According to a recent report released by the MacArthur Research Network on an Aging Society, North Americans living in the next 40 years will be much older than many current predictions. "The significance of this study is that it not only brings up the topic of length of life, but quality of life. People living longer want to live healthier for longer," said Dr. Steven Joyal, Vice President of Science and Medical Affairs for the Life Extension Foundation, the largest non-profit organization dedicated to research on extending the healthy human lifespan.
Here, Dr. Joyal imparts very simple advice on how to live healthier, longer.
Q: Do you have a sense of what average life expectancy in Canada and the U.S. will look like in 50 years?
A: With the current advances in nanotechnology, gene therapy, stem cell research and artificial intelligence, there is every reason to believe that children born at the turn of the new millennium will live, on average, to 100 years of age and well beyond.
Q: What role does nutrition play in enhancing quality of life as we live longer?
A: The most validated strategy for significantly extending mean (average) lifespan to date is caloric restriction (CR). Consuming, on average, 20 percent to 30 percent less calories than you would normally eat may be the best strategy for reducing age-associated morbidity due to disease.
Q: And exercise?
A: Exercise mimics many of the beneficial physiological effects of caloric restriction (CR) including improvements in cholesterol and lipids, insulin and fasting plasma glucose. In addition, exercise has beneficial effects on stress management, and exercise has been shown to be at least as effective as pharmaceutical Rx (prescriptions) treatment for mild to moderate depression.
Q: Do you have any behavioural tips for how to live healthier longer?
A: Eat less calories, exercise frequently, minimize stress, and if you currently smoke and drink to excess, stop!
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