The 100-year-old man's rule all episodes in a row. Rules of life for a centenarian: Russia. Why do we grow old
Rules for the life of a 100-year-old man Compiled by S. Kuzina
“Everyone wants to live long, but no one wants to grow old.”
Jonathan Swift
“Getting old is just a bad habit that busy people don’t have time for.”
Andre Maurois
Preface
By definition, a centenarian is something living that has a longer lifespan than is typical for a given species (by the way, animals and even trees can be centenarians). In relation to people, a centenarian is a person distinguished by longevity. Long-livers are people aged 90 years and older. Centenarians are found in almost all countries of the world, but there are places where there are more of them than the average for the planet.
Another important point– verification. A centenarian is considered verified if his age is confirmed by reliably verified facts or documents certifying his date of birth.
Whoever spoke out about longevity and the secrets of longevity!
For example, the British philosopher Bertrand Russell quite rightly noted: “To become a long-liver, you need to carefully choose your ancestors.” He himself lived to be 97 years old, and his grandfather, Lord John Russell (Prime Minister of Great Britain), lived to be 85 years old. That is, this man knew what he was talking about.
But his colleague George Moore, who lived 84 years, was more playful in this sense: “I owe my health and longevity to the fact that I never touched a cigarette, a glass, or a woman until I was ten".
American singer and actress Sophie Tucker said: “The secret of longevity is to never stop breathing.” And here famous actor and director Woody Allen is much more ironic: “You can live to be a hundred years old if you give up everything that makes you want to live a hundred years.”
And this is completely funny: “The point of longevity is to outlive your creditors.” These are the words of the once popular satirist Aminodav Shpolyansky, who published under the pseudonym Don Aminado.
In any case, over the past 30 years, the number of centenarians on our planet has increased many times.
The oldest verified centenarian is the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment. She was born on February 21, 1873 and died on August 4, 1997, meaning she lived 122 years and 164 days.
In second place is also a woman, American Sarah Knauss: she was born on September 24, 1880 and died on December 30, 1999, that is, she lived 119 years and 97 days.
By the way, there is a woman in 3rd place, and in 4th, and in 5th, and in 6th...
Among men, the oldest verified centenarian is the Japanese Jiroemon Kimura: he was born on April 19, 1897 and died on June 12, 2013, that is, he lived 116 years and 54 days.
Of the living people, the oldest people are Italian Emma Morano-Martinuzzi, Jamaican Violet Brown and Japanese Nabi Tajima (they are 116 years old).
As we can see, here too it is the representatives of the “weaker” sex who are on the top lines of the hit parade. But men's places in this long list only begin... from the 36th line! For example, the oldest living man is considered to be the Japanese Sakari Momoi, who is “only” 112 years old. He was born into a peasant family in the city of Fukushima. He has three children, all of whom are alive to this day. This Japanese grandfather also has 11 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.
A LITTLE STATISTICS
According to UN estimates, there are currently approximately 343 thousand centenarians in the world, and by 2050 this number is likely to increase to 3.2 million people, that is, tenfold.
According to the German Federal Statistical Office, there are approximately 17,000 people living in Germany today who have already celebrated their 100th birthday, and this number will only grow. In the UK there are 35,000 such people, in the USA - 55,000. And Japan leads in the number of super-centenarians: the number of its residents over the age of 100 in 2015 reached 58,800 people.
It turns out that humanity no longer wants to grow old. And scientists around the world are looking for recipes to prolong youth. People with so-called “age-related anomalies” are becoming the object of close attention of gerontologists, biologists, physiologists and immunologists. After all, without suspecting it, centenarians independently found their own recipe for a long and healthy existence.
This phenomenon has no explanation yet. On the planet there are places of strength and healthy longevity, some local points with a record concentration of centenarians. What are these places? And how do people manage to deceive the laws of aging and give themselves extra years of life? This book is dedicated to finding answers to these and many other questions.
Accordingly, one can, like Dan Buettner, author of the book “The Rules of Longevity,” say that “we have collected in the book lessons of wisdom: the gift of centenarians, telling about a rich, fulfilling life. They talk about everything. From them we learn how to make our lives long.”
But, as Dan Buettner quite correctly noted, “centenarians can no more talk about how they lived to be a hundred years old than a two-meter man can talk about how he grew to two meters.” They just don't know it. That is, each individual does not know. But what if we find places where many centenarians live? What if we find special zones where the number of healthy people aged 90-100 years or even more in relation to the rest of the population is extremely high?
At one time, demographer Jay Olshansky from the University of Illinois at Chicago, together with 50 of the world's leading experts, issued the following appeal: “Our position is clear - no surgical procedures, lifestyle changes, vitamins, antioxidants, hormones or genetic engineering methods available today have proven ability to influence the aging process."
But according to Dan Buettner, “ harsh reality"The aging process has only a gas pedal, and we have yet to know whether there are brakes." In his opinion, the most we can do is not to press the gas pedal too hard and not accelerate the aging process. At the same time, the average resident of an industrialized country, admittedly, with his “crazy” life in megacities, presses on this pedal with all his might.
You can discuss this topic endlessly. What is this book? It introduces the reader to the best world traditions of maintaining health and longevity. She talks about the most interesting “special zones” on Earth and the centenarians there. She is trying to discover the secrets of longevity, and to do this, scientists, also the heroes of this book, turn directly to the primary sources, that is, to people who lived to be 100 years old and even stepped over this amazing threshold.
The main “Blue Zones” on our Planet
For eight years, author Dan Beutner and his team of researchers traveled the planet in search of people living extremely long and healthy lives. No, they did not go in search of the legendary “elixir of youth.” They were looking for the key to a happy old age. They observed the habits, diet, daily activities and attitudes of the centenarians, trying to discover what they knew that the rest of us did not.
Dan Beutner's preliminary findings were published in the journal National Geographic”, and the detailed discoveries were later published in the best-selling book “Blue Zones: Lessons on How to Live Longer from the People Who Lived the Longest.”
Dan Beutner discovered four geographic regions where people generally live longer, but he singled out Loma Linda. And he learned a lot from the Adventists in this Blue Zone, and the people living there made the greatest impression on him.
mamlas wrote in May 14th, 2016More about old people and life and
Rules for the life of a centenarian: USA
My planet
How to deceive old age and the laws of aging and give yourself extra years of life? In search of answers to these and other questions, Russian scientists will travel around the world. The purpose of this expedition is to visit places where people live more than usual. This time the researchers visited the USA. Other peoples and countries in
Biochemist Vadim Gladyshev Has been working in the USA for 20 years. He now runs his own laboratory in a leading scientific center world - Harvard Medical School. Since 2003, the Russian scientist has been searching for the biological basis of aging and longevity. Together with him, “Science 2.0” went on a trip to the United States in order to find out the secrets of the longevity of local centenarians.— Let’s imagine that time, life expectancy, is a river that flows from the mountains to the ocean. How can we change it? We can build a dam, divert the river, or freeze it completely. But this won't tell us anything about why the water flows. Why is it flowing? It flows due to the force of gravity. And we are just very interested in finding out what aging is and what causes it. driving force. In fact this is the most important biological question. Most studies are focused on specific diseases. And if we defeat aging, we mean slow it down, we can simultaneously defeat and slow down all diseases of aging, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.
Our expert Vadim Gladyshev has never seen hundred-year-old people in his life. His first acquaintance with a centenarian is a meeting with an extraordinary person. It's not just a matter of phenomenal age.
- Long-livers, I would say, are a mystery of nature. The effect of their genetics is, of course, strong. But this is not the only effect. Environment, diet, physical activity, place of residence - this also affects life expectancy. I'm interested in general how a person who is over 100 years old behaves.
Giuseppe Murguia, 100 years
On the other side of Oniferi, in the house younger brother Filomena - centenarian Giuseppe Murguia today is a pleasant event. His friend came to visit the centenarian. Giuseppe and Giovanni are the same age. Sardinia is one of the few places on earth where people have actually known each other for a hundred years.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Mary Harrison
Louis Charpentier, 103 years old
The Louis Charpentier House is a folk art museum in which all exhibits are made by one master. Translated from French, charpentier means carpenter. Louis has been working with wood since he was seven years old. Most of the carvings in this room are scenes from his own life. Painting is another of his hobbies. Every day is full of activities: getting up at 9 am, light breakfast, further on the plan - drawing, reading, TV, carving.
Louis was happily married for 75 years. Amazingly, since 2000, the centenarian has been living virtually alone. - Once a week a girl comes and helps me around the house. And so I am my own boss. I do what I want. I used to drive a car. Last time got behind the wheel at 97 years old. I thought I would be bored without it. But nothing. My son lives nearby and within 10 minutes is ready to take me anywhere.
Despite his self-sufficient lifestyle, Louis Charpentier does not shy away from communication. He regularly welcomes curious passers-by and... gerontological scientists. The long-liver is part of the global scientific project, which is headquartered in this building in south Boston.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Tom Perls, professor
The territory of gerontology is a zone of theories and assumptions. The science of aging is still in the process of accumulating evidence. Scientists do not know what is more important in longevity: heredity or environment.
Louis Charpentier - an outstanding "fugitive" from disease. During the last examination, doctors did not detect a single disease in the centenarian, except for minor memory lapses, the first sign of fading neural connections.
Elsie McClallan, 100 years
California is a sunny state on the West Coast of the USA. According to statistics, every 5,000 Americans live to be 100 years old. The exception is California. Her longevity rates are rising thanks to a small place - Loma Linda. Today, this city of 20,000 people claims to be America's capital of centenarians.
Elsie moved to Loma Linda after she retired in 1979. Today Elsie lives in two houses. The centenarian spends winter and spring with her daughter in California. In the summer he leaves for his homeland - Canada. A 100-year-old woman lives completely independently in her Canadian home.
Elsie does not make these serious efforts in order to live longer. Her physical activity- a question of faith. Like half the population of Loma Linda, Elsie professes Adventism. Adventists are creationists; they believe in a creator God and that everyone should respect their body.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Elsie
A visual embodiment of this religious commandment is the Loma Linda Sports and Health Center. After the church, these halls are the second most popular place in the city. Along with young people, 1,200 older people train here. A quarter of them are very old people who have celebrated their 80th birthday. Admission is free for these athletes. The pride of the hall is the oldest member of the club - his age is 103 years.
Since 1958, the health of Adventists has been monitored by staff at Loma Linda University. This program for studying a specific monogroup is one of the longest in the history of science. Gary Fraser, MD, has been leading research since the late 1980s. He identified several factors that are associated with life extension. We estimate each of these independent factors to be approximately two years of life.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Vegetarianism and other factors
According to statistics, the average life expectancy in the United States is 78 years. Elsie McClallan is already two decades above the average.
Sweets are the only gastronomic passion of the centenarian. Elsie had never tasted tea or coffee in her life. Only at the age of 80 did she learn the taste of milk. Now he drinks it exclusively with chocolate.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Vegetarian Adventist statistics
The influence of the nutritional system on longevity is a constant subject scientific research. The experience of the project “Rules of Life for a Centennial Man” shows that extreme age is not necessarily associated with such diets.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Calories
Elsie's father was a deeply religious man. He died at 83. His wife lived to be 79. Elsie, a long-liver, had nine brothers and sisters. Now there are two of them left. Sister Elsie is 95. But she doesn't want to live to be 100.
Ellsworth Wareham, 99 years old
Tom Perls states: - Most of us should live to be 90 years old. And to achieve this, you need to live in the Adventist style, which means not smoking, not drinking, well, maybe a little alcohol. Maybe be a vegetarian, or at least avoid eating red meat. Ideally, exercise every day, and of course, monitor your stress levels. Because stress greatly affects our life span.
But Dr. Wareham has had a lot of stress in his 99 years. During World War II, 30-year-old Ellsworth served as a doctor in the Pacific Fleet. Explosions atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki he found himself in Japanese territorial waters. This was the first war in his life.
Dr. Wareham was seriously ill only once in his youth. Tuberculosis. His body coped with a serious illness without the help of drugs. Subsequently, not a single ailment prevented the centenarian from setting a fantastic longevity record. Until the age of 95, Ellsworth assisted in operations.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Worked in a hospital in Vietnam
IN Peaceful time the future centenarian was completely absorbed in work. He performed up to 200 operations a year. Ellsworth's specialty is a cardiac surgeon. This profession is characterized by constant psychological overload. A leading stress expert among gerontologists, Gordon Lithgow, a professor at the Buck Institute, works in northern California, near the city of San Francisco.
The Buck Institute on Aging is a state-of-the-art research center built with donations from philanthropists. The staff of the institute has one task - to increase the life of homo sapiens, homo sapiens. According to Professor Lithgow, an important factor in longevity is the body's resistance to stress.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Stress resistance
Based on his experience, the centenarian came up with several rules that helped him personally cope with emotional stress. The first one is to find a job you love. Secondly, get more rest.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. How to fall asleep quickly
Another important rule from 99-year-old Ellsworth Wareham - a strong family. In 2013, the Wareham couple celebrated their 63rd birthday. life together. The couple have five children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. Summarizing
Our scientific journey is coming to an end. Having flown across the entire United States, talking with scientists from Boston, Loma Linda and San Francisco, Harvard professor Vadim Gladyshev is ready to sum up his acquaintance with centenarians.
Rules of life for a 100-year-old man. USA / Full version
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Among us live people who have managed to deceive time. They don't age like everyone else. Their abnormal longevity was not hindered by urban ecology, stress and lack of natural products. What is the secret of these centenarians? Why them The biological clock have you slowed down? To answer these and other questions, a team of Russian scientists is traveling around the world. They have already been to Italy, the USA and Costa Rica, and now they are researching the centenarians of Russia.
Safonov Dmitry Fedorovich, 104 years old
Dmitry Safonov lived 90 of his 100-plus years in cities. As a teenager, he ran away from his native farm to Leningrad. Then I ended up in Moscow. Dmitry Fedorovich was awarded a diploma of graduation from the Bauman Technical School on the first day of the war - June 22, 1941. A year after the victory, Safonov found himself in the service of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs.
In 2014, the former diplomat celebrates his 105th birthday. His unusual apartment in the very center of Moscow is the starting point of our scientific journey by cities of Russia.
Ninety of his hundred-plus years Dmitry Safonov lived in cities. As a teenager, he ran away from his native farm to Leningrad, then ended up in Moscow. Dmitry Fedorovich was awarded a diploma of graduation from the Bauman Technical School on the first day of the war - June 22, 1941. A year after the victory, Safonov found himself in the service of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs.
The centenarian retired in 1977. The honored diplomat is still a welcome guest at ceremonial receptions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At 79 years old, Kremlin doctors rendered a verdict: heart valve replacement. Problems with the heart valve are still the only serious illness of the 104-year-old man: there are no other serious illnesses in the centenarian’s medical record. Even ten years in the hot climate of African countries did not shake his good health.
Good memory - necessary condition High Quality life. Almost all the heroes of our scientific journey at 100 years old demonstrated an excellent state of long-term memory. Dmitry Fedorovich is no exception; The 104-year-old old-timer easily recalls the events of a century ago. It is much more difficult in old age to retain fresh information. The gradual fading of neural connections, as a rule, leads to problems with short-term memory.
A person's memory allows him to feel his individuality, while constant forgetfulness deprives a person of his own self. He becomes disoriented and dependent on others.
Regular memory training is the key to a clear mind. This can be achieved different ways. Neurophysiologists have proven that the projection of the hand zone in the cerebral cortex is located next to the centers responsible for complex cognitive processes. Fine motor skills training improves speech, coordination, attention and memory.
A long-time resident from Moscow, Dmitry Safonov, has found his own way to keep his mind in good shape. At the age of 85, he began writing his memoirs. At 90 he mastered the computer on his own. First book former diplomat was published when the author was already 93. Today, the long-lived writer’s list of works includes 10 books of memories and reflections. Dmitry Fedorovich is not going to stop there; he works at the computer seven days a week, several hours a day.
An engineer by training and a diplomat by profession, Dmitry Safonov calls his literary work an inoculation against old age. The connection between work and longevity is the object of research by modern scientists. Statistics collected over half a century allowed them to draw a striking conclusion: it turns out that creativity prolongs life.
Why do we grow old?
There are many theories of aging, but they actually boil down to two main hypotheses. Firstly, the longer you live, the more tissue is damaged: from molecules to the body as a whole. Secondly, genetic factors that determine life expectancy and longevity. Approximately 35% of success is associated with them. Everything else is related to features environment. This includes diet, place of residence, daily rhythm, and light regime.
Light pollution is a scientific term that originated in the 20th century. Night life cities, round-the-clock lighting negatively affects human health. These factors disrupt the natural hormonal balance in the body. The receptors that synthesize melatonin are most affected. 70% of this important hormone is produced at night, in complete darkness.
Experiments have shown that a lack of night hormone sharply shortens the life of experimental animals. The development of drugs containing melatonin is one of the priority areas of applied gerontology.
High level of education - characteristic urban population. A case in point is St. Petersburg. Almost 40% of its residents have graduated from higher education educational establishments. Life expectancy in the Northern capital is three years higher than the national average. On average, people live here up to 73 and a half years. Your contribution to this high rate 306 local centenarians who have crossed the century mark contribute.
Olga Mikhailovna Ivanova, 100 years old
Olga Mikhailovna Ivanova is a 100% city resident. She was born in pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg. She often spent her childhood and youth on the shores of the Black Sea. The centenarian’s earliest memories are of that time.
Olga Mikhailovna does not hear or see very well, but these natural difficulties do not prevent her from continuing her life’s work. Professor Ivanova’s official retirement age came at the end of the 60s of the last century, but the embryologist has not yet left fundamental science.
This amazing centenarian woman is a person of diverse interests. She is also the author of a monograph on mythological animals and draws illustrations for her works herself. Olga Mikhailovna’s faithful support is her 70-year-old son. Mikhail Artemyevich followed in his mother’s footsteps: he also devoted his life to biology.
Most in present life she misses communication with colleagues and daily walks. IN last years The long-liver's legs began to hurt. She moves around the apartment using a special walker.
Vasily Artemyevich Sivolapov, 101 years old
At a distance of 1,500 km from St. Petersburg, another Russian supercentenarian with an unusual fate is preparing to celebrate his next birthday.
IN Soviet times in the closed city of Kirovo-Chepetsk there were important strategic facilities of the nuclear and chemical industries. The huge chemical plant on the banks of the Vyatka River is still in operation.
In December 1941 military unit Sergeant Sivolapov was sent from the rear of Omsk to the front, to Leningrad. From first to last day During the blockade, Vasily Artemyevich defended the besieged city and received four wounds.
Vasily Artemyevich settled in Kirovo-Chepetsk in 1947. Today he lives in an ordinary five-story building, in a standard one-room apartment. For 70 years now, this veteran has carried within himself another reminder of the war - a bullet. Finnish sniper. But the veteran’s bullet doesn’t bother him at all; he only complains about poor eyesight.
Another amazing fact: at the 101st year of his life, Vasily Artemyevich does not need outside help. 24 hours a day he is absolutely independent from others. His son, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren are in this house only as guests. Vasily Artemyevich never smoked or drank alcohol. Having finally retired at 80, this grandfather continued to live by the principle “The main thing is not to stop.” 1.5 km from home to the Eternal Flame and back is his usual daily route.
A long-liver from Kirovo-Chepetsk, Vasily Sivolapov, is in incredible physical shape for his age. He is one of the most active heroes of “The Rules of Life of a 100-Year-Old Man.”
Anomalous physical state 100-year-old Vasily Sivolapov - real natural phenomenon. Hundreds of gerontologists around the world are studying such centenarians. They have not yet been able to detect longevity genes in the DNA of old-timers. Another ambitious task of scientists is the search for geroprotectors, chemical compounds that can slow down the natural process of withering of the body.
The elixir of youth is the cherished dream of humanity. Over the past ten years, science has made huge strides in this direction. After testing hundreds of thousands of different compounds, scientists have discovered at least five substances that extend the life of laboratory animals, by an average of eight years in human years. The most effective of these chemical compounds have long been known to medicine.
Sound, long sleep is the foundation of a healthy life. Vasily Sivolapov from Kirovo-Chepetsk has been following this rule for more than a hundred years. There is always room for an afternoon nap in his daily routine. Another commandment of a long-lived veteran is not to give way to your nerves. Today his life is the difficult everyday life of a pensioner from the Russian outback. Thanks to his character, self-discipline and wisdom, this man approached his 101st birthday with a psychological attitude that was rare for his age. Vasily Artemyevich Sivolapov is a true centennial lover of life.
Augusta Mikhailovna Malykh, 101 years old
According to statistics, the average life expectancy for men in Russia is almost 66 years, for women - 76 years. The inhabitant of the ancient building crossed this milestone more than two decades ago. Hometown Augusta Mikhailovna is an hour's drive from Kirovo-Chepetsk. Slobodskaya is much older than its industrial neighbor - the first mentions of this settlement date back to the second half of the 15th century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Augusta Mikhailovna’s father purchased an apartment in a merchant’s house. Being a wealthy manufacturer, he managed to give his children a good education.
Augusta Mikhailovna worked at the local fur factory “Belka” for more than 30 years. From her house to the entrance is about 3 km. Until her retirement, the centenarian walked to work.
In 2010, Augusta's grandmother was seriously injured right leg. Now she leads a sedentary lifestyle. Despite this, the 100-year-old woman continues to maintain her physical fitness.
Augusta Mikhailovna Malykh is a native resident of the Kirov region. Thanks to this, evidence of her extreme age can be found in the local archive. Credibility is one of the major concerns in the world of gerontology. The extreme age of the centenarian does not raise any doubts among geneticist Vera Mysina.
An ancient house with a Russian stove is the final point of our route, but the search for recipes for healthy longevity continues. The next participant in the project will be in the mountainous regions of our country.
"Blue Zone" is a place on Earth where a record number of centenarians . Several such “blue zones” have been identified on the planet. The most famous of them are the islands of Ikaria, Sardinia and Okinawa, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica and the city of Loma Linda, California, USA.
Two islands in the Mediterranean Sea and one island in the East China Sea. A remote peninsula in Costa Rica. A town in San Bernardino County, California... From exotic to ordinary, all these places have one thing in common: people here live on average 10 years longer than the average people on Earth. These anomalous territories are called "blue zones" .
And here's what's of particular interest: men in these places they live almost as long as women. This is not just unusual, it is especially surprising since the average life expectancy for women around the world is much higher. For example, in Russia this gap is almost 12 years!
"Blue Zones" - these are places where people live unusually long and at the same time maintain good health, a clear mind, inexhaustible optimism and fortitude until their very old age.
How to deceive the laws of aging and give yourself extra years of life?
In search of an answer to this and other questions, a group of Russian scientists will travel around the world. The purpose of this expedition is to visit places where people live longer than usual. As part of the expedition, scientists are studying the lifestyle of elderly people of three different regions, initial physiological parameters, nutrition, physical activity, social activity, rhythm of life, and also conduct a variety of tests.
Watch the video, in which we will talk about the influence of faith on a person’s life expectancy. The town of Loma Linda is located in California (USA) near the metropolis Los Angeles, but this does not prevent the residents of this town from leading healthy image life and claim the title of “Capital of Centenarians”.
The inhabitants of this town are predominantly Adventists. Adventists live on average 8-12 years longer than their fellow countrymen. average duration life in the USA is about 80 years. This phenomenon has not yet found its explanation.
There are places of strength and healthy longevity on the planet. Local points with a record concentration of centenarians. What is the secret of these unique zones? How to overcome old age? And is it possible to live to be a hundred years old while remaining a healthy, full-fledged person?
To answer these questions, the film crew of the Science 2.0 TV channel, together with Russian scientists, sets off on a unique expedition, the goal of which is to study the territories where people live longer than usual, and, using the example of their lives, try to calculate the optimal formula for longevity, a set of rules for a hundred-year-old man.
Expedition participants:
Konstantin Lyamzaev - Researcher Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology named after. A.N. Belozersky Moscow State University, researcher on aging problems.
Boris Fenyuk - candidate biological sciences, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics of Moscow State University, professionally involved in the problems of aging.
Vadim Gladyshev - professor at Harvard Medical School
City of LOMA LINDA, CALIFORNIA, USA
How can a city an hour's drive from a metropolis like Los Angeles become one of the Blue Zones? It’s simple: it is inhabited by parishioners of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who do not smoke or drink alcohol or coffee. Men from this religious organization live on average seven years longer than other Californians.
Commandment: Eat little, pray. The Adventist diet is based on cereals and vegetables - this is another reason for their excellent health. Well, the state of mind also cannot be discounted: in 2008, the journal “Problems of Epidemiology” published a study according to which people, weekly attending religious services ,
Have a “better life prognosis for the next 8.5 years,” whatever that means. If you non-believer, just do good - for example, follow the advice of Israeli scientists and become a volunteer at one of the charitable organizations. Carcasses Forest fires, look for lost children, work in a shelter for stray dogs - the result will be even better.
This conclusion fits into the well-known hypothesis of Russian scientists that aging is a genetically programmed process. And we grow old for a reason, but because the corresponding biological function is specially built into us. And, since aging is a biological program, it must be controllable; there must be factors that accelerate and slow down aging. For the study, scientists identified the so-called “blue zones”: territories in which centenarians are found on average more often than in developed countries. This list includes the island of Okinawa (Japan), the island of Sardinia (Italy), the island of Ikaria (Greece), Costa Rica and one of the regions of California (USA).
So different climatic conditions and cultural characteristics, it would seem, should lead to fundamental differences between centenarians. However, it turned out that they have a lot in common! And this is in Once again confirms the correctness of the hypothesis of programmed aging. If aging as a program has regulators, then they should be universal and not depend on, say, geography.
It is believed that life expectancy directly depends on the level of material wealth. Wealthy people should, in theory, live longer because they have access to quality products, medicine, and do not engage in heavy physical labor. However, research shows the opposite.
Popular
It turned out that the people living the longest in Okinawa are the most simple people: fishermen who spent their entire lives doing physical labor and eating simple food: fish and rice. At the same time, the grandparents of the island of Okinawa are distinguished by their remarkable health. The local concept of “ikigai” (approximate translation - “destination”) deserves special attention. Every Okinawa resident defines his or her ikigai long before old age. Ikigai can be communication with people, it can be a professional activity, it can be creativity. Following one's ikigai gives meaning to the lives of old people.
“The rate of aging is related to psychological and social aspects human behavior recognized by the brain, which, depending on the signals it receives, can speed up or slow down the aging program. Since regulation is possible in principle, then the rate of aging of “helpful grandmothers” should be significantly less than that of “harmful” ones. We do not yet know how this regulation works. There may be good prospects here for the development of mitovitanes alternative to SkQ. To manage this process, it is not even necessary to know in detail how it works. You can try to “deceive” your nature with the help of those same socio-psychological signals. In other words, we need to make our body think that it is a “helpful grandfather”, and not harmful. And then the rate of aging should automatically slow down.” 1
Among all countries Latin America Costa Rica is the leader in the number of centenarians. And again, they are all simple workers who eat the same food (without salt and spices) from childhood to old age.
In Mediterranean Greece, on the island of Ikaria, time flows measuredly and smoothly. Here they are absolutely indifferent to material things, and the diet of the residents consists of fish, seafood, vegetables and fruits. The abundance of omega-3 polyunsaturated acids in the diet explains the fact that the inhabitants of Ikaria who have passed the century mark look, at most, 80 years old.
Another habitat of centenarians is the island of Sardinia. All the old people here are involved in social and family life. Having passed the century mark, they remain physically and mentally active. Local long-livers are people who love life and are always busy.
It turns out that the “blue zones” of centenarians are a socio-psychological phenomenon rather than a geographical one. The fact that a certain lifestyle and psychological attitude can slow down aging, according to the academician
V.P. Skulachev, proves that we are not dealing with a random process, but with a biological program.
But what to do if the pace of life is far from the measured rhythm of a resident of Sardinia or Ikaria? Are there non-psychological ways to slow down this program? As it turns out, Russian biologists have long been active research work and managed to create a substance that can act on the main cause of aging - free radicals. Scientists named it SkQ. This is an antioxidant that can penetrate the most inaccessible place in our body - the mitochondria, where it neutralizes free radicals, preventing them from spreading and harming other parts of the cell and its neighbors. This is something that ordinary antioxidants cannot do.
I would like to believe that our children will watch films about centenarians with surprise: “Live to be 100 years old? What's the big deal?
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