Is it genetics, culture or lifestyle? Why do some people live longer than others?
Studies now show that the key social factor correlated with long life is education.
The best thing you can do to lengthen your children’s lives is keep them in school.
The National Institute on Aging finds education is the chief social factor for longevity in studies, trumping other factors such as income, race and health insurance. Indeed, life expectancy at age 35 is extended by 1.5 years simply by going to school for an extra year.
These findings imply that sinking national dollars into health care will never give us as much bang for our buck as directing those funds toward education.
Education teaches us how to delay gratification and think ahead. It teaches us how to plan for the future versus just living for the moment.
Other Life-Extending Social factors
- Having More Friends Helps You Live Longer. Social isolation significantly impacts longevity. Social isolation tends to give way to poor health and a shorter lifespan. After all, those without good social networks are often unable to get assistance if they become ill.
- Health-Wealth Connection. A recent analysis of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries found the lowest death rates are seen in the wealthiest places. Current studies suggest getting rich in the United States does not make you healthier, but getting sick does make you poorer. Low income doesn’t lead to poor health as much as poor health leads to low income, according to the latest research. For instance, if you develop cancer, heart disease, diabetes or another serious disease, your medical expenses rise while your ability to work declines. For England, Canada and Sweden, nations with universal health coverage, no difference in longevity exists between the rich and poor.
How To Extend the Quality and Quantity of Your Life
1. Follow an appropriate diet
2. Exercise
3. Sensible supplementation
4. Lifestyle habits; i.e., quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight
5. Seeing an anti-aging physician
6. Stress management
7. Attitude/positive thoughts
Lifestyle Choices Today Multiply Your Tomorrows. What you do now can extend not only the quantity of your years but also the quality. All you need to do is make a few simple lifestyle changes.
- One key change is regulating your insulin through diet and exercise. Optimizing your insulin and leptin levels have been found to be key factors in slowing down the aging process.
 Getting less than three servings of fruits and vegetables a day gnaws away at the quality of your health. Nutritional powerhouses filled with fiber and vitamins, fruits and veggies can lower the risk of heart disease by 76% and even play a role in decreasing your risk of breast cancer. Plus, the inflammation-fighting and circulation-boosting powers of the antioxidants in fruits and veggies banish wrinkles. |
Indeed, consuming sugar and grains increases your insulin level, the equivalent of slamming your foot onto your aging accelerator. No more potent way exists to accelerate aging than sticking to a diet full of sugar and grains!
When consumed in excess, sugar (especially fructose) acts as a toxin and drives multiple disease processes in your body, not the least of which is insulin resistance, a major cause of accelerated aging.