Uplifting if you’re prepared to take the challenge

A book for both me and my adult children emphasising positivity and that it’s never to late to start or improve.

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I loved the way she narrated the story with a relaxing tone.

I loved the subject matter which I’m really interested in currently. Some great facts and an inspiration for anyone who is afraid of getting older. Wonderful. 😃

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Amazing book

This book is a fascinating look at what we are learning in how to live longer and healthier lives. Kenny is on a mission to help us live not only longer but better, healthier lives. Since hearing the author talk at Hay on Wye and subsequently bought her book – I have learnt and tried to follow a lot of her advice. The writing is easy to comprehend, and I found it a well written book. The book is written by a professor with 30 years of experience of why people age.
- PAST AND PRESNET: For many years we have looked at the elixir of life and yet for most of humankind, 3 – 4% of us have lived until 65 and over the entire population but human span has generally lived to around 40 years of age or less over the last several thousand years. However, now we have 22% in Germany, 26% in Japan and 19% in UK of the entire population of these countries who are now aged 65 or over. Life expectancy has doubled over the last 200 years. In 1800 the average life span was 40 but now living to over 80 is the new normal. A baby girl born in 2023 will live 3 months longer that a baby born in 2022. We are living longer because we have clean water, better health care – immunisations, antibiotics, medical advances. Also, better food, hygiene, better housing, lifestyle, and more prosperity. Less stress and less poverty. Education is also helping. The author has carried out long studies on people in Ireland who were over the age of 50 and monitored changes such as income, age, mental health and other factors over subsequent years. This data has helped to improve and understand why some people live longer or shorter lives. This data has been compared to other longitudinal data from other countries and anyone who reads this book will have a better chance of living a longer and better life than they might do otherwise.
- WHY DO WE AGE: We need to know that people age at different rates. As we evolve and experience life and experiences can influence how we age. We have also learnt a lot from twin studies. Genes play a role but in twin studies, we have learnt that only 20% of our genes have an influence on how we age, the rest is due to the environment. That’s 80%. Every one of us carries about two metres of DNA in every single cell and we have 30 - 40 trillion cells. DNA consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes call that each made-up of 3 billion letters of genetic information. After 4 billion years of evolution, one organism – us – has been able to work out its own code of instructions and this has helped us greatly not just with diagnosis of genetic disorders but also in understanding how our genes work and what they contribute to longevity. We also understand a lot more about the switching on and off genes and how epigenetics is controlled by health behaviours and other external factors.
- In 25 years, every fourth person living in Europe and North America will be aged 65 or over. The biggest increase will be in the over 80s. This is expected to triple. This will be the first time in history when persons aged over 65 outnumber children under five worldwide. Lifestyle behaviours shared by Blue Zone centenarians include life purpose, stress reduction, moderate caloric intake, plant-based diet – semi-vegetarian, moderate alcohol intake, especially wine, engagement in spirituality or religion, family life, social life and regular physical activity. However, twin studies have shown that people age in different ways and for different reasons.
- Genes are responsible for up to 30% of how long we live to 80 – though they play a larger role in likelihood of longevity thereafter.
- ANIMAL STUDIES: Animal studies show that some animals have very long-life spans, and we can learn from this such as mole rats – which don’t even get cancers. Many of these creatures are resistance to toxins from stress. The naked mole rat is a creature that is hairless and does not get cancer and seems to be immune to this disease. Scientists are looking into this animal to try and understand more about the ageing process as well as other animals that seemed to have greater lifespans in comparison to the age or similar animals of the similar species. We evolved over billions of years from the first life form that became trillions of human cells and make up all of us. You can fit 10,000 human cells on a pin head and there are trillions of them. Each can require energy to evolve become healthy Despite that very tiny size. Each of the tiny cells that make up the body contains information to create proteins that makes skin, blood, bone as well as containing mitochondria which is a battery turbocharged piece which fell that lives in every cell that creates the energy that allows us to live. It is very important that we keep this balance in check. Many cells have different lifespans which is how a pathologist concurrent learn to know when somebody has died. A red blood cell can live for four weeks, and a white blood cell can live for a year. Some animals and live for five minutes, and other animals can live for hundreds of years, it is interesting to think what we can learn about aging from our close ancestors of which we are all related to, and how these things have changed over time.
- EPGENETIC CLOCKS: Your chronological age is not the same as your biological clocks. The earlier you can change your lifestyle can influence how we age but it’s never too late to change. Poverty, smoking, drinking and drug use and stress were the leading causes of people ageing earlier than others as well as mental health issues. Our cells are about producing energy, (we have trillions, and you can fit 10000 human cells on a pin head), but we need to rid these cells as soon as the energy is used, of toxic by-products. And this is one of the main reasons that we age faster or slower. The antioxidants and toxin accumulate form inflammation which make us age faster. However, we are not yet sure if these are causing us to age faster is due to genetics or environmental factors – but we do know that 80% is environmental that not only helps us to age better but to lead better healthier life.
- WHAT ENVIORNEMTAL FACTORS CAN HELP: We know that quality relationships, reduced stress, being creative, exercise, a good diet and weight, sleep, having a purpose in life, can all help or reduce how we can lead healthier and better longevity. However, when they all go wrong, they cause great inflammation.
- BLUE ZONES: There are five blue zones in the world (Loma Linda, California; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Sardina, Italy; Icaria, Greece and Okinawa, Japan) where people live the longest and healthiest and better lives. The book explores what we can learn from these places – these places don’t have the disability that other places in the world have. Firstly, they all spread out and all by the sea – eating fish in your diet is worth considering. 60% of your brain is made up of fat, and a third of that brain is made up of DHA, which can only be found in fish (or seaweed). These people also move naturally through the day, such as walking and gardening. They spend time in nature which keeps you calm, thus reducing inflammation through the reduction of stress. Gardening has many health benefits – right down the soil. And these people are part of a tribe or a community.
- SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS: Belonging to a community is important. Loneliness, which has greatly increased, is toxic and appears to be growing in all age groups. In fact, 148 studies of peer reviewed studies sited by Kenny show that social relationships and risk of dying showed that the quality of social engagements meant a 50% increased likely hood of survival was the same as smoking, alcohol excess, low physical activity, and high cholesterol. Laughing and volunteering are also positives in reducing disability.
- LAUGHTER: People who laugh reduces health problems and laughter releases positive hormones and reduce inflammation. Surgeons in the past used to use humour as a form of distraction when carrying out surgery before there was anaesthesia which didn't occur until 1847.
- PURPOSE: Many people when they retire feel they have no purpose – but this can be created. Make a list of things you will achieve. Knowing why you wake up in the morning makes you healthier, happier and adds up to 7 years of extra life expectancy. So, remain active and working into 80’s and 90’s – consider volunteering. An important factor in well-being in older people is to consider the role of purpose such as volunteering or helping others. The book looks at the work of Viktor Frankl who spent time in concentration camps and noted that when people had purpose, they had better outcomes and chances of survival. He began a form of therapy which is still used today. Another important factor to consider is the language that we use and that we should refer to people we call ‘elderly’ as ‘older adults’. We don't refer to young people as the youngest.
- RELAXING: Have ways to counter act the stresses of life – some prayer, some have happy hour and others nap. Build a de-stressing event into your day.
- DIET: Most blue zones eat are predominantly plant foods – and especially low in sugar, salt, and processed foods. Include lots of beans, plants, herbs, spices, fish, and reduced amounts of meat – certainly less than the UK. Think Mediterranean diet.
- METABOLIC RATE: It is what you eat this is what regulates your weight gain and the fact that this slows down the metabolic rate as you get older meaning that more people tend to put on weight which is having serious consequences on a range of medical conditions in all of us. Some animals have a very high metabolic rate such as the shrew which needs to eat enough insects to match its body weight in every 15 minutes and without this it will die but they only live 12 months, and their heart rate beats very fast. A strict diet also activates ketones (chemicals the body produces when it breaks down fat for energy) which are important in helping people have the longest lifespan.
- FISH: Fish particularly oily fish such as salmon, herrings and sardines can help to starve off depression; people who eat fish or three times a week have a lesser rate of depression and other mental health problems. Vitamin D which is the only vitamin that is also a hormone that is very essential for our bodies. We're also learning about the microbiome which contains trillions of bacteria and other viruses and other things that help to maintain a healthier well-being. Studies in the Hamza tribe in Africa where they eat a range of foods how much ancient microbiome than the one that we have in the modern world. They also have less diabetes and other health problems. There is interesting information in the book about faecal transplants which would administered can support gut microbiome activity and have been shown to fight off disease.
- VITAMAMIN D: Vitamin D isn’t just a vitamin – it’s a hormone. 50% of people over 50 are deficient of Vitamin D but as we get older, our body having as much as we need. We will benefit from supplements – 1000iu is enough to take and almost every reaction in your body requires Vit D and only 8.5% of people in Ireland are supplementing their diet with Vit D – I know I am going to start taking this. Nearly every biological receptor in the body has Vit D.
- SMALLER PLATES: Calorific diets in monkeys show much better health results in monkeys and they appear much younger. By eating smaller amounts, we benefit increased neurotransmitter effectiveness. It improves synaptic plasticity, enhanced cognition, liver function, reduced inflammation, decreased heart rate, increased insulin sensitivity, and many other important brain and body functioning as well as cell signalling and cognition. Good to eat liver 3 times weekly, 2 eggs twice weekly, exercise to 80% of your capacity, distressing through breathing exercises and sleep. In 8 weeks had been a reduction by 3 years. Restrictions of 40% in diets given to Rhesus Monkeys show much healthier looking monkeys than those on a normal diet – pictures show a much healthier looking Monkey at 20y looking younger with more hair than one fed a normal diet.
- COLD WATER IMMERSION: Cold water is also helpful so a cold shower in morning or cold-water emersion. This triggers lots of positive cellular functioning. This occurs through shocking the nervous system and waking up or increasing cellular functioning.
- YOU ARE AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL: Use positive words such as accomplished, advise, alert, astute, creative, improving, insightful, learned, sage – will show increased alertness, reduced stress, walked with a positive gait. Negative words such as Alzheimer's, confuses, decline, decrepit, diseases, incompetent result in reduced walking, slower walking, and appear much slower. You are as old as you feel. How we perceive old-age and whether we view it negatively or positively. It has a massive impact on our general health and how each. The more positive and optimistic mind-set, the better the outcomes in so many areas of health and age in. This is more of an affect than many other factors. We should also change our language – we shouldn’t refer to older people as ‘elderly’ but as ‘older people’ than those who are young.
- CREATIVITY: Another method for creating increased well-being and mental connection within the brain is to use your creativity such as creating art, taking up creative writing, learn an instrument and other similar approaches. It is useful to find evening classes that could support your participation around creative arts.
- SLEEP: We need a good amount of sleep – deep sleep results in cerebral spinal fluids clearing the brain of plaques and amyloids which appear to have a cause of dementia. For this to occur, you need to have deep sleep – not just frequent naps. Sleep is an important aspect in supporting well-being in older people as well as the young. We spend on average 26½ years of our lives asleep or at least in bed. Poor sleep plays an important factor in many disorders such as severe autism, dementia, ADHD and many mental health problems. Sleep is essential for well-being and poor sleep is all too frequent a problem with advancing years. Although there is only one stage to being awake there are five stages to sleep and each one serves a different function in supporting the brain, well-being and maintaining good health. The book looks at all the reasons why sleep is such an important thing and the fact that when we are asleep it does not mean to say that our brains are not working, they are working extremely well, and they need sleep to be able to carry out things. One of these is when the brain cleans itself so through cerebral spinal fluid washing through the brain in clearing out amyloids and plaque that can build up in our brain. Some would say these factors or what can contribute to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. When we do not sleep, relax, or have sufficient sleep we develop a range of complications including low mood swings, wanting to eat more junk food, increased cancers and cardiology issues, higher blood pressure and it has a massive implication upon health and mental status. Good sleep plays an important role in our circadian rhythm in our body which works in different ways dependent on the different times of the day and works in cycles. We can see how this works in plants which show similar patterns of behaviour and how they will open and close dependent upon the weather. Understanding this is important in understanding how to make a sleeping longer healthier lives. There is also a hormone known as melatonin which works and is impacted by darkness. It helps to regulate time in the sleep and to make us feel more tired though it decreases with age. Foods that can improve sleep at night include brown rice, almonds, milk, chamomile tea, and oily fish such as mackerel and salmon.
- STRESS. It's also worth noting that stress is reduced when we get past the age of 50 and between the ages of 50 and 70 are probably the best years of our life in and we have reduced stress due to more realistic expectations and wisdom. We know that medication to treat low mode mood and depression is serotonin and this acts on the chemical pathway in the brain to support better mood and emotions. We can boost serotonin by taking walks, particularly in new places, as these show a reduction in another portent hormone that triggers stress which is called cortisol. The more cortisol we have running through our body the more likely the person is going to have all the complications that come with stress. going for a walk even just on a treadmill and facing a blank wall can produce more creative thoughts there is much better to go for a walk in nature even when you sit down afterwards, your creative juices will still be going.
- SEX: Sexual intimacy which is very good for us and we should be continuing this for as long as we can. The book looks at how oxytocin; a positive hormone is released. Prairie rats they will suddenly become much more likely to lose interest in their partner as well increased interaction when oxytocin is administered to them in increased amounts.
- EXERCISE: exercise has been shown appears to reduce dementia by 30% in people who are active as opposed to those who are non-active. But it also has so many other benefits such as improving mental health and cardio functionality.
- ACCELARATED AGEING: The most powerful influence on accelerated ageing influence as measured by epigenetics in Ireland is childhood social economic status and education, the second biggest influence is smoking.
- This is a fascinating book which lays out a wide range of approaches that we can use to age proof ourselves as we age to help us with better physical and mental health in so many ways. A highly recommended book for those of us who want to stay healthy and well in old age. It does start when we are young and the earlier, we can start to do these age proven approaches to health, the better the outcomes later in life. But the message also in this book is that it is never too late to start so start now. And you must start by reading this great book.

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1 person found this helpful

Excellent easy listen to a subject of importance

I enjoyed the Irish accent, very relaxing. The subject was covered well, although the detail and depth varied from chapter to chapter. As an introduction to the many aspects of aging better, based on clinical research, it is a great choice.

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3 people found this helpful

Simple and effective

Great evidence to back claims of how to age well. I’ve shared this with my clients.

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A very useful book.

This book is really interesting and based on sound research. I found it positive, helpful and so accessible, no jargon or complex explanations.

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7 people found this helpful

Gretna reda and fascinating

I loved this book fro start to finish, super interesting and encouraging about aging healthily. Loved that Dr Kenny read it herself too

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Inciteful

A well constructed, evidence based book into the causes of ageing and how to best use the information to better one’s life going forward. I would definitely recommend this book

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3 people found this helpful

Very enjoyable

A great read that gives interesting insight into how best to go about about transitioning into older age. If you’re lacking motivation to get off your butt and make the right changes, also listen to the short Ted talk the author talks about by Charles Eugster - a real delight!

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Fascinating

My husband and I listened to this on long car journeys. What a fascinating account of the ageing process and how to keep it at bay. I would love to listen again. The only downside for me was the narration, which was too slow and ponderous (I had to increase the speed on my app) with some mispronounced words, quite surprising for an academic. I would have given it 5 stars had she got a professional narrator to do the honours for her.

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2 people found this helpful