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There are more than half a million people over the age of 100 living in the world today. Half a million! According to United Nations projections, there could be close to 4 million centenarians across the globe in 2050. Genetics obviously plays a significant role in longevity but so do genetically-based personality traits such as being outgoing, optimistic, and open to trying new things, according to an Albert Einstein College of Medicine study. Straight Arrow News contributor Newt Gingrich explains.
One of the most exciting topics I began exploring is the question of healthy aging to levels that most of us would never dream of.
I recently did a podcast with Ben Jealous, the former head of the NAACP. His grandmother died at 105. Her sisters were over 100 when they died. I began talking with people – we did a podcast with an expert on people living longer. His specialty is studying people who live to be over 100, some of whom now live to be 115 years. And there are some surprising things.
Generally speaking, if you live past 90, you don’t have very many health problems. You’re actually pretty inexpensive. You’re not in the hospital very much, you don’t have a chronic condition, you’re not on kidney dialysis. You just live your life out and then one morning, you fall asleep and you don’t get awake. And it’s very inexpensive. And most of the folks who do that have the genetic pattern that keeps them alive up – right now the records up to about 115 years.
And what we’re learning is – this particular guy interviewed 500 folks who lived over 100 – half of them smoked, half of them didn’t, half of them drank, half of them didn’t, half of them exercised, half of them didn’t. It turned out you could live the life you wanted to live, but if you had the right genetics, you just kept living and you kept enjoying life.
So I think that it’s really interesting and here’s the example he used. He’s been doing research, for example, on genetically modified mice. He’s gotten mice that were the equivalent of 60 years old as humans, and he has reversed their aging until they were about 20 and had total energy, total excitement.
