Scientists have cracked the secret of why some people live a healthy and physically independent life over the age of 100. For the first time, a team of experts from Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, explored which biological and pathological processes may be the most important for successful ageing after 100 years of age.
They identified that to live past the age of 100 you must keep inflammation down in the body and telomeres long – which are the part of human cells that affect how our cells age.
Severe inflammation is part of many diseases in the old, such as diabetes or diseases attacking the bones or the body’s joints, and chronic inflammation can develop from any of them.
The lead researcher said: “Centenarians and supercentenarians are different – put simply, they age slower. They can ward off diseases for much longer than the general population.
In groups of people aged 105 and over (semi-supercentenarians), those 100 to 104 (centenarians), those nearly 100 and their offspring, the team measured a number of health markers which they believe contribute towards successful ageing, including blood cell numbers, metabolism, liver and kidney function, inflammation and telomere length.
Scientists expected to see a continuous shortening of telomeres with age, however what they found was that the children of centenarians, who have a good chance of becoming centenarians themselves, maintained their telomeres at a ‘youthful’ level corresponding to about 60 years of age even when they became 80 or older.
The data reveals that once you’re really old, telomere length does not predict further successful ageing. However, it does show that those who have a good chance to become centenarians and those older than 100 maintain their telomeres better than the general population, which suggests that keeping telomeres long may be necessary or at least helpful to reach extreme old age.
Centenarian offspring maintained lower levels of markers for chronic inflammation. These levels increased in everybody with age including centenarians and older, but those who were successful in keeping them low had the best chance to maintain good cognition, independence and stay alive for longer.
It has long been known that chronic inflammation is associated with the ageing process in younger, more ‘normal’ populations, but it’s only very recently we could mechanistically prove that inflammation actually causes accelerated ageing in mice.
This study, showing for the first time that inflammation levels predict successful ageing even in the extreme old, makes a strong case to assume that chronic inflammation drives human ageing too.
This study showed that over a wide age range, including unprecedentedly large numbers of the extremely old, inflammation is an important driver of ageing that might be something we can develop a pharmacological treatment for.
It is hoped that understanding the factors determining extreme longevity may help to achieve extended healthy lifespan for the wider population and to close the gap between the fastest and the slowest ageing population groups.
The results suggest that suppression of chronic inflammation might help people to age more slowly. However, presently available potent anti-inflammatories are not suited for long-term treatment of chronic inflammation because of their strong side-effects. Safer alternatives could make a large difference for the quality of life of older people.
Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec’s comments on “Healthy at 100- Low Levels of Inflammation is the Key”
This article confirms what we have taught at Total Health Institute for the last 32 years. Inflammation is the root of disease. As this study on centenarians showed that those that have the lowest levels of inflammation lived the longest. Very interestingly this study found inflammation levels more important in successful aging than telomere length. Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect your chromosomes, like the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces. So what this research is actually saying is that inflammation level is more important that your genes for successful aging.
So the researcher discover a great finding that inflammation is the cause but drop back into the old medical model of trying to make new drugs that decrease inflammation without too many side effects.
Medication has anywhere between 7-500 possible side effects. This means 7-500 other systems or functions of the body that are negatively affected by the medication. This is not logical unless you are in a life threatening emergency!
So the researchers have found the correct cause but their solution is incorrect. The correct answer to decrease inflammation in the body is as simple as 7 Basic Steps to Total Health
Besides the basics of drinking more water, eating more living/raw plant food, getting more premidnight sleep, getting more exercise. The two most important steps are:
- Fasting from standard American food and from standard American lifestyle habits. This will include what we promote at Total Health Institute- Living a permanent Daniel Fast and also separating yourself from other habits that feed the flesh and not the Spirit. This might include TV, internet, sports, shopping, social engagements or whatever else you feel you are addicted to meaning you must have them. You should only have one addiction in this life and that is to the ONE who created you and sustains you.
- Developing a strong prayer life is learning how to hear the voice of God spoken into your heart and knowing how to meditate on His Word. Without this all houses are built on sinking sand and when the storms of life come they will crash. Your house must be built on the Rock of God’s unconditional Love and the Grace and Truth that Christ Jesus gives you when you are IN HIM. This all manifests in this realm through the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of you but you will have no power of the Spirit if you keep listening to the flesh-filled mind and keep feeding it with these American addictions. The answer is found in Truth. Plant Truth in your heart and you will have a hundred fold harvest in every area of your life.