Aging and Longevity

 

Lifespan is the most misinterpreted statistic in the modern world. How long you live represents very little about health. It seems to be a point of boasting in the US, but our country falls behind 45 other countries in the industrialized world. When you follow the money, you will find that how long you live as a nation means nothing when it comes to maintaining health.

Keeping people alive longer is great if they can enjoy their day-to-day existence, but most older people in the US spend the last five years of their lives on 5-10 medications and in an infirmed state. What I’d prefer to see as a measure of health could be best represented by how vital people are as they age, how few medicines they are on, how active are they? What is their body composition? What type of lifestyle do they lead? How is their cognition? How do they feel? 

I came across a fantastic article entitled “Healthspan is More Important Than Lifespan, So WHY Don’t More People Know About It?” (publichealth.wustl.edu), and I wanted to share this chart.

While I clearly understand the statistics, I find it unfortunate that the medical paradigm makes us believe that taking medicine for everything is normal and that aging is a disease. So I have a question for you “How old are you?” It’s the question you’ve been asked directly when you were young and only wondered by others as you get older. Well, how old are you? If we only think in years of chronological age, the answer is simple, but the answer will vary between two people of the same age if we think in biological age.

For example, you may be 50 years old chronologically, but your body, both inside and out, tests and presents biologically as someone 65 years old. The good news is that the disparity between biological age and chronological age can be improved. This is what anti-aging should be all about – slowing your biological aging. However, the term anti-aging is used more for marketing products and promises than promoting health.

Aging always happens - it’s the pace of acceleration and inclination towards illness as you age that you want to prevent. The goal as we age should be healthy aging, free of disease, infirmity, medications, and an early demise. Realistically you are going to die of something, but why go out suffering and too soon? Science says that the longest someone can live in the perfect environment with the best genetics is 120 years.

If that’s accurate, then why is the average US 2021 life expectancy for women 81 and men 77? (note: life expectancy is a prediction versus actual lifespan). That seems like 40 years early to me. 

So how do you measure your biological age, and what are the best things you can do to age gracefully? The science behind promoting longevity is not black and white due to each person’s genetic individuality – what may be stressful chemically, nutritionally, emotionally, physically, and mentally will differ between people. Some people are more resilient than others.

What you need to do is figure out what is unique about you and enhance your strengths and optimize your weaknesses. There are several parts to this approach and the best success with be achieved with the guidance of an experienced doctor:

• Measuring quantifiable diagnostic tests
• Assessing genetic and familial individuality
• Avoidance of stressors that push your body to excess adaptation (for example, sleep deprivation, and smoking)
• Introduce habits that buffer the everyday stress of life but also support your biological individuality

Again, this is the first of several articles on longevity and anti-aging with more details in subsequent articles: A basic summary for each of the four categories is listed below.

1) Quantifiable diagnostic tests - Hemoglobin A1C, Salivary Cortisol, Salivary Sex Hormone, and DHEA profile, Body Composition, Waist to Hip ratio, Fasting glucose, Homocysteine, High Sensitivity C Reactive Protein, Lipid profile with particle size, blood pressure, heart rate, spirometry test, Omega 6:3 ratio

2) Assessing genetic and familial individuality – genetic cheek cell swab testing and family history

3) Avoidance of stressors – avoid environmental toxins in food, water, and anything you put on or in your body, identify hidden food allergens, pro-inflammatory foods, avoid excess alcohol, healthy sleep hygiene, trying to balance and solve personal stressors 

4) Introduce habits that buffer the normal stress of life.

A) Herbs, nutrients, vitamins that promote wellness and longevity – Panax Ginseng,  American Ginseng, Eleuthero, Tulsi, Rhodiola, Tumeric, Green Tea, Garlic, Schisandra, Bilberry, OPCs, Omega 3 oils, Milk Thistle

B) Superfoods: Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage) Varieties of mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, beets, berries to just name a few. 

 

C) Add in activities that influence vagal tones, such as floatation therapy, infrared sauna, and cryosauna. Get a massage, meditate, connect with nature, get a pet, spend time with friends, laugh a lot, exercise daily at the correct heart rate

      

D) Intermittent fasting or variations of it, vegetarian or vegan diet one day a week, daily plant-strong diet 

Finally, I’d like to add that health is not the absence of disease but is something to be maintained and achieved. As we age, our systems naturally decline – hormonally, metabolically, cognitively, neurologically, muscularly, and skeletally. It’s up to you to optimize aging. It is possible to delay the onset of age-related illness and be biologically younger than your age. While it may take some effort and lifestyle changes, you and your body will reap great rewards over time.

 

If you want to age right, you have to eat right, poop right, drink right, think right, sleep right, exercise right, relax right, and breathe right.

About the Author

Dr. Josh Kantor is a leading Applied Kinesiologist and owner of Chill Space NYC, a health and wellness spa. Learn more about their services by visiting ChillSpaceNYC.com