Longevity: What makes us live long and healthily?
None of us knows how long we will live. Recent research shows: although our genes are involved, we have much more influence on our life expectancy than we thought. Our lifestyle plays a big role in this matter. Together with Appinio, we conducted a study in Germany and England that investigated how people feel about aging.
What you can for yourself if you wish to live a healthy, long life, you will learn in the following.
For decades, life expectancy rose continuously, especially in the western industrialised nations. This was caused, among other things, by better living conditions and continuing medical progress. Generation after generation could count on a higher life expectancy than the previous one. This trend has now been stopped for the first time. People are once more dying at an earlier age. The reasons seem to be manifold. However, one major factor is our unhealthy lifestyle, which entails little exercise and poor nutrition. It’s time to reverse this trend. So, how can you live longer and be healthy at the same time?
It is true that a considerable part of our personal risk for chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular maladies or tumours, is predetermined by our genes. Such diseases are often passed on within families. Nevertheless, this knowledge should not make us apathetic, especially in the case of a high risk of disease!
The higher the personal genetic risk, the more promising are preventive measures e.g exercise and a healthy diet.
So, what’s important is this: while we need to accept our genetic make-up as it is, we can improve our habits in order to age healthier.
The average life expectancy of men and women is different. Women live to be 82 years old on average, men 78. According to a study by Appinio, the desired lifespan of men is 81 years on average, while women hope to still be able to celebrate their 83rd birthday. This is not too far removed from current life expectancy. How nice would it be if we could also reach this age whilst staying healthy and fit, if possible, without or at least hardly burdening illness(es)?
What happens to people in old age?
In order to achieve this goal, let us first clarify what ageing actually means. Most living beings reach the peak of their performance at their reproductive age. After successful reproduction and rearing of offspring, their task is, strictly speaking, fulfilled. Human genes and the way they interact with each other mean that humans reach their optimum fitness between 20 and 30 years of age. After that, at the latest, the ageing processes begin. Over the course of these, the nerve cells in the brain gradually lose their plasticity, and it takes longer and longer for new synapses to form. At the same time, the activity of the stem cells decreases. As a result, the regenerative capacity of the organs diminishes. In parallel, the number of genetic mutations, i.e., changes and defects, rises. Increased blood sugar levels also cause accelerated ageing of the proteins. The reason for this is the accumulation of sugar on these proteins. The slowing down of the metabolism makes it increasingly difficult for the body to eliminate or break down toxic substances. Overall, these processes promote chronic inflammation at a low level. This so-called “silent inflammation” is currently regarded as the motor of almost all ageing processes. Mental development follows a similar pattern, though not quite as drastically. The ageing person gains more and more experience, but often loses creativity. Learning something new becomes more and more difficult. The memory deteriorates at an increasing pace.
Experts say that the maximum biological lifespan of humans is about 120 years. The fact that the average life expectancy of the population has increased so dramatically in the last century is largely due to advances in medicine. For example, improved hygiene, among other things, has significantly reduced infant mortality. Several potentially fatal infectious diseases became treatable through the development of antibiotics. There are many other reasons, as well: improved diagnostics mean that many potentially fatal diseases can be detected earlier and can be optimally treated and, in some cases, completely cured by new therapeutic methods. Until recently, it was assumed that life expectancy in Germany would rise to 90 years by 2035. Whether this age can actually be reached depends on whether the generally unhealthy lifestyle of the population is reversed. People who take care of their health value sufficient exercise and good nutrition. They value a good work-life balance, try to minimise stress, and attempt to slow down.
