Excerpt from The Extension, Winter 2018-19
by Mary Elizabeth Kenton
I hope to celebrate my 70th birthday this coming October. My personal longevity goal is 85. I’ll take a few more years, but if I make 85 I’ll be happy. What are my odds? I can’t think of a single member of my family who has celebrated an 80th birthday. Neither of my parents made it to 70. So, I take an interest in health and wellness, as I am sure many other retirees do as well. In our 30s we worried about mortgage rates, now we worry about mortality rates.
I spent an hour or two recently on the WebMD medical news site looking for an interesting tidbit or two for the newsletter. I found tons of information on a wide variety of subjects. Most of it was quantified. For example, the American Journal of Epidemiology reported in June that sitting for more than 6 hours per day can be lethal, increasing your risk of dying early from 14 separate diseases by 19%. Keep moving.
The 2018 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Chicago advised everyone to cut blood pressure readings to 120/80 or lower by any means possible—diet, exercise, meditation, medication--and cut your risk of dementia by 15%. Hold the salt and sign up for yoga.
On the other side, certain behaviors can improve your odds of a long, healthy life. Eating fish is a good example. The American Heart Association says that eating two fatty-fish meals a week lowers your risk of sudden cardiac death by 50%. Just eating one serving lowered the risk of ischemic stroke (the blood clot in the brain type) by 14%. Wow! Salmon all around.
Walking 30 minutes at least 5 times per week can add years to your life—we all know that by now. But according to the June 1 British Journal of Sports Medicine it matters just how quickly you walk. Amblers reduced their risk of dying early by 20%, while those who walked briskly (3 to 4 mph) cut their risk by 24%. The benefit was even more pronounced in those 60 and older, a 53% reduction for brisk walkers.
What is the bottom line? What is an individual’s personal calculus? If I walk really fast, can I sit for two more hours and have an extra glass of wine? And what about leafy greens—magic food or deadly salad? Somebody call an actuary! Or better yet, call your doctor. “Sticking with one primary care doctor may help you stay healthy and extend your life,” says a study published on June 28 in the BMJ Open. A personal relationship developed over time with the entire medical team is ideal.
L’Chaim ! Zum Wohl! Sláinte! Bibe multis annis.
