Nonagenarians for Dummies

When I was a 20-something runner, I remember looking at the 50 year-olds and thinking, “Wow, I hope that I can still walk when I’m that age.” With 40 fast approaching, those 50 year-olds seem pretty young.

My wife is an amazing person who, among other things, hails from a family that seemingly has no problem living well into their 90s. Whereas in my family, the men tend to drop off around 25 years earlier, usually to cancer. As such, I made it a goal a few years ago to live to 100.

The changes in my life are pretty simple ones. To maintain my already “normal” level blood pressure, I supplement beet juice several times per week. To help combat risk factors of prostate cancer (the #1 cancer in my family), daily I consume flax, saw palmetto and a few servings of red veggies. No more returning from the market with a bag of tortilla chips and pretzels. If it’s a processed grain, I don’t eat it. I ride my road bike less (I’ve been bumped and hit by cars too many times) and spend more time in the serenity of the ocean, surfing and paddling.

A study published around a year and a half ago looked at the lifestyles of men who live into their 90s. Researchers tracked a group of several thousand men over 20+ years. From the results of their study, they estimate that a 70-year-old man who did not smoke and had normal blood pressure and weight, no diabetes and exercised 2-4x per week had a 54% probability of living to age 90. However, if he had adverse factors, his probability of living to age 90 was reduced to the following amount:

• Sedentary lifestyle, 44%
• Hypertension, 36%
• Obesity, 26%
• Diabetes, 30%
• Smoking, 22%
• Combination of any 3 factors, 14%
• Combination of all 5 factors, 4%

The study does not tell the whole story (family life, work history, etc) but it does give a pretty good picture of how to live long and well. And note that according to the study, the 90 year-olds did not just live longer than those who died younger, but they seemed to live “better”. I know, that’s a terribly subjective term. But the nonagenarians in this study lived longer, were stricken by disease at a later date, were more active and were more mentally acute than their counterparts.

For myself, it would seem that those 5 risk factors are a non-issue. Woohoo! Assuming I make it to 70, I have a 54% chance of living as long as my wife. If you’re dealing with any of those 5 risk factors, make the change today. It’s truly is never too late to change.