12 Signs that you’ll live until 100.
1. You watch what you eat Researchers in St. Louis
conducted a study and revealed that men and women who restricted their caloric intake to
between 1400 and 2000 calories, which is roughly 25% less than what average people consume, were
literally young at heart- their heart functioned like those of people who were 15 years younger.
The study author, Dr. Luigi Fontana,
said that it’s not just about eating less but getting the most nutrition per calorie.
The people who took part in this study stuck to whole grains, vegetables, fat-free milk,
and lean meat and eliminated white bread, soda and candy from their diet. “If you cut empty
calories and eat more nutrient-rich foods your health will improve,” says Dr. Fontana.
2. You love tea Green and black teas
contain a concentrated amount of catechins which are substances that helps to relax blocked blood
vessels and protects your heart. A study of more than 40,500 Japanese men and women showed
that those who took five or more cups of green tea on a daily basis had a lower risk of dying
from stroke and heart disease. Similar studies involving black tea revealed similar results.
In reality, you only need one or two cups of tea per day to begin doing your heart some good-
just ensure that it’s a fresh brew and not one of those that you find in the beverage
section of the supermarket. Ready to drink teas don’t offer the same health benefits.
Jeffery Blumberg, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University,
said that once water is added to the tea leaves, their catechins content begin to degrade within
a few days. Some studies also show that adding milk may eliminate teas protective
effects on the cardiovascular system, so be sure to stick to just honey or lemon.
3. You eat purple food This one is quite interesting.
Blueberries, concord grapes and red wine all get their deep, rich colour from polyphenols which are
compounds that, according to research, reduce the risk of heart disease and can even protect
against Alzheimer’s disease. Polyphenols help keep arteries and blood vessels healthy and flexible.
Robert Krikorian, director of the Cognitive Disorders Centre at the University of Cincinnati,
says that whatever’s good for your coronary arteries is also good for your brain’s blood
vessels. Preliminary animal studies suggest that incorporating dark grapes into your diet
may significantly improve brain function. In addition to this,
a recent study showed that eating one or more cups of blueberries every day
may improve communication between brain cells, enhancing your memory.
4. You don’t like red meat There’s nothing wrong with
about two and a half ounces of beef, lamb or pork once in a while. But consuming more than
18 ounces of red meat per week increases your risk of colorectal cancer which is
the third most common type of cancer according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
The risk of getting colorectal cancer also increases by 42% with every three and a half
ounce serving of processed meat which is inclusive of bacon, hot dogs and deli meats, eaten in a day.
Experts aren’t quite sure why red and processed meats are so harmful,
but they do suspect that the carcinogens can form when meat is smoked, grilled, smoked or cured- or
when certain preservatives such as nitrates are added. According to a nutrition advisor at the
American Institute for Cancer Research, you can have the occasional hot dog at a baseball game,
but just don’t make it a habit. And when you do choose to grill red meat, marinate it first,
keep the pieces small and flip them often- all of which can help prevent carcinogens from forming.
Keep the oven temperature at under 400 degrees Fahrenheit, if you’re baking or roasting it.
5. You like to go out for a run
Scientists in California found that middle-aged people who run for a minimum of five hours a week
lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively the older they got. For twenty-one
years, the researchers tracked runners and non-runners and what came as a surprise was
that the runners didn’t just have a smaller chance of getting heart disease, but they also developed
fewer cases of cancer, neurologic diseases and infections. The study author, Eliza Chakravarty
went ahead and stated that aerobic exercise keeps the immune system young and if you don’t like to
run, even twenty minutes of activity a day that leaves you breathless can boost your health.
6. You look on the bright side
No matter where you go or who you ask, all the centenarians have one thing in common:
they’re all optimists. Life is worth living, and more often than not, their glasses are
always half full. Their pronounced will to live and trust in their own abilities is what
differentiates the 100-year-olds from the 80 to 90-year-olds. So optimism prevails over pessimism.
There’s some truth in the saying that age is nothing but a number. The older you get,
what matters is how old you feel rather than how old you really are. If you find yourself
wanting to answer the question of how old you are with a younger age and not your real one,
then it’s a good sign that you’re going to live for quite a while. As a matter of fact,
CBS reports that a study conducted at the University College of London
found that senior citizens who reported feeling younger than they actually were
had a significantly lower mortality rate than those who felt like their real age or even older.
7. You get enough sleep
Taking naps is one of the things we all wish we had more time to do.
However, it could have immense health benefits that making finding time worth it.
Readers digest goes ahead and explains that Harvard studied the residents living in the small
island of Ikaria in Greece because it has such a high population of people who live until 100.
They discovered that part of their culture is taking naps in the afternoon,
and it was likely the reason why they lived for so long. Studies also show that those who took
half-hour naps during the day are 37% less likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t.
Forget, ‘I can sleep when I’m dead.’ A survey carried out by United Healthcare
showed that centenarians make bedtime a priority, with about 79% of them logging
eight or more hours each night on a regular basis. Sleep is very essential for healthy ageing. Reason
being your body has the chance to work on vital functions, and your cells and
tissues recover from the stresses of daily life. Research also reveals that obesity, diabetes,
heart disease, hypertension and a weakened immune system are linked to few hours of sleep.
To really reap the benefits of sleep, try going to bed and wake up at consistent times and forget
caffeine in the afternoon. Also use your bed mainly for sleep and not TV, phone calls and work.
8. You have lots of friends Part of the joys of life is
sharing it with other people. It’s true that some people like social interaction more than others,
but according to studies, social butterflies tend to live longer.
And not just friends on Facebook. A review of 70 studies with more than 3.4 million participants
showed that people who were socially isolated were at greater risk of dying early by 29%.
And those who felt lonely- despite having friends were at a 26% higher risk.
Translation: stop thinking that spending time with your friends is debatable.
Brunch with your friends and road trips with besties is just what the doctor ordered.
9. You’re a woman Although exercising,
healthy eating and the right attitude towards life are important factors that go a long way when
it comes to achieving long life, it’s no secret that women have a longer life expectancy than men
almost everywhere on earth. Men are mostly to blame for these statistics. They smoke,
drink a lot, don’t eat enough veggies, take more risks and don’t often visit the doctor.
Moreover, men don’t take care of other people as much as women do and have a hard time maintaining
social contact. Women, therefore, prove that lifestyle influences age a great deal.
10. You had kids later in life
Gone are the days when people had kids in their early 20s. Nowadays,
science says that it’s more than okay to want to make your career the priority for some time.
Quite a number of 100-year-old women have a history of having kids after the age of 35. A
recent study also showed that women who gave birth after 40 without the aid of fertility treatments
quadrupled their chances of reaching a hundred. “It’s not that becoming a mom later in life
promotes longevity,” says Dr. Perls. “Rather, it’s an indicator that a
woman’s reproductive system is ageing slowly and the rest of her body likely is as well.”
11. Your grandparents lived until a ripe old age Chances are that if your grandparents lived well
into their golden years, you have a great chance of living for a long time too. A study published
in the journal Science explained that healthy ageing is associated with two factors; environment
and genetics. The original study looked at 1,055 centenarians and 1267 controls, and
it was discovered that they could predict a long life with almost 60 to 85% accuracy. Apparently,
genetic markers and variants help dictate longevity in spite of environmental factors.
The study doesn’t particularly say whether these genes can be passed down, but it does
hint at the idea that if your grandparents lived a long time, you may live long as well.
12. You’re spiritual
Measuring the power of prayer has long been a point of contention for many in the scientific
community. But in a 2011 study published in the Journal of Religion and Health,
researchers looked at more than 92,000 women, including smokers, drinkers,
and women who exercised and those who didn't. Regardless of unhealthy or healthy habits,
the study found that people who attended one religious service each week were less likely to be
depressed than those who did not. Since depression can impact longevity, such attendance might help.
A 1998 study published in the American Journal of Public Health also found that elderly community
residents who regularly attended church services lived longer than those who did not partake.
You’ll find that, one is a smoker and lives forever while the other leads the healthiest
of lifestyles and still dies at a young age. So how do you explain this? Well, the research
and study carried out by scientists are not a guarantee that you’ll live a very long life.
There are other vital factors that are at play, such as genetics and other influences.
But the figures point out that if you desire to grow old in a healthy and contented manner,
you need to have a positive attitude towards yourself and the rest of the world.
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