Benjamin Button is Fiction But You Can Grow Older Healthier

Many of us have wondered what it might be like to live backward lives, or to have the wisdom of age with the body of youth. This is exactly that mechanism present in the excellent David Fincher film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The title character of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is born in 1860, without explanation, as a man of 70, complete with wrinkles, long beard and cantankerous attitude. From then on, he grows younger each year, until, seven decades later, he passes on peacefully as an infant.

I thought this might be a good time to delve into many of the myths that surround aging and anti-aging and to detail some exercise routines specifically for older people. I also covered the topic of strength training for seniors in an earlier post.

Unfortunately there are a large numbers of entrepreneurs who are luring gullible and frequently desperate customers of all ages to “longevity” clinics, claiming a scientific basis for the anti-aging products they recommend and, often, sell. At the same time, the Internet has enabled those who seek to profit from supposed anti-aging products to reach new consumers with ease.

The reality is that no currently marketed intervention - none - has yet been proved to slow, stop or reverse human aging, and some can even be dangerous.

The best (and cheapest) solution is to lead an optimum lifestyles, using exercise and a balanced diet along with other proven methods for maintaining good health. This will contribute to an increases in life expectancy by delaying or preventing the occurrence of age-related diseases. Most importantly it will lead to a better quality of life as you age. I will say again though, that there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that these practices increase longevity by modifying the processes of aging itself.

What Is Aging?

Any discussion of aging should first clarify its terms. Various definitions have been proposed, but we think of aging as the accumulation of random damage to the building blocks of life—especially to DNA, certain proteins, carbohydrates and lipids (fats)—that begins early in life and eventually exceeds the body’s self-repair capabilities.

This damage gradually impairs the functioning of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems, thereby increasing vulnerability to disease and giving rise to the characteristic manifestations of aging, such as a loss of muscle and bone mass, a decline in reaction time, compromised hearing and vision, and re-duced elasticity of the skin.

This accretion of molecular damage comes from many sources, including, ironically, the life-sustaining processes involved in converting the food we eat into usable energy. As the energy generators of cells (mitochondria) operate, they emit destructive, oxidizing molecules known as free radicals. Most of the damage caused by these reactive molecules gets repaired, but not all.

Biologists suspect that the oxidative assaults ultimately cause irreparable injury to the mitochondria, thereby impeding the cell’s ability to maintain the integrity of the countless molecules needed to keep the body  operating properly. The free radicals may also disrupt other parts of cells directly.

Aging, in our view, makes us ever more susceptible to such ills as heart disease,  Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and cancer, but these age-related conditions are superimposed on aging, not equivalent to it. Therefore, even if science could eliminate today’s leading killers of older individuals, aging would continue to occur, ensuring that different maladies would take their place.

In addition, it would guarantee that one crucial body component or another—say, the cardiovascular system—would eventually experience a catastrophic failure. It is an inescapable biological reality that once the engine of life switches on, the body inevitably sows the seeds of its own destruction.

False Claims

Despite this complexity, some researchers believe that they may manage to find ways to slow the rate of human aging. If they succeed, many people will live longer than would otherwise be expected, and a few people might even surpass the modern longevity record of 122 years. But the primary goal of biomedical research and efforts to slow aging should not be the mere extension of life. It should be to prolong the duration of healthylife. Slowing the rate of aging could help postpone the onset of age-related diseases and infirmities, essentially enabling people to stay younger longer.

On what grounds do we assert so vehemently that no purported anti-aging intervention has been proved to modify aging? To assess whether an intervention has affected a biological process, researchers need a yardstick for measuring that process. In this case, no single or aggregate age-related phenomenon has proved to be a reliable indicator of the rate of aging in humans or other species. Without a yardstick, there can be no measurements, and without measurements there can be no assurance that an intervention was successful.

People eager to retain or restore their youthful biology might well recognize the paucity of proof but decide to try a putative anti-aging intervention anyway, thinking they have little to lose. They should think again. For instance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require products sold as dietary supplements to undergo the rigorous tests of safety and effectiveness that medicines must pass before they can be sold to the public. Consequently, these supplements come with no guarantees of purity or potency, no established guidelines on dosage, and often no warnings about side effects that may result when the products are taken along with approved medications.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants constitute one popular class of supplements touted to have anti-aging powers. Such chemicals occur naturally in the body and in fruits and vegetables and are believed to neutralize free radicals. Proponents claim that if taken in sufficient quantities, antioxidant supplements will sop up the radicals and slow down or stop the processes responsible for aging. But eliminating all free radicals would kill us, because they perform certain necessary intermediary steps in biochemical reactions. Further, although epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the antioxidant vitamins E and C contained within the foods we eat may reduce the risk of cancer, macular degeneration and other disorders, no one has established that vitamin supplements containing antioxidants limit oxidative damage in the body or influence aging.

Hormone Replacement

Like antioxidants, another fashionable anti-aging intervention, hormone replacement, has a plausible rationale. This strategy was first popularized early in the 20th century, when older men occasionally submitted to the grafting of testicles from goats or monkeys or received injections of macerated testicles. Today pure forms of hormones can be administered. The replacement strategy seems logical in principle because the blood levels of most hormones—among them melatonin, growth hormone, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)—commonly decrease with age. Also, experiments on older men have demonstrated that some physical and physiological attributes that show declines over time, notably muscle mass and skin elasticity, respond favorably in the short term to growth hormone replacement.

On the other hand, hormones can cause worrisome side effects. In mice, for instance, delivery of melatonin increases the risk of tumor development, and the over-production of growth hormone leads to kidney problems, premature heart and lung failure, and an increased probability of early death. Human adults given growth hormone have suffered from acromegaly (excess bone growth) and carpal tunnel syndrome. Estrogen replacement therapy may offer health benefits to some postmenopausal women; however, this form of therapy has recently been challenged and has risks of its own, such as breast cancer and blood clots. In short, hormone replacement therapy has a place in the treatment of specific age-associated disorders, but evidence that it affects the rate of aging is lacking.

Some people might wonder whether following today’s public health recommendations for diet and exercise can serve as a more natural Fountain of Youth. Good nutrition and regular exercise do reduce the risk of various diseases and, in that way, may extend the duration of life for many people—thereby serving as the best current prescription for a long and healthy life. As is true of other interventions, though, no one has shown that diet or exercise, or both, directly influences aging.

How much exercise do you need to improve and maintain health?

What kind of exercise do you need? Is walking enough, or do you need to jog? What about strength training? The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association updated their Physical Activity Guidelines in August, 2007.

Exercise for healthy adults aged 18-65

Choose Moderate or Vigorous Aerobic (Endurance) Exercise

All healthy adults need endurance exercise, which noticeably accelerates their heart rate for at least 10 minutes at a time. They can get it either with moderate or vigorous exercise — you can enjoy a brisk walk, jog, dance, bike, or swim. You can also mix it up and enjoy moderate some days and vigorous other days, if you wish.

Moderate Aerobic Exercise for 30 Minutes a Day, 5 Days a Week

How Long: A minimum of 30 minutes a day. The 30 minutes can be broken up into 10 minute increments.
How Often: At least 5 days a week.

What Does Moderate Feel Like?
A moderate level of activity noticeably increases your heart rate and breathing rate. You may sweat, but you are still able to carry on a conversation.

Kinds of Exercise: Brisk walking, easy jogging, treadmilling, elliptical trainer, bike riding, swimming, dancing.

What Doesn’t Count: An easy walk of under 10 minutes doesn’t count as aerobic activity. You can build moderate activity into your lifestyle by walking briskly for at least 10 minutes to the bus, etc. But just adding steps on your pedometer doesn’t count.

Or - Vigorous Aerobic Activity for 20 Minutes on 3 Days Each Week

How Long: 20 minutes.

How Often: At least 3 days a week.

What Does Vigorous Aerobic Exercise Feel Like? You are breathing rapidly and only able to speak in short phrases. Your heart rate is substantially increased and you are likely to be sweating.
Kinds of Vigorous Aerobic Exercise: Running, cycling, or swimming at an intense level.

Add Strength Training Two Days a Week

Moderate or vigorous aerobic activity is needed, but you also need strength training exercise two days a week.

How Many: Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise.

How Often: Two days each week.

What Are Strength Training Exercises? Strength training exercises have you lift, push or pull to increase muscle strength and endurance. These include lifts with dumbbells and barbells. You may also use resistance bands or gym equipment.

Please note these guidelines are the minimum for maintaining good health. If you workout for longer or more often, you further improve your fitness and reduce your risk of chronic disease and weight gain.

Exercise for those over age 65.

These guidelines are for adults over age 65, and for those age 50 to 64 with a chronic condition, such as arthritis.

Choose Moderate or Vigorous Aerobic (Endurance) Exercise

All healthy adults need endurance exercise, which noticeably accelerates their heart rate for at least 10 minutes at a time. They can get it either with moderate or vigorous exercise. You can enjoy a brisk walk, jog, dance, bike, or swim. You can also mix it up and enjoy moderate activity some days and vigorous activity other days, if you wish.

Moderate Aerobic Exercise for 30 Minutes a Day, 5 Days a Week

How Long: A minimum of 30 minutes a day. The 30 minutes can be broken up into 10-minute increments.

How Often: At least 5 days a week.

What Does Moderate Aerobic Exercise Feel Like? A moderate level of activity noticeably increases your heart rate and breathing rate. You may sweat, but you are still able to carry on a conversation. On a 10-point scale, with zero being a state of rest, moderate would be a 5 or 6.

Kinds of Exercise: Brisk walking, easy jogging, treadmilling, elliptical trainer, bike riding, swimming, dancing.

What Doesn’t Count: An easy walk of under 10 minutes where you are not breathing a little heavier doesn’t count as aerobic activity. You can build moderate activity into your lifestyle by walking briskly for at least 10 minutes to the bus, etc. But just adding steps on your pedometer doesn’t count.

Or, Vigorous Aerobic Activity for 20 Minutes on 3 Days Each Week

How Long: 20 minutes

How Often: At least 3 days a week

What Does Vigorous Aerobic Exercise Feel Like? You are breathing rapidly and only able to speak in short phrases. Your heart rate is substantially increased, and you are likely to be sweating. On a scale from 1 to 10, vigorous exercise would be a 7 or 8.

Kinds of Vigorous Aerobic Exercise: With different levels of fitness in older people, some will achieve vigorous exertion with brisk walking. Others will need to jog or bike to increase their exertion to the vigorous level.

Add Strength Training 2 to 3 Days a Week

Moderate or vigorous aerobic activity is needed, but you also need strength training exercise 2 to 3 days a week. Strength training is especially important for older adults to prevent loss of muscle mass and bone density, as well as to be able to move and function better.

How Many: Do 8 to 10 strength-training exercises, 8 to 12 repetitions of each.

How Often: 2 to 3 days each week.

What Are Strength Training Exercises? Strength training exercises have you lift, push or pull to increase muscle strength and endurance. These include lifts with dumbbells and barbells. You may also use resistance bands or gym equipment.

Add Balance Exercise If You Are At Risk of Falls

Engaging in any exercise can help reduce your risk of falls. Adding balance exercise 3 times a week can further reduce fall risks.

Add Flexibility Exercises Such as Stretching

Take 10 minutes extra on each exercise day to stretch your major muscle and tendon groups. Take 10 to 30 seconds per stretch, and repeat each stretch 3 to 4 times. Flexibility will help you in your daily activities.

Customize an Activity Plan

Work with your doctor or another health professional to develop an activity plan that takes any of your health conditions, risks, and therapeutic needs into account. You will get the most out of the exercise you can safely do.

More Is Better — But Getting Started is Best

These guidelines outline the minimum amount of exercise you need to maintain good health. However, some older adults may have limitations and not be able to meet the minimum. Any amount of exercise is better than none, so getting started is the key. If you workout longer or more often, you further improve your fitness and reduce your risk of chronic disease and weight gain.

Related Posts

• December 11, 2008 -- 10 Benefits of Strength Training for Seniors (0)
• November 16, 2008 -- Exercises for Stress Relief (2)