Logevity tips from the oldest person alive

In a couple of days Susannah Mushatt Jones will be celebrating her 116th birthday, Business Insider reported.

What are some of her secrets for living that long (besides good genes and being a woman, as 90% of people who live past 100 are women)? here are 6 other lifestyle choices that may have spurred Jones' longevity:

1. No alcohol or smoking
2. Has a sense of humor
3. Eats mostly fruit all day, with bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast
4. Enjoys naps
5. Always surrounded by family
6. Wears sexy lingerie (even now!)

Can you survive your job?

The majority of the world spends one third of it's adult life in a job. But will you survive your job and make it to 100 years old, or will your job kill you before retirement?

Bloomberg posted a list of deadliest jobs in America (in average from 2006 till 2013), and you can check if your profession is helping your longevity plans.

The Top 3 Ways To Die In Your Part Of The World

NPR presents a short animation of the 3 most common ways to die in the developed and developing world. A nice reminder of how much can science, technology and education improve life expectancy and quality

What are you doing to prevent this top killers? Share it in the comments.

The Economist - How to live forever

In this short story, the Economist reviews latest anti-ageing research and BioTech companies focused on longevity. Some scientists believe we will all be able to extend our lifespan longer than 120 years, but others are researching on treating old age diseases and making current lifespan more healthy.

"The chances of a person living to 80 are based mostly on behaviour—don't smoke, eat well and exercise—but the chances of living beyond that are based largely on genetics."  

Read the full story: The Economist explains - How to live forever

The danger of vitamin pills

You may already heard this health myth before: taking vitamins pills daily prevent diseases and even aging. Now several articles are debunking this idea, like this one from The Atlantic: The Vitamin Myth: Why We Think We Need Supplements.

The article goes in more details about the origin of this myth. Seems that this was an untested idea promoted by some powerful scientists but not backed up by scientific research. And now the research points to exactly the opposite:

"The results were clear: those taking vitamins and supplements were more likely to die from lung cancer or heart disease than those who didn't take them -- the opposite of what researchers had anticipated."

Be careful, as this is not health advice, but consider talking to your doctor before taking any medication, including vitamin pills - it seems that they are not as harmless as we thought, and may do more harm than good on your road to a healthy longevity.

Preparing for a good end of a long life

Even if we live to 100 years old, one day we will die, and therefore preparing for a good and long life should also include preparing for a good end of life. Judy MacDonald in her TED talk proposes 5 practices for keeping quality of life high while our bodily functions and independence decline to zero:
Make a Plan; Recruit Advocates; Be Hospital Ready; Choose Caregivers; and Discuss Last Words.

Take 6 minutes to watch the powerful story of Jim and Shirley last days, then head to goodendoflife.com for more resources on the topic. I know I will.

A quick humorous review of aging process

A quick review of current scientific knowledge on aging, showing that genetics and environment both influence our longevity.

Source: ASAP Science