Old Age Will Suck For A Lot Of People But It Doesn’t Have To Suck For You
What Four Ground-Breaking Books Taught Me About Longevity
Have you imagined yourself as a septuagenarian or an octogenarian?
I often think about this — and I have had some discussions with old people about old age. It can be unsettling to learn what elderly people experience daily.
The tired knees, aching back, poor eyesight, wrinkled skin, general fatigue, loneliness, dwindling finances, growing list of medications, shrinking social roles etc.
Of course, this isn’t the case for every old person, but it is for many.
In the book, Lifespan: Why We Age, and Why We Don’t Have To, biologist David Sinclair describes how he gets young volunteers from his audience to wear an “age suit” during his talks on longevity research. The age suit comprises a neck brace (which reduces neck mobility), lead-lined jackets and wraps (which weakens the muscles with every move), earplugs (which reduces hearing) and ski goggles (which imitate cataracts). It is difficult to describe what precisely old age feels like, but he comes close to giving a near-authentic experience.
His book is a wild ride into the science of ageing and the numerous research looking for a “cure” for ageing. At the end of this article, I have listed 4 excellent books that will guide you in understanding ageing and what you can do about it.
As a young person, you are brimming with potential and bubbling with ambition — you could go anywhere, be anything. You feel invincible. The truth is that you will eventually grow old.
You will reach that point in the curve where the line steeply starts to tilt downwards and at some point, all that will be left will be the sum of your experiences and decisions.
The goals you met and those you didn’t. And of course the impact of all of that on your body, mind and circumstance — it’s all part of the complete human experience.
The good news is that the biological processes occurring in your body can be stirred in the right or wrong direction as a result of the habits you develop now. There are a few things to know about getting older. From a biological perspective, you can expect;
Inflammation: Chronic inflammation is terrible for the body. It is associated with ageing and age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Telomere shortening: Telomeres are the protective end caps on chromosomes. They shorten as cells divide and will eventually lead to cell death. It’s inevitable. It can be accelerated or decelerated depending on your lifestyle habits.
Oxidative stress: The body generates free radicals as a result of several factors in the environment, such as smoke, ultraviolet rays, and air pollution. If free radicals overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate them, a condition known as oxidative stress ensues. Free radicals damage cells in the DNA, proteins, and fats and invariably lead to ageing. It’s natural and occurs at varying degrees regardless of what you do to curtail it.
DNA damage: the modern-day environment is filled with pollutants, toxins, and UV rays from the sun. DNA damage is inevitable and the accumulation of DNA damage can lead to mutations and genomic instability. This contributes to the ageing process.
Hormone imbalances: Hormone levels decline with age, which affects metabolism, immunity, and other functions. Some hormones that you can expect to decline with age include Testosterone, Estrogen, DHEA (A precursor to other hormones, including Testosterone and Estrogen), Melatonin, and Growth hormone.
Cellular senescence: Senescent cells are cells that have ceased dividing and can build up with age. They contribute to ageing-related illnesses such as sarcopenia and frailty syndrome. The telomeres at the end of a linear chromosome shorten as the cell divides. Eventually, the telomeres on the chromosomes will disappear and this links the deterioration of telomeres to ageing.
Mitochondrial dysfunction: Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, and their dysfunction can lead to energy loss, inflammation, and ageing.
When older people around you get sick from various maladies associated with ageing, gradually, you start to confront the reality of what it means to age and its implications. There are a lot of processes going on in your body to ensure the inevitability of ageing. As you age, you should expect to experience increasing physical limitations, decreased energy levels, and more vulnerability to health problems.
But what if it doesn’t have to be this way? What if your habits now reduce the severity of the myriad of health challenges that come with ageing? What if these habits added a decade or more of health and vitality to your life? Old age sucks but you can make it suck less when you inevitably get there.
Many researchers continue to make ground-breaking discoveries on the many compounds that have been linked to ageing and longevity in humans. There are a host of supplements in development created to target several of these chemical reactions and biological processes. And with each passing year, we get to know more about the incredible longevity benefits of compounds like NAD, metformin, resveratrol and NMN. I follow the research and publications of David Sinclair. I am not saying that these supplements will make you immortal but I would recommend following up on studies to see what research is uncovering before deciding to take them.
Since the human body is a depreciating asset you have to make a concerted effort at preserving it or at the least make it resilient. There are several simple things you can do that don’t require ingesting expensive supplements or a daunting regime like Bryan Johnson.
For example, one thing you will need in your later years is healthy teeth — the more you have the better. Simple habits like avoiding sugary drinks, brushing 2 to 3 times a day and visiting the dentist regularly can be the difference between enjoying chicken and wings in your eights and slurping mush.
But of course, many other aspects of your biology are even more significant. You would also need a healthy brain, good bone density, good knees, and good eyesight — to mention a few. All very important in seeing and recognizing your grandkids, remembering their names and picking them up.
I try making my decisions based on if I think my 65-year-old self will be proud of my younger self for doing so. So you could ask yourself, “Will your 65-year-old self be proud of you for … “
Going to the gym or eating more junk meals
Fasting more or less
Brushing 2 twice a day or just once or every other day (Ewww)
Reading 999 books or 100 books
Getting in 10000steps or 2000 steps a day
Being intentional about what you put into your body or loading up on carbs and other processed garbage
Writing every day or just whenever you feel like it.
Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.
I have a few ideas, they are not all original ideas. Some I have practised for years while others are new habits in development. A number of them are anecdotal while some are backed by years of research. Some are from books that I have read while one or two are from my 98-year-old grandfather.
Limit/ avoid alcohol
According to the world health organization, alcohol abuse is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions — and every year 3 million deaths (5.3% of all deaths) are linked to alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a variety of health problems. Not only will limiting alcohol save your liver and brain neurons — It will drastically reduce the number of bad decisions you will make especially as a young adult.
My grandfather had a glass of whiskey in his early thirties back in the 1950s — and he hated it. He remained sceptical about alcohol all through his adult life. He didn’t like that it affected his mind — and the one thing that has remained unblemished as he clocks 99 this year, is his sound mind.
Take care of your mental health
Stress can contribute to ageing. Endeavour to stay mentally and socially active by engaging in activities you enjoy, such as reading, socializing or volunteering. In essence, you have to find ways to manage stress. In the book, The Blue Zones, Dan Buettner highlights how Downshifting, being part of a community and prioritizing family and social connections are all common features in the lives of long-lived people.
Taking care of your mental health can also be as simple as being open to new experiences and looking out for opportunities to learn new things. This can help you to continue to learn and grow, which can be very fulfilling. Try to focus on the present moment and enjoy the experiences and people in your life, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
Intermittent fasting
I am not a fan of this one but it’s perhaps the most important. The modern human diet is an absurd mess. For one, humans are not designed to eat copious amounts of sugar, flour and seed oils as found in the modern typical diet. Coincidentally, there is only one scientifically proven way to dramatically increase the life span of living organisms — and this is backed by decades of research — and that is Calorie Restriction.
The rule for this one is simple, eat less than you want. This idea isn’t new, for millennia most religious books have warned about the vice of gluttony. In the Blue Zones, longevity expert Dan Buettner talks about the concept of eating just to about 80% full and from my experience I think it’s good practice.
Limit carbs
Consider consuming foods rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. For starters, this will help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic diseases and put less stress on your pancreas. One sure way of speeding up your epigenetics clock is a consistently high blood sugar level — and you can avoid this by eating less processed foods and simple carbs.
If you can afford to eat 2 high-quality meals a day rather than 5 junk meals, you should probably go for the former. The right proteins will do a lot for the body and won’t cause huge insulin spikes which eventually contribute to insulin resistance. The china study makes a good case for eating foods as close to their natural state as possible — however, I disagree with its vilification of meat proteins.
UV rays
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a form of non-ionizing radiation that is emitted by the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds. UV rays damage DNA and can cause skin cancer. Protect your eyes with the right sun shades at all times and your skin with sunscreen. This does not sound like a big deal but the UV rays from the sun are so powerful that it was used in the past to bleach clothes. Think about when next you spend time in the sun
Don’t smoke
I am not even going to explain why this is incredibly bad for longevity.
Cold Showers
This is a bit contentious since it has not been definitively established that cold showers or exposure have significant health benefits. Some people swear by the benefits of taking cold showers or cold exposure and a study has linked cold showers to show a 29% reduction in sickness absence from work when compared to the control. The Wim Hof Method, a book by Wim Hof sold me on the idea — Wim Hof combines cold exposure with meditation and breathing exercises. He claims that it can help improve a range of health outcomes; including reducing stress, improving energy levels, and boosting the immune system. I believe him wholeheartedly because he has climbed mountains wearing only shorts in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Exercise
An important role of exercise is strengthening the human body. Regular exercise has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including slowing down the ageing process and preserving telomere length.
Telomeres defend the integrity of DNA by serving as caps on the terminal portions of chromosomes. Telomere length shrinks with ageing, and this contributes to cell senescence. The good news is that researchers found that people who had an active lifestyle have longer telomeres. Biologically, they were years younger than more sedentary people of similar age. Studies have also shown that physical activity decreases chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, especially in older and may thus reduce telomere shortening associated with ageing.
Get enough sleep
Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night as much as you can. It’s not always practical but it’s always worth it.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is proven to help neutralize the free radicals in our body that lead to oxidative stress — free radicals that can pile on over the years. This helps to prevent premature skin ageing and delay the visible signs of biological skin ageing. Oxidative stress leads to dull, tired-looking skin, and Vitamin C gives it the boost it needs to look younger and fresher. The China Study research found that the lower the vitamin C and beta carotene intake, the higher the rate of oesophagal and stomach cancer. Many different studies strongly indicate that this antioxidant may help protect against a variety of other cancers as well.
Your biggest asset as you age will be the state of your body, so take good care of it.
Good luck and stay productive
Books to read
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II.
Lifespan: Why We Age, and Why We Don’t Have To by David Sinclair
The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential by Wim Hof
