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?

Many people of the ‘war generation’ didn’t sit around watching tv, didn’t eat takeaways and did more housework and gardening etc. We have become a very sedentary generation. My parents would never have slumped on the sofa or laid down in it. I don’t remember them doing that ever. They sat up straight, walked a lot, kept active. Didn’t snack at all. These days people slump on the sofa staring at their phone or watching tv. Eating out is something most people do a lot, as well as ordering takeaways, eating convenience food and drinking far more than their grandparents did. My parents never drank in the house and didn’t eat cakes or puddings at home at all.

@Shouldidoity , I could have added my formerly healthy DF - he developed bowel cancer not long after the stock market crash of 1987/88 (?). DM put it down to him being worried sick about their savings in the SM - she tried to reassure him that the SM always rises again eventually, but evidently it was no use. He died about 3 years after diagnosis.

Yes, but I think the type of exercise that was built into daily life would be what we now define as 'moderate' exercise so things like walking, doing house work or a bit of gardening. Nowadays there is a much greater focus on more intense forms of exercise as being the gold standard. A good example of this is how there is a bit of a push for things like couch to 5k for people to get very sedentary people running. Having read this thread I wonder if we would be better trying to encourage the more moderate exercise that is potentially more accessible and sustainable as we age. Most of us could probably face walking a bit more but running for me would really be a chore and something that I know I would struggle to do consistently.

My maternal grandfather is 93 - very healthy lifestyle (non smoker, occasional drinker, very outdoorsy - lots of skiing, hiking), good social network and enjoyed his very physical job.

Maternal grandmother is 82 - same as my grandfather, they were always very active and social. Out and about everyday. Now that my grandpa is older, they are obviously less active, but still spend time in the garden and have family / friends over for food.

Paternal grandmother died at 85 - non smoker, non drinker, loved hiking and climbing. Died of dementia.

Paternal grandfather is 88 - don't know much about him as he divorced my grandmother before I was born and only met him once or twice.

I think it's combination of genetics and lifestyle.

I would say that a healthy diet, trying to stay active, not smoking, drinking moderately and having a good social network is probably a good goal to have.

From the limited examples I would say it seems that it's those people who are regularly active who seem to live longer. Not so much diet because one I know has a very sweet tooth.

2 sets of great grandparents that lived to 96, one still alive at 97. All healthy eaters generally normal size portions of cornflakes on a morning, meals are a portion of meat and veg with a carb on the side. They drink tea only. Always very active and no stress due to being all on very high incomes (I think both wives stayed at home), one set grew their own fruit and veg in the greenhouse. The most amazing tomatoes and beetroot home made. They all had a drink on a night, I think one set was a glass of port or sherry on a night. Never smoked, didn’t drink to excess and of normal weight size (none were over weight).

Any relative I have had that got to their 90’s were always a healthy weight. Still able to look after themselves up until shortly before they passed away. They obviously never went to the gym but would have walked and kept up with the housework. They were all into dancing and didn’t drink much. Would have frequently had visitors and met people socially.

My “wartime generation” relatives (most were children in the war) who survived beyond 90 did as about much housework and gardening at my age as I do now, there are a few more mod cons but the work that had to be done is similar to what I have to do now

I think a ‘poor diet’ in the post war period was a lot healthier than a ‘poor diet’ nowadays.
Rations; meat, veg, fruit, eggs, butter. No snacks, no overeating. No takeaways no meals out.

Now it equates to: McDonalds, ready meals, constant snacks etc.

I'm on the fence. One of my brothers (younger, late 50s) had a heart attack recently. He is the most fit and healthy eating person out there. However you cannot allow for hereditary narrowing of arteries, high cholesterol (rarely eats red meat, lives on salad leaves and a sensible diet, cycles everywhere and is very fit, not an ounce of fat on him)

My husband’s family have amazing genes. Smokers and big boozers and socialites, dancing, the races, holidays abroad before anyone did that really. All knocking on 90. They walked a lot, still going to the shops with a bag to get their shopping every day. Cleaning big 4 floor houses. So a combination of normal weight, walking and very good genetics.

my family, non smokers, not really drinkers, healthy weight mostly…drop fairly young.

I had 2 great grandmothers until I was 3. Now children have 3 living great grandparents on my side so 3 sets of genes. All smoked but gave up, my grandfather likes a drink but was forever out in the garden and generally very fit. The grandmothers occasional drinkers but never exercised but walked a lot. Diet was pretty good in that no very processed stuff but plenty of fat and sugar. They all had siblings who died MUCH younger than them so genes can’t be that big a factor?

On my husband’s size is a different story, he knew on grandparent who lived until he was a teen- the other 3 had died and great grandparents were long gone.

How does he deal with stress?

The men in my family seem to die in their 70s, but the women usually live till their late 80s/90s.
My granny was a miracle...😅. She lived till she was 98. Had the odd brandy of an evening, but didn't drink much apart from that. A sweet Sherry at Christmas.
She smoked like a lum until she was 84, and gave it up as it was bad for her health. 😆. Made me giggle packing it in at that age .
She was always on the go,and on committees and stuff, cooked till she started forgetting to put the gas on. Hardly remember her being ill. Legend she was.

He is the most chilled out, calmest, laid back person you ever met. Doesn't get stressed about anything. Ever. Probably due to fact of being youngest of a large family, had to chill out and fit in with everyone else.

This reminds me of my DF. Independent to the end.
His diet was anything but healthy. Every single day before he retired he took a packed lunch to work, cheddar cheese on sliced white bread, same every day. Came home & his hand was straight in the biscuit tin while the lard was heating in the chip pan for his tea. After he retired he lived mostly on sausage rolls & pork pies with sometimes bacon or cheese, lots of sweets & biscuits, fresh veg I bought for him I threw out after it had gone mouldy in his fridge! He cancelled meals on wheels as he didn’t like them. He smoked all his life, mostly a pipe & drank every evening, brown ale or rum were his favourites. He was very independent, lived alone for 25 years after DM died. He’d flown all through the war, even after being shot down twice, had owned a motorbike but never a car. He was a real character, terrific sense of humour. He died a few years ago aged 98.

Just reading about some new research confirming what we’ve been discussing- it says loneliness is worse for your heart than a bad diet, not exercising and smoking. Apparently loneliness can lead to increases in the stress hormone cortisol which increases heart rate and blood pressure.

That’s well known

He sounds like a miracle of science!!

I am wondering what is classed as ‘lonely.’ I have a great family and friends but I am quite isolated as a full-time carer and stuck in the house a lot. I suppose that is not lonely like an elderly housebound person might be but it is something I have been wondering about.

I am sure there have been a few studies in the past but I don’t think that many people would claim that it’s well known that being lonely is worse for your heart than a poor diet, not exercising and smoking. It’s brand new research confirming this.

Yes I’m not sure either - I’ll have another look at the research. I think if you see lots of family and friends outside of your caring role then that helps.

I think it defines lonely as the adults reported ‘feeling lonely and rarely having anyone to talk to’

So it really is that feeling of isolation and loneliness with very few social interactions.

Also the paper suggests that the quality of the interactions is more important than the quantity.

I was using research saying loneliness kills at the same rate as smoking years ago in my dissertation. It's pretty well known.

My PT was sceptical when I told him that I counted "sorting the garden" in my exercise. Then I got him to see that sawing up the decking, lifting 40kg slabs into place, heaving sacks of compost and gravel around was at least as hard as his workouts.

I also demoed him my "fast cleaning" - essentially I hate cleaning, so will literally RUN around the house doing everything in 30m. Out of breath and sweaty at the end, but all the main jobs done.

Exercise is overrated versus activity.