Want to Live to be 100?
The age of the American population is changing astonishingly. People over the age of 100 are the fastest growing group in the nation. The second fastest growing group is people over 85. More of us are now able to live into old age than ever before. It's estimated that in a decade or more the average American will live until the age of 83. And that's just the average. We are truly undergoing a revolution in aging.
I'm sure you are interested in living longer. Most of us are. A question you might be asking is how can you better your chances of living as long as you can. You are probably also wondering how you can remain healthy during those many years. These are serious questions. Let's take a look at what enables people to live longer and what you can do to help yourself and loved ones live not only longer but better.
Some History
At the turn of the century, people died early of infectious diseases. The death rate at childbirth was staggering. Very few of us could have expected to live into old age. The population was like a triangle. A lot of people were being born at the bottom and only a few ever reaching the top. Gerontologists tell us that we are now experiencing a new phenomenon. More and more people are surviving past childhood and living to old age. This is happening to the point were the top of the triangle is nearly as large as the bottom. This has never happened in history. By the year 2010 there will be as many "senior citizens" as those under 20.
Our industrial society has provided tremendous rewards in terms of longevity. Improved sanitation, drugs, new medical technologies, nutritional knowledge, etc. have been a boon to our life spans. In years past, simple infections could be fatal. Food and water contaminations were widespread and could result in premature death. We now stand on the verge of seeing a new society. With current advances in nutrition and a new generation of medical diagnostic technologies a great deal can be done to keep all of us healthy. But the basic approaches needed to stay healthy for life are as old as our civilization. Living a simple and natural life style is still the best way to maintain health.
Before we get into the specifics of lifestyle behaviors, I want to mention some very exciting research in the area of aging.
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