What do you think helps people to age well?

It's ALL about probabilities. Everyone has anecdotes about someone over 100 who smoked or drank a bottle of whiskey every day, or someone who's relative lived a healthy lifestyle and got struck down with cancer in their 50's. But it's not helpful as they are the exception rather than the norm. Statistics shows that healthy people tend to have a longer/healthier life, and those who had an unhealthy lifestyle tend to have a shorter/unhealthy life. There are always exceptions, i.e. the normal distribution curve in probability always has people at either end, but the vast majority are in the middle, i.e. they follow the trend.

I know of people who did all of those things and more, and still ended up demented and in nursing homes.

Obviously, it's better not to engage in activities and habits which cause actual harm, but otherwise it's down to genetics and luck.

Yeah, I agree there is a lot of luck/good genes in there too.

My uncle was a GP, spare of build, lived in the mountains and was frequently up and down them on foot or on his bike, ate very healthily, drank in moderation, never smoked - he'd only just retired when he was diagnosed with dementia in his mid-60s and he was dead within three years. He was always the picture of rugged and rangy good health, until he wasn't.

Oh yay, I do about 400-500 squats a week, hopefully that will counteract the amount of cake I eat 😂

He sounds in many ways like my Grandad was. He used to ‘take the little old ladies shopping’. Not a single one was older than him 😂
I think it’s structure and routine that helps a lot.

It seems to be well recognised now that over 50s do better cognitively taking a multivitamin and/ or a b complex, specifically for the folic acid and b12.

Squats:

Squats are the secret to longevity. Here’s how to master yours

https://www.thetimes.com/article/b68ff228-b9ac-482d-bfa2-682f80071b35?shareToken=4c8520a4dc05b26c8068b43049b17a69

Long life seems to be fairly genetic, but lifestyle seems to be a bigger factor in being healthier until the end. Staying active. Social connections. Decent diet.

Some people seem to avoid the negatives of smoking but others don't. My Gran smoked and lived into her 90s, my mum smoked and died of COPD, with lung cancer, in her 70s.

@ExOptimistyour mum is quite right. My friend stopped making any effort with anyone, or anything and is now in a nursing home and immobile. I’m convinced it could have been avoided.

I would add being careful not to slip in to being malnourished. Smaller appetites and living alone could possibly lead to a tendency to rely on ready meals and junk food.
I know a few people who are in their eighties with b12 deficiency anemia mainly due to absorption issues ( sometimes a side effect of medication)rather than diet.
Theres also the risk of low vitamin D if people are inside much of the time.

I agree genetics is key, as is remaining active and engaged. But I think, a degree of financial comfort is necessary as well because that, in part, facilitates activity and sociability.

Jeanne Calment (oldest verified person) smoked cigarettes from the age of 21 until she stopped at 117, meaning she smoked for nearly a century.

I’m guessing luck and exceptional genes!

Genetics (luck) play a big role. My parents died in their 60s. They were active and slim with healthy diets, non smoking, very low alcohol consumption. Both had great social lives, lots of friends, interesting careers, volunteered in the community etc. They both got cancer. One was skin cancer- most likely linked to a single episode of sunburn in childhood. Whilst this was in theory a ‘preventable’ cancer, it would be inaccurate to attribute it to an unhealthy lifestyle. The other cancer was stomach. Nothing to do with lifestyle, two other close members of the family also died from it.

Last year, my 48 year-old triathlete, vegetarian, healthy eating friend got diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer and died shortly after diagnosis.

Meanwhile, I know smokers and drinkers in their 80s. They look pretty fucking dreadful but they’re still alive.

I feel rage at the unfairness of it all.

For my grandparents, I think that it was mainly a mixture of keeping active, spending time off out with friends, mental stimulation and good food. Ultra-processed food did not exist at their house; it was meat or fish and vegetables... for every meal bar breakfast. All cakes were homemade up until my grandmother declared that she didn't have time to bake as she was too busy going out at 90. They put it down to very regular visits from families to "keep you young" and the brandy bottle in the baking cupboard 😂"A tipple a day keeps the doctor away!"

Genetics help, too, but we can't control those. You're practically youthful if you die before 91 in my family, so if I am lucky, I have a lot of years to fill up with things!

Older friends would recommend farming, as farmers never retire, so it keeps you busy and on the go seven days a week.

👆The above is about being fully capable in older age and not having to rely on others

I’ve been wading through this all weekend; it turns out that very vigorous exercise (eg playing with a dog, running to the bus) anything that raises heart rate to about 85% max is very healthy and one minute is worth somewhere between 7 to 10 times as much as low intensity exercise (the type they say to do 150-300 mins a week of.) varies depending on what they’re measuring; cardiovascular fitness, cancer reduction, diabetes etc

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/foundmyfitness/id818198322?i=1000740244045

(I was interested as had cancer and never understood how many minutes “vigorous” was. As it’s bloody hard to reach 75 vigorous per week! Turns out that about 20 is great. And can be in tiny ‘snacks.’)

Other info I’m aware of is maintaining strength which is harder as you age and you need to consume more protein as you age to support this.

random tips I’ve heard is to be able to carry your own body weight in a farmers carry for a minute and maintaining planks for as many seconds as you are old. Being able to squat and get out of chair etc.

Maintaining mobility and balance- Obviously someone who can save themselves when they stumble or is able to navigate going to the loo in the middle of the night without an injury is going to live longer.

Beyond this, life long learning and engagement in wide ranging social activities are key.

@ClaudeHopper it would very much depend on my health, the state of the world & how my family and friends were doing

If fit and healthy avoid retirement properties or moving away from friends.

Get out and about, go for coffees, walks. Only give up driving when it feels right to.

Some people might just get to a point where they are tired of life.

DH is 82 and I'm 79: We mix socially a lot, DH exercises a vast amount (in my estimation) and I do as much as I can. Neither of us are dependent on family or carers (very lucky) and enjoy our life to the fullest extent. We do have health issues that are not particularly life limiting. We do regard ourselves as very fit considering our ages.

I do! As I said upthread, my parents lived long, happy, healthy, independent lives well into their 90s. Why wouldn’t anyone want that?

This is my take on it too. My Mum died in her mid 60s which was completely unexpected yet my Dad who rigorously abused his body and had a chaotic life lived 20 years longer. My maternal grandparents who both smoked, and drank quite heavily, made it to their late 80s with full faculty. I genuinely believe that whilst living a healthy life is good, there is no recipe for longevity and a lot of it is luck of the draw.

My grandad was exceptionally active until 90 when he unfortunately got cancer but things that he did included a long walk almost daily, very little processed food, read the newspaper every day, kept socially busy.

I remember going on holiday to Malta in August with him, he was 86 then and it was almost 40 degrees. He was absolutely fine, loving sight seeing, never once complained about the heat.

He was a young adult during the war and was extremely resilient, i think his mind set helped. Genes also played a part. My great nan and great uncle also lived well in to their 90s.

Same! There is already a massive shortage of nurses and carers in the UK. People are increasingly living longer with more complex health needs than ever before.