Do the most long lived people that you know have healthy lifestyles?

[Bumpitybumper]

I have been listening to a few podcasts lately that have really stressed the importance of healthy living and things like diet and exercise. None of them really have any tolerance for things that I think most of the population enjoy quite regularly like the odd biscuit or cake. They also don't think it's enough to eat a diet that would be traditionally considered healthy with 57
portions of fruit and veg as now the emphasis is on eating the right fruit and vegetables and nuts and seeds etc. You have to do a certain number of days cardio and strength training. It really is never ending.

It got me thinking that the people that I know that have lived the longest in relatively good health have generally been pretty active and eaten well but haven't really got anywhere close to the lifestyle that these health experts advocate. Is my experience unusual or have others found the same thing in their lives?

My two grandmothers made it to their 90s. Both smoked when they were younger (as everyone did back then). Neither was teetotal. One enjoyed weekly fish and chips. The other loved full fat everything. Neither drove so that probably helped.

Although there kept going a long while the quality of life in their later years was pretty low. One had heart issues and dementia.

If you keep watching them you will be shown more and more - it’s clickbait not actual recipes that Americans eat

I think genetics do make a difference but also I wouldn’t want longevity for longevity’s sake. Lots of grandparents on my husband’s side made it to their 90’s but lots of dementia. I’d rather a stroke knocked me out at 85 than last another 5 years with poor quality of life. He has one relative who got to 100 in pretty good nick and the contributing factors were 1) he moved into a suitable property early enough to have a social life 2) he kept mentally and physically active. My granny did amazingly well until 88 and then died quickly from cancer. Last 3 months of her life weren’t great but until then she was still driving, very active social life and as sharp as a pin.

Really my own parents should probably not make it to their 80s given weight, existing conditions erc but statistically once you’ve hit 75, it seems like you’ve got a pretty high chance of making 90. I can see they are deteriorating but far healthier people have died much younger than they are already so there must be something protective in their genes (plus the statins) keeping them going.

Above all they are the ones who've avoided excessive stress and anxiety, both by luck and by healthier coping mechanisms.

Stresses of eating disorders, a bad war, overwork, anxiety leading to alcoholism. Those are the early killers in my relatives.

my grandfather has just turned 104. The youngest of 7 and all of his siblings made it to 100.

No. Not at all! The oldest people I know all drink occasionally, all eat red meat, some smoke, all consume sugar. It’s mostly about genetics. My uncle drank a bottle of whiskey a day for years and when he died (in suspicious circumstances, not natural causes) his liver was perfectly healthy according to the autopsy. My dad smoked 20 a day for years and got a collapsed lung (unrelated to smoking - can just happen to tall, thin men), his lung X-ray showed perfectly healthy lungs - his doctor thought he was a non smoker. My granny is alive and kicking in her late 80s and for her whole life has been a huge fan of chocolate, ice cream and red meat, eating them every day! My husbands great, great grandmother died last year aged 99 - her favourite hobby was having a little drink and a cigarette in the evening. My great uncle died aged around 98 last year too - he didn’t do anything especially healthy. Like all the others, occasionally drank, occasionally smoked, didn’t take particular care of his diet. Just a traditional British diet with red meat and sugars and white bread and all the things that are demonised today and said to be unhealthy. My mum is especially health conscious and honestly she gets sick more than the rest of them and looks the least healthy of all.

What is their lifestyle like?

As my DF used to say - there are lots of old men and there are lots of fat men, but there aren't any old, fat men.

I do think that some cancers are stress related. I know of two people who died relatively young (50s, early 60s) of stomach cancer - both diagnosed not long after they’d lost an adult dc in a road accident.

Yes they definitely are. I was a holistic practitioner and was taught that cancers often appear about two years after a traumatic event .

I agree that stress and worry are the biggest killers of all.

@AmniMajus
I also think (and this is going to sound awful) people that live to these ages are stronger, they have got through child hood illnesses, unassisted childbirth and are just healthier in general. Medicine is wonderful but it means people are alive who simply wouldn’t have survived 100 years ago and because of medical advances people who would have died earlier can have their conditions managed

I was thinking about this part of your post earlier and how so many people seem convinced that healthy longevity is linked to genetics. I found the following article:
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/05/01/evolution-says-youre-weaker-and-more-disease-prone-than-your-ancestors

It's an interesting thought and one that could explain why successive generations aren't necessarily getting healthier or will live longer than their ancestors. As someone that wouldn't be here without modern medicine (mother would have died in childbirth of older sibling) I do wonder if this has also impacted things like natural childbirth too as my siblings have also needed significant medical assistance during labour. Could it have been that 100+ years ago my mother would have died and the genetic mutation that makes us a family poor birthers would have died out too? I suppose this could be true for many things and all combined these could add up to a significant weakening of our genetic material at a population level. Scary to think of really!

@Shouldidoity Honestly not sure for all of them but grandad has always been meat and 2 veg, non smoker, likes a drink occasionally, he's always had something to do eg gardening, fixing the car, fishing. He's lived on his own for the last 25 years but has fought skin cancer for as long as I can remember.

Yes, the ones I know (or knew) don't smoke and drink little to no alcohol. They don't exercise in their older years but go for walks and do a lot of gardening and all of the house chores and DIY themselves. Food is home-cooked rather than processed.

I have to say the purist wellness podcasts put me right off. Overly regulated eating (orthorexia) can be a sign of underlying problems and can definitely get unhealthy. There are better podcasts out there that are a bit more relaxed and prioritise overall healthiness with no guilt for fully-enjoyed treats in sensible quantities.

That said I think in our society being healthy needs to be more conscious than it has for previous generations because it is becoming more and more the default to have a very inactive lifestyle with limited real-life social connection and an unhealthy, highly processed diet. Sadly for some unhealthy is the only affordable option and that is really worrying for the future.

My family generally bear out the benefits of healthy choices both in duration and quality of life, but anecdotes are unreliable and on an individual level it doesn't always work out. At population level it's pretty clear that there are some things that maximise your chances of a long healthy life; physical activity (including slowing muscle loss), social connection and making dietary choices that reduce your risk of succumbing to the major killers (heart disease, stroke, diabetes) being most affected by lifestyle).

I haven't read the whole thread but I'm certain genetics plays a large part in long life. Women on my fathers side all seem to have lived a long time, despite some having conditions (like ME) that you would think may have affected life expectancy especially 50 years ago. My grandmother, 2 x great aunty, great grandmother etc all made at least mid 80, most into their 90s! Certainly none had the perfect lifestyle or diet!

However men don't fair anywhere near as well! With none getting close to 80 🤷‍♀️

This has happened in my family to several people (2 year gap after event before their cancer diagnosis). I think it may well be true.

Watch the ted talk, little to do with diet and much more to do with having lots of people in your life socially.

I'm spiritual and think we're here for spiritual reasons. If we aren't mixing and helping people, but instead are on our own and keeping healthy, you'll probably die quicker than a less healthy person who is active socially. IMO

My granny smoked 60 a day and never exercised, barely went out, just watched telly and didn't eat much at all. Stopped smoking at 72 and lived to nearby 80, so in short, poor diet exercise and still got a decent age.

@Bumpitybumper yes I agree I think it was survival of the fittest and genetics up until everyone had access to good healthcare. So all these anecdotal my granny lived to 100 stories would largely be down to genetics.

I wonder at what point the impact of healthcare and intervention started interfering with that. I was born in the 80s and know for sure my generations longevity will have vastly different factors affecting it to those who are currently in their 90s and 100s. Genetics surely will have less of an impact and lifestyle and access to healthcare will take over.

I think it's stress rather than being super 'healthy and well'. I think the 'wellness' industry adds to our stress along with the way society is now.

The “wellness” industry is truly terrible

Yes and no. My Nan is 103, lived in London all her life, smoked for 40 of those years but ate as well as she could, no snacking and never overweight. It would be very short sighted not to think diet and a healthy lifestyle is not a factor. Of course it is. It is also genetics but a lot can be swayed by diet alone.
Most people who are only 'overweight' live shorter lives. Statistics even show us that the majority of people who died or suffered 'long' covid were either overweight, obese or morbidly obese.

Lots of people saying their very long lived grandparents, etc. didn’t exercise.
Most people if that age didn’t need to, it was built into their daily lives.

My grandad lived into his early 90’s. He had a very poor upbringing so I imagine didn’t have a very healthy diet. He ate relatively healthy British food during his married life (meat and two overcooked veg). He drank a bit but not loads. He had an office job so not very active but cycled a bit when he was younger. Was always a bit over weight especially in the last couple of decades. In the later years after my grandmother died he ate worse and didn’t exercise much at all. I think he used to have to odd cigar too.