Life Desk :
The old saying “You are only as old as you feel” has got a new lease of life from a recent study.
How old you feel seems to reflect your health and general status of well-being. People who feel younger than they actually are seem to live longer and vice versa. Aging is a biological process mostly beyond our control. Visible signs of aging are largely the result of biological aging. It appears that in some people the biological age does not correspond to their chronological age. How this is brought about is not clearly known. It may be the beneficial or adverse effects of one’s genetic makeup primarily and also due to environmental factors, known and unknown.
Vascular aging is the chief cause of heart disease and subject to the influence of many factors related to aging. To confirm the effect of perceived youth, researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London spoke to 6489 individuals 52 years or older and asked them, “How old do you feel you are?” These individuals had taken part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2004-2005).
Depending upon their answers, they were divided into those who felt: (a) close to their actual age (1 year older or 2 years younger); (b) more than 1 year older than their actual age; and (c) more than or equal to 3 years younger than their actual age. Nearly 69.6% of the participants felt more than or equal to 3 younger than their actual age, 25.6% felt almost as old as they were and 4.8% felt more than 1 year older than their actual age.
Study participants were followed up till 2013 and deaths due to cancer, heart disease and any other cause were recorded. During this follow-up period of 99 months, death rates were 14.3% in people who felt younger, 18.5% in those who felt their age and 24.6% in those who felt older. These results remained true even after adjusting for age, gender, wealth, education, ethnicity, depression, social engagement, physical and mental health, mobility, smoking, physical activity and alcohol consumption. Further analysis showed that this association was strong in case of death due to heart disease than from any other cause (including cancer).
This interesting report confirms the findings of some earlier studies conducted on similar lines. The strong association with heart disease noted in this study is not surprising. It is not yet understood how the state of health influences self-image and in turn how a positive self-image leads to longevity.
It appears that healthier people feel younger and live longer. Or is that those who feel younger are healthier? So the fountain of youth actually exists within all of us! Feel young and live longer.
With contribution from: Dr. P. Sukumar, Former Professor and HOD Cardiology, Madras Medical College and Govt. General Hospital
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the Doctors are their independent professional judgement and we do not take any responsibility for the accuracy of their views. This should not be considered as an substitute for Physician’s advice. Please consult your treating Physician for more details.
-Internet
The old saying “You are only as old as you feel” has got a new lease of life from a recent study.
How old you feel seems to reflect your health and general status of well-being. People who feel younger than they actually are seem to live longer and vice versa. Aging is a biological process mostly beyond our control. Visible signs of aging are largely the result of biological aging. It appears that in some people the biological age does not correspond to their chronological age. How this is brought about is not clearly known. It may be the beneficial or adverse effects of one’s genetic makeup primarily and also due to environmental factors, known and unknown.
Vascular aging is the chief cause of heart disease and subject to the influence of many factors related to aging. To confirm the effect of perceived youth, researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London spoke to 6489 individuals 52 years or older and asked them, “How old do you feel you are?” These individuals had taken part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2004-2005).
Depending upon their answers, they were divided into those who felt: (a) close to their actual age (1 year older or 2 years younger); (b) more than 1 year older than their actual age; and (c) more than or equal to 3 years younger than their actual age. Nearly 69.6% of the participants felt more than or equal to 3 younger than their actual age, 25.6% felt almost as old as they were and 4.8% felt more than 1 year older than their actual age.
Study participants were followed up till 2013 and deaths due to cancer, heart disease and any other cause were recorded. During this follow-up period of 99 months, death rates were 14.3% in people who felt younger, 18.5% in those who felt their age and 24.6% in those who felt older. These results remained true even after adjusting for age, gender, wealth, education, ethnicity, depression, social engagement, physical and mental health, mobility, smoking, physical activity and alcohol consumption. Further analysis showed that this association was strong in case of death due to heart disease than from any other cause (including cancer).
This interesting report confirms the findings of some earlier studies conducted on similar lines. The strong association with heart disease noted in this study is not surprising. It is not yet understood how the state of health influences self-image and in turn how a positive self-image leads to longevity.
It appears that healthier people feel younger and live longer. Or is that those who feel younger are healthier? So the fountain of youth actually exists within all of us! Feel young and live longer.
With contribution from: Dr. P. Sukumar, Former Professor and HOD Cardiology, Madras Medical College and Govt. General Hospital
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the Doctors are their independent professional judgement and we do not take any responsibility for the accuracy of their views. This should not be considered as an substitute for Physician’s advice. Please consult your treating Physician for more details.
-Internet
