Longevity Research Center

We are no longer publishing our Longevity Research Update newsletter but instead we are emailing a monthly supplement research update newsletter.

In a 2007 study by the Census Bureau, Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, had the longest life expectancy, at 83.5 years, followed by Japan, Macau, San Marino and Singapore. The shortest life expectancies were in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region that has been hit hard by an epidemic of HIV and AIDS, as well as famine and civil war. Swaziland has the shortest, at 34 years, followed by Zambia, Angola, Liberia and Zimbabwe.

Longevity research - Four basic longevity enhancers
People who drink moderately, exercise, quit smoking and eat five servings of fruit and vegetables each day live on average 14 years longer than people who adopt none of these behaviors.

Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter at Physician Formulas.  Twice a month we email you a brief abstract of several new studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics and their practical interpretation  by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

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Longevity research statistics
A report issued by the National Center for Health Statistics indicates improved American longevity in the US. American adults are living longer, fewer babies are dying in infancy, and the gap between white and black life expectancy has narrowed during the past decade. In 2000, average life expectancy at birth hit record highs, with men at 74.1 years and women at 79.5 years. A century earlier, life expectancy was 48 years for men and 51 years for women. Those who reach age 65 now live to an average age of 81 for men and 84 for women. It is unclear whether this trend in longevity will continue.

2001--For men, life expectancy rose from 74.3 in 2000 to 74.4 years in 2001. Women's life expectancy rose from 79.7 to 79.8 years. White women have the highest life expectancy, 80.2 years, followed by black women (75.5 years), white men (75 years) and black men (68.6 years).

Longevity research - how to live longer
The field of longevity and anti-aging is full of promises and unsubstantiated claims. As of now, there is no definitive research in humans of any substances or techniques that have been proven to extend longevity. See Longevity. However, there are a number of steps we can take to potentially live longer. These include:

Longevity enhancers
1. Have a positive attitude and improve your coping skills to daily stresses. Embrace the philosophy that "It's not what happens to me, it's what I make of it." In a sample of people aged 50 and older who were followed for an average of 23 years, respondents who reported having a positive attitude toward aging lived an average of more than 7 years longer than those who had a more dismal view of getting older. Do you want to be happier? Take a look at my book on Happiness.

2. Keep a healthy weight and reduce the number of calories consumed. Caloric restriction prolongs life in animals. Cutting calories may do more than help people shed excess weight, research suggests. According to a new report, a low-calorie diet may also slow age-related changes in the heart's genes that can lead to chronic disease. In the study, "middle-aged" 14-month-old mice were fed either a normal diet or one restricted in calories. When the mice reached 30 months of age, or the equivalent of 90 years of a human life span, the researchers analyzed their heart tissue. The hearts of mice on the low-calorie diets showed nearly 20% fewer age-related genetic changes and also appeared to have less DNA damage than those of mice on regular diets. Restricting calories also inhibited potentially disease-causing changes in the immune system, and suppressed apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
      A telephone poll conducted by ABC News found that 73% of respondents would not restrict their caloric intake in order to live longer.
      Mouse study: eating less at any age prolongs life.

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3. Reduce consumption of foods cooked at high temperature which may lead to acrylamide formation. Drink more tea, particularly green tea.

4. Regular exercise and keep physically active. Regular stretching or yoga is helpful in keeping joints and ligaments supple.

5. Avoid smoking cigarettes. Smokers die ten years younger on average than non-smokers
As if smokers need another reason to kick the habit, California scientists have discovered that nornicotine, a byproduct of nicotine, the substance that makes cigarettes so addictive, causes a type of chemical reaction in the body similar to that which occurs when sugar is scorched or food goes bad. This reaction is thought to play a role in diabetes, cancer and other diseases. The interaction between sugars and proteins can produce substances called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs. The accumulation of AGEs appears to contribute to the aging process and certain diseases.

6. Have strong connections to others, whether through family and relatives, marriage, children, pets, or connecting with nature, planet earth, and the universe.

7. Get a deep sleep

8. Keep your mind young and active by learning.

9. Try to surround yourself with nature. Green trees in the neighborhood, sunshine in the home, are linked to longevity.

10. Have loving and caring friends. Research suggests that having a strong network of friends helps people live longer.

Longevity and Genetics
Unfortunately, one of the most important influences on longevity is genetics, something we cannot influence with our present scientific knowledge. People who have parents and grandparents who live long are more likely to also live a long life.

High Blood Pressure and Longevity
High blood pressure can take years off both life expectancy and time lived free of disease. Research, based on data from a long-running U.S. heart-health study, found that the impact of high blood pressure on life expectancy may be more significant than previously estimated. Researchers found that high blood pressure at the age of 50 shaved about 5 years off men's and women's lives. It also caused them to endure 7 more years with cardiovascular disease compared with their peers who had normal blood pressure in middle-age. It's well known that high blood pressure raises the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, but only a few studies have looked at how blood pressure affects longevity.

Ovary Removal and Longevity
Women who undergo removal of both ovaries before the age of 45 years have decreased longevity if they do not receive estrogen replacement treatment up to the age of 45 years.

Centenarians
In a survey of people between the ages of 100 and 104, 23 percent said faith rather than genes and good medical care were responsible for their long life. Other factors given included hard work, a healthy diet and "living a good, clean life." Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said there was nothing they would have done more of in their lives and 78 percent said there is nothing they would have done less. About 13 percent said they wished they had traveled more, 9 percent said they wished they had worked less and 6 percent said they wished they had spent more time with their families. The survey, conducted by Evercare which provide health plans to the disabled and chronically ill, indicated that 30 percent of centenarians considered raising a family as their most satisfying achievement while 20 percent valued mostly their careers.

Children of centenarians
People who make it to the age of 100 have some "good genes" that they pass on their children. A study of more than 600 older U.S. adults found that the children of centenarians tended to live longer and were substantially less likely to develop diabetes or suffer a heart attack or stroke. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, November 2008.

Longevity Research Update
As the first of the 75 million baby boomers touch 60 in 2006, there's good news for the men: They are catching up to women in life expectancy. A new "Longevity Index" by Credit Suisse First Boston shows that while women still live four years longer on average, men are gaining twice as fast in the age race. Medical experts say women are working harder, smoking more and undergoing more stress, which leads to the No. 1 killer -- heart disease.

A new finding may explain how stress could ultimately lead to a decrease in longevity. Chronic psychological stress is associated with accelerated shortening of the caps, called telomeres, on the ends of chromosomes in white blood cells -- and thus hasten their demise -- according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Telomeres promote chromosome stability. Telomeres shorten with each replication of the cell, and cells cease dividing when telomeres shorten sufficiently. The team investigated the theory that psychological stress affects telomere shortening and thereby contributes to a decrease in longevity. Their study included 39 healthy, premenopausal women who were primary caregivers for a child with a chronic illness, and 19 age-matched mothers of healthy children who served as a comparison "control" group. Stress was measured with a standardized questionnaire, and telomere length was measured in participants' blood samples. Within the caregiving group, the longer that a woman had been a caregiver, the shorter was the length of telomeres. In the 14 women with the highest stress scores, telomeres averaged 3,110 units in length; the 14 with the lowest stress had telomeres that averaged 3,660 units. In adults, telomeres shorten by an average of 31 to 63 units per year, so the scientists estimate that the 550-unit shortening in the high-stress group translates to 9 to 17 additional years of aging.

The compound that makes red wine a healthful drink may also hold one of the secrets to longevity. Researchers found that resveratrol acted on fruit flies and worms in the same way as a method known to extend longevity of animals including monkeys -- sharply restricting how much they eat.. The finding opens the possibility that people could take a pill to achieve the same benefits as strict dieting to live longer, healthier lives, said David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the study. "We found this chemical that can extend longevity of every organism we give it to."

Older adults with a bright outlook on the future may live longer than those who take a dimmer view. 
Researchers in the Netherlands found that older men and women judged to have optimistic personalities were less likely to die over the nine-year study period than those with pessimistic dispositions. Much of this reduced risk was due to lower rates of death from cardiovascular disease among the most optimistic men and women in the study. They were 77 percent less likely to die of a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular cause than the most pessimistic group-regardless of factors such as age, weight, smoking and whether they had cardiovascular or other chronic diseases at the study's start.

Use of carnosine as a natural anti-senescence drug for human beings.
Biochemistry (Mosc) 2000 Jul;65(7):869-71.
Carnosine is an endogenous free-radical scavenger. The latest research indicates that apart from the function of protecting cells from oxidation-induced stress damage, carnosine appears to be able to extend the lifespan of cultured cells, rejuvenate senescent cells, inhibit the toxic effects of amyloid peptide (A beta), malondialdehyde, and hypochlorite to cells, inhibit glycosylation of proteins and protein-DNA and protein-protein cross-linking, and maintain cellular homeostasis. Also, carnosine seems to delay the impairment of eyesight with aging, effectively preventing and treating senile cataract and other age-related diseases. Therefore, carnosine may be applied to human being as a drug against aging.

Foods cooked at high heat linked to inflammation
People may be able to lower their risk of heart, diabetes, and possibly other diseases by consuming cool foods, or dishes cooked at relatively low temperatures, such as salads and tuna fish, preliminary research suggests. Foods cooked at high temperatures spurred the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds in the blood that stimulate cells to produce inflammation. While AGEs are normally produced in the body at a slow rate, they can be toxic and form more quickly when food is heated to high temperatures. Inflammation is associated with heart disease among all people, but people with diabetes are thought to be particularly vulnerable. People who consumed foods cooked at lower temperatures had lower levels of both AGEs and inflammatory proteins than people who consumed the same foods cooked at higher temperatures. After 6 weeks, levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and concentrations of the inflammatory protein C-reactive protein (CRP) had also risen among those consuming the diet high in AGEs and declined among those in the reduced AGE group. TNF-alpha and CRP are both markers showing increased inflammation.

Mitochondria and acetyl-l-carnitine
Mitochondrial decay has been postulated to be a significant underlying part of the aging process. Decline in mitochondrial function may lead to cellular energy deficits, especially in times of greater energy demand, and compromise vital ATP-dependent cellular operations, including detoxification, repair systems, DNA replication, and osmotic balance. Mitochondrial decay may also lead to enhanced oxidant production and thus render the cell more prone to oxidative insult. In particular, the heart may be especially susceptible to mitochondrial dysfunction due to myocardial dependency on beta-oxidation of fatty acids for energy and the postmitotic nature of cardiac myocytes, which would allow for greater accumulation of mitochondrial mutations and deletions. Thus, maintenance of mitochondrial function may be important to maintain overall myocardial function. Herein, we review the major age-related changes that occur to mitochondria in the aging heart and the evidence that two such supplements, acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) and (R)-alpha-lipoic acid, may improve myocardial bioenergetics and lower the increased oxidative stress associated with aging. We and others have shown that feeding old rats ALCAR reverses the age-related decline in carnitine levels and improves mitochondrial beta-oxidation in a number of tissues studied. However, ALCAR supplementation does not appear to reverse the age-related decline in cardiac antioxidant status and thus may not substantially alter indices of oxidative stress. Lipoic acid, a potent thiol antioxidant and mitochondrial metabolite, appears to increase low molecular weight antioxidant status and thereby decreases age-associated oxidative insult. Thus, ALCAR along with alpha lipoic acid may be effective supplemental regimens to maintain myocardial function.

Smokers: Pop a Vitamin C Pill Before You Puff
Almost everyone is aware of the harm cigarette smoke causes to lung tissue and reduce longevity, but not as many people realize that smoking causes damage to arteries, and this harm occurs relatively quickly. Short-term cigarette smoking is associated with endothelial dysfunction. The endothelium is the the layer of cells that lines the heart and blood vessels and smoking is known to cause dysfunction of this important tissue. A study conducted at the Athens University Medical School in Athens, Greece, examined the effect of orally administered ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on cigarette smoking-induced endothelial dysfunction. In this double-blind, randomized, crossover study, 19 healthy subjects were examined by high-resolution ultrasonography of the brachial artery (the artery in the arm) before and 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after smoking a cigarette. Measurements were performed on two different days, 2 hours after oral administration of 2 grams of ascorbic acid or placebo. After smoking, blood flow dropped to less than half of the baseline value. Thereafter in the placebo group, blood flow increased to 70% of baseline value in 90 minutes, but in the ascorbic acid group blood flow increased to 70% of baseline value in half the time. The researchers conclude, "Oral administration of ascorbic acid attenuates endothelial dysfunction after short-term cigarette smoking by shortening its duration."
      Dr Sahelian says: For those who are not able to stop their smoking habit, it would seem that taking vitamin C partially mitigates the harm caused to the blood vessels. A dose of 200 to 500 mg of vitamin C taken once or twice a day seems reasonable.

Additional potential longevity enhancers:
Being financially stable
Having a satisfying career
Healing old and new emotional wounds
Having a personal religious or philosophical belief system that gives meaning to this world.
Driving safely, wearing seat belts, minimizing the use of cell phones while driving.

A new finding may explain how stress could ultimately lead to a decrease in longevity. Chronic psychological stress is associated with accelerated shortening of the caps, called telomeres, on the ends of chromosomes in white blood cells -- and thus hasten their demise -- according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Telomeres promote chromosome stability. Telomeres shorten with each replication of the cell, and cells cease dividing when telomeres shorten sufficiently. The team investigated the theory that psychological stress affects telomere shortening and thereby contributes to a decrease in longevity. Their study included 39 healthy, premenopausal women who were primary caregivers for a child with a chronic illness, and 19 age-matched mothers of healthy children who served as a comparison "control" group. Stress was measured with a standardized questionnaire, and telomere length was measured in participants' blood samples. Within the caregiving group, the longer that a woman had been a caregiver, the shorter was the length of telomeres. In the 14 women with the highest stress scores, telomeres averaged 3,110 units in length; the 14 with the lowest stress had telomeres that averaged 3,660 units.In adults, telomeres shorten by an average of 31 to 63 units per year, so the scientists estimate that the 550-unit shortening in the high-stress group translates to 9 to 17 additional years of aging.

The compound that makes red wine a healthful drink may also hold one of the secrets to longevity. Researchers found that resveratrol acted on fruit flies and worms in the same way as a method known to extend longevity of animals including monkeys -- sharply restricting how much they eat.. The finding opens the possibility that people could take a pill to achieve the same benefits as strict dieting to live longer, healthier lives, said David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the study. "We found this chemical that can extend longevity of every organism we give it to."

Ethnic groups and longevity research
Hispanics born and raised in the United States are in poorer health than new immigrants -- with higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and a higher likelihood for reduced longevity. Poor eating habits, smoking and a lack of exercise are all likely to blame.