When researchers in recent years asked Americans to define “old age,” the most common answer was 78 and almost always between 75 and 80. It didn’t matter whether the person surveyed was 30 or 70–the answer was about the same.
Sixty-five is no longer old. Sophia Loren is still turning heads at 65. Sean Connery, 69, hasn’t slowed down much from his James Bond years, either.
But somebody ought to talk to John Glenn, who returned to space orbit at 77 (and fared better by various medical measurements than about half of the other 12 male astronauts, according to a NASA report released in January). Or maybe nudge Sumner Redstone, the 77-year-old chief executive officer who runs the merged Viacom-CBS empire and has been sued by his 74-year old wife (for a cool $3 billion), reportedly on grounds of adultery, after 52 years of marriage.
Better yet, discuss the concept of old with researchers and aging experts. They confirm that redefining the physiology of old age is more than just wishful thinking — or pushing up the number with each decade you live. In fact, in another 10 years or so, even 78 might barely qualify for senior citizenship.
“The whole experience of aging has been set back a generation or two,” said Ken Dychtwald, a research fellow with the World Economics Forum and author of the book, “Age Power” (Putnam/Tarcher). “Baby Boomers who are turning 50 by the millions each year are creating tremendous interest in how and when we will grow old. But I think the true age pioneers are today’s elders who are 65 and older. They are rejecting the stereotypes and showing the way.”
“My hunch is that there’s a 75 percent chance that someone born today will live to be 150,” Steve Austad, a University of Idaho biologist specializing in aging, said at a meeting of academic researchers on aging last year at the University of California School of Medicine at Los Angeles to discuss some of the likely advances.
“Over the next couple of decades, we will be able to unravel the mechanism of aging,” Cynthia Kenyon, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California at San Francisco, told the same gathering.
Where many people are headed is what is being called our “third age,” which begins around 50 or just after youth and middle age — and most definitely before old age. Just how long a person extends this third age depends on a balance of medical breakthroughs and personal health habits.
“One thing we can confidently predict is a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle will accelerate the aging process,” said Dr. George J. Siegel, 63, associate director of the Neuroscience and Aging Institute at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. “It’s never too late to do something positive about your health habits (for example, studies show people in their 80s and 90s can gain strength and mobility within weeks after beginning moderate weight-lifting programs), but the best plan is start in your 40s and 50s, if not sooner.”
A quick scan of the human body can help show why today’s and especially tomorrow’s 65-year-olds can stay younger longer. Prime time, indeed:
Cardiovascular system: The heart typically becomes less efficient as we move into our 50s and beyond, not able to rise as rapidly during physical activity. Arteries can also become less flexible and clogged. But research clearly shows regular physical activity and eating a diet with moderate fat and overall calories can protect the heart by reducing cholesterol and high blood pressure. The routineness of open-heart surgery is another major development that redirects lives for the better.
“An increasing number of Americans are survivors of cardiovascular disease before age 65,” said Siegel. “That alone is a big reason why people live longer. A good percentage of them know they are getting a second chance.”
Nonetheless, more than half of American adults are sedentary and about one-third would be classified as obese or 20 percent over a healthful body weight.
“It’s not as glamorous as some of the other anti-aging news,” said Siegel, who has trimmed back on desserts and red meat in recent years. “But watching what you eat and following a regular exercise routine [he stretches every morning, does some situps and pushups and power-walks several times each week] is a highly effective strategy for the heart and lungs.”
On the other hand, smoking is not. The newest statistics from the American Heart Association indicate one in five cardiovascular deaths can be attributed to smoking. In addition, lung cancer kills more American women each year than all other cancers combined.
The five senses: Our senses can be strong indicators of quality of life as we age. Taste, smell and touch can stay intact well into our later years, though tobacco and alcohol can desensitize taste buds and suppress smell. What’s most changeable among the senses is vision and hearing.
Presbyopia, the condition that sends many of us to the ophthalmologist for reading glasses, can develop in the 40s. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disorder of the retina that causes loss of straight-ahead functional vision, can strike some people in their 50s and is becoming all too common among 60-year-olds. Although laser techniques have been developed to correct nearsightedness — and change quality of life in a hurry for some third agers and seniors — the cure for AMD is slow in coming. For now, the best therapies can only delay progression of the condition. Siegel said the greatest hope might be electronic implant devices placed in the retina, which are in the most preliminary stages of testing.
Glaucoma (particularly in African-Americans) and cataracts rise with age. Getting regular screenings is highly recommended. Laser surgeries for cataracts has made it dramatically easier and more effective for seniors to undergo the operation.
Hearing, especially the higher tones, diminishes more rapidly in men than women during their 60s. Although the greater profusion of noise in today’s world has many experts predicting more hearing problems for future generations, the technology of hearing aids has advanced even further.
“People need to know hearing aids are a much different proposition than even three to five years ago,” said Siegel. “It’s very encouraging.”
Muscles, bones and joints: By age 40, people can start losing one to two percent of their strength each year. Osteoarthritis strikes millions of Americans whose joints stiffen from overuse. Post-menopausal women (and men starting at about age 65) can lose about one to two percent of their bone density each year.
Yet the prognosis is far from bleak. Exercise scientists such as Miriam Nelson at Tufts University’s Center on Aging have showed resistance strength training (using weights, elastic bands or one’s own body weight for isometric exercises) can perform such seeming miracles as staving off bone loss, reducing falls and hip fractures among 80-year-old women and significantly reducing joint pain in arthritis patients. Maybe best of all, weight training can improve one’s nightly sleep patterns, Nelson reports.
Teeth: Past generations have not enjoyed the same luck with keeping their teeth as current seniors. Although cavities are fewer, it is still incumbent upon every adult to be diligent about potential gum disease, which can lead not only to tooth loss but also to serious infections that can cause heart problems. A semi-annual to annual checkup — or a swifter trip if redness, swelling or bleeding of the gum persists — is the best strategy for keeping the category in the plus column.
Sexuality/reproductive system: Experts say Viagra is just the start of a third-age sexual revolution. There are all sorts of menopause therapies on the market and in development to make a women’s transition easier and more pleasant. Heightened awareness of breast and prostate cancer has encouraged early detection and higher remission rates. There is much hope these diseases will continue to become less life threatening.
Brain: Of course, no discussion of aging is complete without speculating on loss of memory and related brain functions. One result of higher life expectancy is the expected rise of Alzheimer’s disease, which currently is not reversible. A common prediction is at least 10 percent of people 65 and older will suffer from the neurodegenerative disorder in the next few decades.
“The key breakthrough will be prevention,” said Dr. John Lee, an associate professor of pathology and pharmacology at Loyola University Medical School. “There is reason to be optimistic. Ten years ago we didn’t have a clue about the molecular biology of the brain [then the federal government earmarked lots of research money in what was labeled the `decade of the brain’].”
Some of the potential scientific breakthroughs are as complex as an Alzheimer’s vaccine and as simple as nutrition therapy.
“We can hold out hope for 2010 — mostly helping people in their 40s and younger — but in the near future we need one of the many Alzheimer’s drugs in development to work,” said Lee.
For now, it remains a guessing game just why some people face Alzheimer’s while others stay sharp mentally well into their 80s and 90s. In any case, some of the more intriguing studies (including one recently completed at the University of Florida) shows believing in yourself can heighten both self-esteem and the ability to remember things.
It doesn’t appear self-confidence will be an epidemic-level problem, if today’s age pioneers continue blazing the way.
“We have traditionally thought of old age as the final stage of life, when a person was not physically active and, in many cases, their financial security is on the decline,” said Ken Dychtwald, who just turned 50 himself in March. “A person would leave the workforce and sort of step aside from life.
“Forget that now. Check out any marathon race and see how many seniors are running compared to 10 years ago. Millions of people 65 and older are going back to school, starting new careers, falling in love and surfing the Internet.”
EXTENDING LIFE NO LONGER SCIENCE FICTION
Although improving your diet and exercise habits can make a life-changing difference in later years, there is no shortage of possibilities for anti-aging medical breakthroughs. Perhaps most exciting to researchers are potential drugs (an estimated 600 compounds are in development) and hormonal therapies (including DHEA, human growth hormone, melatonin, estrogen and testosterone).
“Don’t think the pharmaceutical companies don’t see the huge success of Viagra and Celebrex,” the anti-inflammatory medication that recently passed former sales volume record-holder Viagra, said Ken Dychtwald, a research fellow with the World Economics Forum. “One or two successful outcomes in drug trials might extend life expectancy to 110 to 120 years. It’s possible.”
Another hot topic is antioxidants. Eating more fruits, vegetables, grains and other plant foods might become a back-to-the-future remedy that gives us antioxidants. These supernutrients neutralize free radical molecules in the body. If left unchecked, free radicals can cause the aging and degenerations of cells.
Not surprisingly in America, land of the would-be magic bullet, the supplement or “nutraceutical” market is already exploding.
“There’s no question that people 50 and older can benefit from taking an antioxidant vitamin formula,” said Dr. Bob Goldman, chairman of the Chicago-based American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and senior research fellow at Tufts University in Boston. “Garlic supplements are another potent antioxidant. We will only continue to learn more about what food and supplements can delay the aging process.”
Other potential age stoppers include the more complex procedure of cloning human tissue to “regrow” organs such as livers or kidneys that no longer function properly.
If this sounds a bit far-fetched, remember that such breakthroughs as controlling infectious diseases and clearing clogged arteries notched up life expectancy at birth of U.S. adults to 77 from 47 in the last century. Longevity researchers predict about half of all girls born in the United States this year will live to see 2100. Most babies and toddlers today are expected to live into their 90s if trends from the last three decades continue.
