drone and other parties these drones interact with, and mitigate malicious actors and hackers from compromising interactions.

According to the FAA, commercial and recreational drone market continues to increase. The number of commercial drones in use in the U.S. is expected to reach 835,000 aircraft in use by 2023. Commercial drones, which are used for research, pilot training, filming, building inspection and a slew of other professional activities, are typically more expensive and robust than the model aircraft used by hobbyists. The number of recreational drones in use across the U.S. is expected to reach 1.4 million by 2023.

WISeKey offers a service to authenticate and validate each drone to allow the exchange of information or value with each other. This Tokenization capability is a way to answer the regulatory FAAs Remote ID requirement that will require every drone sold in the U.S. that weighs more than 0.55 pounds to be equipped with secured and trusted capabilities to broadcasts its location and identification to local authorities. One way to think of the technology is as a digital license plate for drones.

WISeTokens are sold directly by WISeKey as a utility token and generates revenue as a hybrid product/service offering. WISeTokens will not be listed on secondary markets, will not be subjected to price fluctuations, and will be sold on a fixed price basis.

The WISeKey Validation Service offer objects the ability to send the validation authority the third partys Public Key and the Digital Certificate for validation. WISeKey checks that the corresponding Public Key holds a valid WISeToken and if so, the identity is verified. In order to get the verification, the object making the request needs to hold at least 1 WISeToken in its wallet, which is valid for 12 months or 100 requests. WISeKey can, over time, adjust the number of utility tokens required to get verified, the longevity of the token and entitled verifications per token.

The WISeKey Validation Service is used for the verification of the validity of digital identity of the drone in real time, thus ensuring secure use of digital identities for authentication of any drone connected to the internet and the activation of attributes such as digital signing, transactions, or sending data.

The WISeKey Validation Service is suitable for all e-services that can be used with a WISeToken. Each validation will be charged with a WISeToken that will represent a fraction of the transaction validation fee equivalent to 0.001 cents of dollar.

The WISeKey platform is Blockchain neutral and allows Blockchain configurations to benefit greatly by the use of secure private keys instead of public keys currently used. Private keys secure data and transactions which can be only conducted between authenticated parties thus making it a very viable option for any sort of IoT transaction imaginable. Drones equipped with WISeKeys Secure Element, called VaultIC184, consists of a tamper resistant silicon chip, based on a state-of-the-art secure microcontroller chip which can be easily integrated to the device by its manufacturers.

For more information on WISeKeys IoT security offerings please visits: https://www.wisekey.com/solutions/iot-connected-devices/iot-security/

About WISeKey

WISeKey (NASDAQ: WKEY; SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems for people and objects using Blockchain, AI and IoT respecting the Human as the Fulcrum of the Internet. WISeKey microprocessors secure the pervasive computing shaping todays Internet of Everything. WISeKey IoT has an install base of over 1.5 billion microchips in virtually all IoT sectors (connected cars, smart cities, drones, agricultural sensors, anti-counterfeiting, smart lighting, servers, computers, mobile phones, crypto tokens etc.). WISeKey is uniquely positioned to be at the edge of IoT as our semiconductors produce a huge amount of Big Data that, when analyzed with Artificial Intelligence (AI), can help industrial applications to predict the failure of their equipment before it happens.

Our technology is Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKeys Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust (RoT) provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visitwww.wisekey.com.

Press and investor contacts:

Disclaimer:This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.

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WISeKey develops WISeToken utility token, a blockchain-based asset for drones and robots to secure IoT interactions (drone-to-drone or...

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Get at least eight hours of beauty sleep, nine if youre ugly," jokes Betty White.

Mel Brooks promotes outrageous humor. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

Ive never been particularly aware of my age," says actress Angela Lansbury, age 95. "It's like being on a bicycle I just put my foot down and keep going. (Photo by Richard Shotwell, Invision/AP)

I actually look for things to smile about," says Dr. Ruth Westheimer. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

For a long and good life, Dick Van Dyke suggests that you sing, dance and laugh everyday. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File)

Iris Apfel, age 99, is a businesswoman, interior designer, model and considered the worlds oldest fashion icon. (Magnolia Pictures)

In 2017, HBO presented a documentary entitled If Youre Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast that confronted stereotypes about life after age 90. In the film, Carl Reiner has a conversation with several of his friends from show business, challenging what it means to really live in your 90s.

Reiner, the legendary comedian, director and screenwriter, offers himself as Exhibit A at age 95. (Reiner died in June 2020 at age 98.) He spoke with other legendary comedians: Filmmaker and funnyman Mel Brooks, age 90; TV icon Norman Lear, age 95; and beloved performer Dick van Dyke, age 91.

Comedy is part of these mens work. Humor can be used as a teaching tool, although it is unlikely that is the intention of these notables. Yet, here are some messages we can extract from these talented funny men, taken from the HBO documentary, and some wisdom from four dynamic women in their 90s.

Carl Reiner

Carl Reiner celebrates humor.Reiner had a running quip about being in his nineties. Every morning, I pick up my newspaper, get the obituary section and see if Im listed, he said. If Im not, I have my breakfast.

What we know: A sense of humor is related to longevity. Adults with an average sense of humor live longer than those who dont find humor in life, according to researchers. Benefits include decreased blood pressure while laughter boosts the immune system by decreasing the stress hormone cortisol and minimizing inflammation.

Norman Lear

Norman Lear talks about cultureand flexibility.I think the culture stereotypes everything, said Lear. Because Im 93, Im supposed to behave in a certain way. The fact I can touch my toes shouldnt be so amazing to people.

What we know: Society seems to have some unrealistic expectations about ones age and respective appearance, activities and capabilities. Not to be overlooked is Lears ability to touch his toes, demonstrating flexibility typically achieved with physical activity. Such activity improves our ability to perform daily physical activities, improves our range of motion and increases our sense of balance, helping us avoid falling and injuries.

Dick Van Dyke

Dick Van Dyke suggests dance and song.For a long and good life, Van Dyke suggests that you sing, dance and laugh everyday. Without knowing his daily routine, we do know in 2018 Van Dyke played the older cantankerous banker, Mr. Dawes in the movie Mary Poppins Returns. He not only danced and sang but jumped on a desk, did a tap dance number and jumped down with a spring and a bounce. Dancing has been found to have results comparable to formal exercise improving emotional, psychological and physical well-being. And its fun!

Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks promotes outrageous humor.During the HBO show, Brooks stood up and told the crowd, Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest cat sound in the world, as he broke out into the loudest yowl. As the audience howled, he said, What the hell do you want? Youre not paying a penny here.

Reiner refers to him as the funniest human being in the world. Age and outrageous are terms typically not paired together., but there is a book titled, Be an Outrageous Older Woman by Ruth Harriet Jacobs. Sometimes outrage is needed to get attention.

At the time of this HBO program, all four men continued to work at a craft and art they loved. And herein lies a message. Having a sense of purpose is a lifesaver; humor is a healer helping us keep a perspective. And laughing is healthy. So, think about ways to do something you love to do, keep your sense of humor, have a good laugh and even do a little dance while taking a break from the news.

Angela Lansbury

Age doesnt matter according to Angela Lansbury. Lansbury, age 95, has been on stage, television and in films for more than 70 years, never permitting her chronological age to hold her back. She has said, Ive never been particularly aware of my age. Its like being on a bicycle I just put my foot down and keep going.

What we know. During childhood, there are expected age-related milestones in a childs development, such as when the child walks, talks and can read. Thats not the case for older adults. Expectations about how older adults look, behave and think are not based on developmental stages but on social expectations which often is an excuse for ageism. Most older adults keep going regardless of their age.

Betty White

Betty White advocates getting enough sleep. As a 98-year old actress and comedian, White has a television career spanning 80 years and has worked longer in the industry than anyone else. In promoting sleep, she says, Get at least eight hours of beauty sleep, nine if youre ugly.

What we know: Sleep is considered an important part of our routine and is essential for survival as is food and water. Recent research suggests that sleep has a housekeeping role by removing toxins in our brain that accumulate when we are awake. For older adults, less than seven hours of sleep a night generally is considered insufficient.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine refers to a study by UCLA researchers who discovered that just a single night of insufficient sleep can make older adults cells age quicker. For a good read on sleep, see The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington (Harmony Books, 2017).

Iris Apfel

Iris Apfel believes in authenticity. Apfel, age 99, is a businesswoman, interior designer, model and considered the worlds oldest fashion icon. She describes herself as a geriatric starlet, known for her brightly colored clothing, layered jewelry and oversized glasses. There is even a Barbie doll modeled after her. She says, When you dont dress like everyone else then you dont have to think like everyone else. She adds, I always dressed for myself and dont care what anybody thinks.

What we know:With age we have the opportunity to become more of ourselves and less reliant on fulfilling expectations of others. Authenticity refers to the characteristics, roles or attributes that define who we are, even if they are different from how we may act.With age there is a tendency to see ourselves as more authentic, according to researchers Elizabeth Seto and Rebecca J. Schlegel.

Dr. Ruth

Dr. Ruth views life in a positive way. Ruth Westheimer, age 92, is a sex therapist, author, media personality and talk-show host. She says, I actually look for things to smile about. In a 2019 interview she indicated as a Holocaust survivor, she defused anxiety and shame by focusing on the present and using humor and charm.

What we know: Having a positive attitude not only makes us feel good, it effects our longevity. A study from the Boston University School of Medicine found that after decades of research, those who were more optimistic about life lived longer, often to age 85 and older. Researchers suggest several reasons. More optimistic people may be able to regulate their emotions and behavior more effectively as well as their ability to bounce back from difficult situations. Furthermore, they may have healthier lifestyle habits.

These men and women in their 90s have lived and seen a lot. During the current climate, some of their tips might be useful: Dont let age hold you back, stay positive and authentic and of course, get enough sleep. Above all, stay safe and be well and kind to yourself and others.

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8 celebrities in their 90s share thoughts on living a fulfilling life - Marin Independent Journal

Making New Years resolutions to lose weight, eat more superfoods or exercise may be all well and good. But in terms of living a long life, science writer Marta Zaraska argues those actions wont help you as much as improving connections to other people.

Human contact is crucial for good health, says Zaraska, author of the new book, Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100. She illustrates this point by explaining how the mind communicates with the body, especially when we are under stress.

In our evolutionary past, being alone usually meant being under stress from potential lurking danger. Humans, innately social beings, evolved to recognize when we are safe with other humans from accidents or predators, she says. One of those adaptations is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, she says.

The HPA axis starts with the signal in your brain that tells you that there is a reason to be stressed and then sends a soup of hormones throughout your body, basically one triggering another and so on and so on, she explains.

Those hormones cortisol, known as the stress hormone, or adrenaline ramp up your body to face dangers, she says. But over time, humans stressors have changed dramatically. The HPA axis is now chronically activated by stress points such as finances, work, school or even traffic, she says. That means the hormones are constantly flooding the body, putting us in a perpetual fight or flight mode.

There are detrimental downstream effects from the ceaseless barrage of stress hormones, such as higher risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, she says.

But at the same time, so-called social hormones oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins and vasopressin can also be activated when were socially connected to other people. Those also have key impacts on our health, she says.

One example is the Roseto effect. In the early 1960s, a close-knit community in Roseto, Pennsylvania, had a death rate that was about 35% lower than the general U.S. population.

By Western standards, Roseto residents werent particularly healthy people many engaged in drinking, smoking and bad eating habits. There was also nothing unusual about their genes, Zaraska says.

But their deep social connections proved valuable. At the time, no one was dying from heart attacks in Roseto, she says. This attracted scientists to study the population.

Researchers found the Roseto community built on 22 civic organizations for only 2,000 inhabitants and principles of volunteering, taking care of public space and caring for each other actually yielded amazing health, she says.

But researchers also predicted that if Roseto residents lost their communal touch, their overall health would deteriorate, Zaraska says.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened generations later in the 70s and 80s and so on, she says. And when people started pursuing the so-called American dream and living in the suburbs, buying cars, working longer hours, they stopped being so connected to their community [and] their health also just went back to American average.

In Growing Young, Zaraska says human connection is not just a want, but a need. Building in-person relationships and being social have all but come to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zaraska is hopeful this time period of social isolation wont shorten lives because its quite a temporary state.

If the pandemic dragged on for years and years, thats when Zaraska says shed be much more worried.

It is true that we need the connection, she says. Loneliness has very serious detrimental effects on our health. People who are lonely have higher blood pressure.

Fortunately, there are still ways to connect with others during the pandemic, she says. Volunteering in person or online is a great way to boost your health and longevity, she advises, as well as performing acts of kindness.

Engaging in kindness and experiencing empathy cannot be overstated, as Zaraska writes in her book. In collaboration with scientists at Kings College London, she took part in an experiment to measure her cortisol, the stress hormone.

After seven days of performing small acts of kindness and a week of life as usual, she was amazed at the results. She saw measurable differences in her day-to-day. Her levels of cortisol were much better on days where she was kind to others, even if the day was still considerably stressful, she says.

Her results mimicked the positive findings of a research study in California that connected acts of kindness to less bodily inflammation. Study participants did small favors, such as buying a stranger a coffee or letting someone go first in traffic.

Zaraska also writes about dietary fads, including how goji berries arent improving your health in the long term. She argues a healthy, exercise enthusiast who is lonely and antisocial may not live as long as a couch potato with a bountiful social life and a lot of friends.

Of course, the best scenario is when you are socially connected, optimistic, and you eat healthy and exercise, she says. But if something has to give, completely giving up on your social life is not a good health strategy.

Emiko Tamagawaproduced and edited this interview for broadcast withTinku Ray.Serena McMahonadapted it for the web.

By Marta Zaraska

In our culture we tend to think about longevity in terms of healthy food and exercise. Asked in a poll what they were doing to stay healthy, 56 percent of Americans mentioned physical activity and 26 percent watching food/drink. The only category that might have involved boosting relationships or changing mindsets was otherand it got just 8 percent of the vote. We dont realize that volunteering or investing in friendships can help increase our lifespans. Instead, we worry about gluten and obsess about pesticides and mercury in fish. We sign up for Zumba and spinning classes. We search for easy rejuvenating therapies.

The global anti-aging market is already worth upward of $250 billion, and Americans spend more on longevity cures than they do on any other kind of drug, even though most are untested by science. We love pills: about a half of Americans and Canadians take at least one dietary supplement. There are now over 55,000 such products on the US market alone, from moringa leaves to ashwagandha powder. And then, we diet. In one survey, 56 percent of women said they wanted to lose weight to live longer, yet the research on whether this will work is ambiguous.

Of course, eating healthy food and doing sports are important for health and longevity, but not as important as we tend to think (and certainly moringa leaves are not required). Its a bit like with smok- ing and nutrition. Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day is so bad for you that it overshadows the best of diets, but that doesnt mean that non-smokers can rest on their laurels and stuff themselves with junk food. Apart from shunning tobacco, investing in a thriving social life might be the best thing you could do for your longevity. Consider the numbers. Studies show that building a strong support network of family and friends lowers mortality risk by about 45 percent. Exercise, on the other hand, can lower mortality risk by 23 to 33 percent. Eating six or more servings of vegetables and fruits per day, which is admittedly quite a lot, can cut mortality risk by 26 percent, while following the Mediterranean dietso eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, replacing butter with olive oil, etc.21 percent. Of course, such numbers should be taken with caution, coming as they do from studies with varying methodologies which means they are not straightforward to compare, but they do reveal some important general trends.

In recent years science has begun to unveil how much our minds and bodies are intertwined. Technological advances in molecular biology and brain imaging techniques allow researchers to look deeper into the many links between our

thoughts and emotions and our physiology. The vagus nerve, the social hormones oxytocin and serotonin, the stress axes such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axisall of these emerge as the reasons behind why friendships or kindness matter for longevity. Oxytocin, for example, has been linked with our social skills on one hand, and with health on the other. It has anti-inflammatory properties, reduces pain, and helps bone growth, potentially preventing osteoporosis. Studies also show that spraying oxytocin into the nostrils of squabbling married couples makes them more likely to reconcile. It makes us better at reading facial expressions of emotions, and it makes us more trusting. It can even make husbands stand further away from pretty women. Gut microbiota, another link between the body and the mind, play a role in many diseases including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and allergies, while also affecting emotions and personality. The vagus nerve, the longest of the nerves that emerge directly from the brain, which is responsible for breathing, swallowing, and digestion, has been implicated in sudden psychogenic death reported among the tribes of Africa and the islands of the Pacific.

Marta Zaraska, "Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100"

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Show Kindness And Volunteer More: New Book Says Improving Human Connections Can Lengthen Life - Here And Now

Aches and pains. A growing waistline. Diminishing eyesight, hearing loss, memory lapses. These are the woes of growing older for some people, once considered inevitable. But recent, exciting discoveries in the fast-growing field of longevity science have some doctors and researchers pronouncing that these symptoms of aging may one day be treatable with pharmaceuticals, gene therapies or other yet-to-be-discovered medical technologies.

Many people havent been content to wait, though. Dozens of commercial producers are selling hundreds of so-called longevity supplements right now, and sales data suggest anawful lot of peopleare trying them. But do they work? Are they even safe?

To find out, we scoured the latest research and interviewed two top scientists in the field. What we learned suggests that you may want to hold off on ordering a supply, or at least do your research very carefully.

There is a solid handful of compounds that look very promising in the scientific quest to slow the aging process. One of the most exciting is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, which has been shown to extend both the lifespans and youthful function of yeast and animals in clinical trials. Human trials are ongoing, with only a handful published to date.

NAD (also often written as NAD+) is a substance found in every cell in your body, which controls all kinds of metabolic processes, including the regulation of sirtuins, the so-called longevity genes. As you age, your NAD+ levels decline, and scientists think it is perhapsthisdecline that leads toall sortsof other age-related declines.

Also read: Should you invest in the new longevity funds?

The working theory, then, is that if we can boost our NAD+ levels as we age, we can slow our decline tremendously. Lab studies on yeast and rodentslend strong supportto that theory. The most recent studies have primarily involved the administration of either nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which is then converted into NAD in the body.

To learn more about NAD, Next Avenue talked to Dr. Shin-Ichiro Imai, professor of developmental biology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Along with Leonard Guarente, Imai discovered the link between NAD and sirtuin control in 1999. Hes been studying the molecule ever since.

There have been 10 human clinical trials using NR, most at very high dose, with no safety issues, Imai said. Most of those trials, however, lasted for a duration of weeks or months at most.

Is it safe to take NAD-boosting supplements continuously, for years?

NMN and NR have already been available in Japan and the U.S. since 2015, and some people have been taking it since then, Imai noted. Anecdotally, I havent heard of any side effects from the taking of these supplements.

Some trials, however, have recorded mild side effects including headaches, nausea, diarrhea and skin flushing.

See: 3 aging experts tell how they decided on where to grow older

More troubling, however, is the conclusion of a 2019 study that showed a possible link between elevated levels of NAD and tumor growth in isolated cells and animals. Rugang Zhang, deputy director at the nonprofit Wistar Institute Cancer Center in Philadelphia, was the lead researcher on that study.The study, published in the UK journal Nature Cell Biology, did not find that NAD causes cancer, rather that elevated levelsappeared to accelerateoncogenesis (tumor formation) already in motion.

We dont want to oversell the results of our study, Zhang said. Lots of studies in the literature have clearly demonstrated that as normal cells age, there is lower NAD. So, supplementing NAD could be beneficial. Its possible that NAD boosters could help people live longer and healthier. Were not saying that if people take NAD boosters they will get cancer. This was a very early study on mouse models, and more study is needed.

He suggests a course of action grounded in a deep preponderance of evidence: At the end of the day, we just need more knowledge, through more research. We need the scientific community to come to a consensus. The risk to potential benefit remains to be seen.

Mucking up the risk/benefit ratio further is the fact that supplements are onlyvery lightly regulatedby the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with the testing, evaluation and labeling of such products left up to manufacturers. This presents another dilemma for those considering longevity supplements: theres no sure way of knowing exactly what youre getting.

The results of the few published human clinical trials to date unequivocally show that taking NR boosts levels of NAD in the body. But apparently, more NAD doesnt translate to more youthful function.

See: There are six types of retirees which are you?

Unfortunately, those studies have not yet shown any significant efficacy, Imai said.

And thats when the substance administered is of lab-grade purity. So what about the typical supplements available online?

There are so many products out there, Imai lamented, particularly for NMN, but Im concerned about the quality.

Indeed, a 2020meta-analysisof NAD trials surmised: it seems likely that side effects linked to interventions that target NAD metabolism more likely arise from impurities rather than the supplements themselves, since this industry generally operates without rigorous control of quality and standardization.

Imais lab has evaluated a number of commercially available NAD-boosting supplements, but found only two of lab-grade purity. Imai wouldnt disclose the names of the products (both Japanese-made), as he doesnt endorse supplements. But he did note that they are extremely expensive.

Dont miss: What is the secret to aging well?

Finally, we asked someone whod taken an NAD-booster to share her experience. Kim Oberdorfer, an air-traffic controller in Oakland, Calif., wasnt impressed.

I took [a popular NR supplement] for about two months and it just gave me these dull headaches. I was having hot flashes last February, and when I told my sister Im 47, shes 53 about how horrified I was to be having them so young, she goes, Are you sure its not just a reaction to an NAD supplement? said Oberdorfer. At the time I wasnt really working out much, but my sleep schedule was really messed up and I heard it was good for that as well. I didnt think it helped at all.

Rashelle Brownis a longtime fitness professional and freelance writer with hundreds of bylines in print and online. She is a regular contributor for NextAvenue and the Active Network, and is the author of Reboot Your Body: Unlocking the Genetic Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss (Turner Publishing). Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @RashelleBrownMN.

This article is reprinted by permission fromNextAvenue.org, 2021 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. All rights reserved.

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What are longevity supplements, and are they safe? - MarketWatch

A former colleague telephoned recently first time wed spoken in years to ask if I was dead.

I was not. But it was mighty thoughtful of him.

The fact is that both he and I are what some people would consider "elderly": Closing in on the life-expectancy-for-males-in-the-U.S. statistic, which now is just beyond 76 years. In the high-risk group for COVID-19. Plenty of water under the bridge. Were almost to that point when Casey Stengel, late in a career as an enduring baseball character, had noticed, "Most of the people my age are dead at the present time."

So it was a legitimate question, though the caller and I both remain in the workforce. Hes in television; I attempt to teach college students about what was my primary profession, journalism, for 50-odd years.

But the truth is a lot of folks in our demographic indeed have shuffled off this mortal coil. You lose touch with somebody and, before you know it, he or she shows up in an obituary. Especially these days, not just because of the coronavirus pestilence but because our contemporaries tend to be, well, old.

The result is that to still be going strong when near or beyond the three-quarter century mark can be something of a surprise. Willie Nelson hes 87 recently released a song to that effect:

I woke up still not dead again today / The internet said I had passed away / But if I died I wasnt dead to stay / And I woke up still not dead again today.

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Roger Angell hes 100 now but was only 93 when he wrote his "This Old Man" essay for The New Yorker acknowledged then how extended human longevity can be as shocking as the news of someones demise.

"It must be this hovering knowledge, that two-ton safe swaying on a frayed rope just over my head," he wrote, "that makes everyone so glad to see me again. How great youre looking! Wow, tell me your secret! they kindly cry when they happen upon me crossing the street or exiting a dinghy or departing an X-ray room, while the little balloon over their heads reads, Holy ---! Hes still vertical!"

It happens. Some of us have all the luck. A few surgical procedures along the way, a drastically slowing pace on morning runs, expanding pill regimen, dimmed hearing, increased visual assistance at this stage, the major function of ears evolves into holding spectacles in place yet feeling spry. Relatively.

A friend, even more ancient than I, once mentioned that he first felt old when a younger man than him was elected U.S. president. In my case, that didnt happen until 2008 with Barack Obama though I barely had missed that milestone, by mere months with Clinton, W., and the recent White House occupant. Now that Joe Biden is taking office, Im back to being a comparative pup.

Anyway. When I got the call, inquiring whether I might no longer be extant, it wasnt as if my life flashed before my eyes, though it did seem appropriate for the caller and I to reminisce briefly about some earlier good times. Both of us marveled at having spent decades getting paid for what never has felt like hard labor. I had wanted, as a child, to be in the newspapers as creator of a comic strip but wound up a sports writer instead.

Nice work if you can get it, and I did. Traveled the world. Met fascinating people. Learned stuff. Couldnt have married a better, smarter, more multitalented person. Lovely daughter and, as of this year, a grandboy. A few nice pets.

And Im still entertaining the hope that I amount to something when I grow up.

Thats the thing. Even in what technically could be described as geezerhood, it seems thoroughly normal to continue seeking whats around the next corner. As opposed to, say, propped in a rocking chair, drooling. Upon my official retirement as a full-time reporter, a neighbor suggested the importance of accomplishing "one thing" each day. The other day I wrote and mailed Christmas cards.

That was my one thing. And it sent forth the word to distant friends and relatives that I am not dead.

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The Column: The benefits of being not dead - Newsday

A recent study unveils a potential new connection between iron levels and longevity.

The study, which appeared in the journalNature Communications, pooled data from three large human genetic studies, "reaching an unprecedented sample of more than a million people," the lead study author and data analyst Paul Timmers, from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, tellsEat This, Not That!

"Using genetics, we found multiple lines of evidence indicating poor control of blood iron levels is causally linked to a shorter lifespan and fewer years lived in good health." (Related: The One Vitamin Doctors Are Urging Everyone to Take Right Now.)

After examining the DNA of individuals who lived long and healthy lives versus those who experienced age-related diseases and even death early in life, the researchers were able to pinpoint 10 regions of the genome that were related to three key measures of aging: lifespan, years lived free of disease (healthspan), and living to old age (longevity). Two such regions, LDLR and FOXO3, were explicitly found to influence the expression of genes that help the body metabolize iron, which is what led the researchers to hypothesize that iron levels could play a role in aging.

Senior study author Joris Deelen, PhD, who studies the biology of aging at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany explains that "genetic variation in these regions seems to be the most important for healthy iron metabolism. Genes influenced by genetic variation in the other eight regions are not directly linked to iron metabolism."

Essentially, those with high iron levels may have an increased risk of dying younger.

"It is well-known that a deficit in iron can cause poor health, but we showed, for the first time, that for most people a small reduction in blood ironfrom their current levelsis likely beneficial to their health," says Deelen. "Iron metabolism and healthy aging were not linked before."

The researchers discovered that genetic predisposition to higher iron levels is what's associated with a reduced lifespan, which is largely out of your control.

"We found that DNA variations, which elevate your iron levels in the blood (from birth), also increase your likelihood of getting age-related diseases and dying," says Timmers.

So, this doesn't mean you should never eat red meat or remove other iron-rich foods from your diet altogether, however, it may encourage you to become more conscious of what your iron levels are.

"People tend to lose their ability to regulate iron levels as they get older, so regularly checking your iron levels could be important to maintain optimal health into old age," says Timmers.

Of course, further research is needed because it isn't clear on what would be considered an optimal iron level in the blood. In fact, it could vary from person to person.

"Further clinical studies are needed to determine the precise mechanisms by which iron metabolism is linked to healthy aging," Deelen adds.

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Too Much of This Mineral May Shorten Your Life, Study Finds | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That