Time magazine had a recent article, "How To Live To Be 100"
And they looked at the oldest people on the planet, who they dubbed the "super-old" and here's what they found
The Super-old tend to live in out of the way places. Like the Japanese island of Okinawa, the Italian island of Sardinia, and Nova Scotia, Canada. And the reason these people live so long is down to two factors good genes and lifestyle. So how much depends on each factor? Swedish scientists looked at the only set of people who share the same genes but not the same lifestyle identical twins, separated at birth, and raised apart. If genes were the most important factor, you'd expect the twins to die at about the same age. But the twins they looked at had radically different life spans which led the scientists to conclude that only 30% of how long we live is down to our genetic make-up.
The dominant factor in longevity is lifestyle. For example, in America, Seventh-Day Adventists are clean living, they avoid alcohol, caffeine and tobacco and they tend to live 8 years longer than the average American.
The Japanese Ministry of Health has been studying the super-old of Okinawa and found that their lifestyle is drastically different than the average modern person. Their diet is low in fat and salt high in fruits and vegetables. Also, the Okinawans consume more soy than any other population on earth. They also practice "Hara Hachi Bu" which translates into 'eat until you're 80% full.' The typical Okinawan oldster eats 1,800 calories a day. Compared to the average American who scarfs down 2,500 calories a day.
And if you need proof that they've got the right recipe when Okinawans move off the island and start living a more modern life, within a generation their life-spans decrease and their rates of cancer and heart attack zoom. But aside from what you put into your body your mental attitude is huge. And after a song or two I'll give you the 4 personality traits that'll keep you younger, longer.
The Super-old tend to live in out of the way places. Like the Japanese island of Okinawa, the Italian island of Sardinia, and Nova Scotia, Canada. And the reason these people live so long is down to two factors good genes and lifestyle. So how much depends on each factor? Swedish scientists looked at the only set of people who share the same genes but not the same lifestyle identical twins, separated at birth, and raised apart. If genes were the most important factor, you'd expect the twins to die at about the same age. But the twins they looked at had radically different life spans which led the scientists to conclude that only 30% of how long we live is down to our genetic make-up.
The dominant factor in longevity is lifestyle. For example, in America, Seventh-Day Adventists are clean living, they avoid alcohol, caffeine and tobacco and they tend to live 8 years longer than the average American.
The Japanese Ministry of Health has been studying the super-old of Okinawa and found that their lifestyle is drastically different than the average modern person. Their diet is low in fat and salt high in fruits and vegetables. Also, the Okinawans consume more soy than any other population on earth. They also practice "Hara Hachi Bu" which translates into 'eat until you're 80% full.' The typical Okinawan oldster eats 1,800 calories a day. Compared to the average American who scarfs down 2,500 calories a day.
And if you need proof that they've got the right recipe when Okinawans move off the island and start living a more modern life, within a generation their life-spans decrease and their rates of cancer and heart attack zoom. But aside from what you put into your body your mental attitude is huge. And after a song or two I'll give you the 4 personality traits that'll keep you younger, longer.
