What is the secret to a long and happy life? The 90+ Study was started in 2003 to study the oldest-old, the fastest growing age group in the United States. With more than 1,600 participants, it’s one of the largest studies of the oldest-old in the world. Watch the video report from 60 Minutes:
Major Findings of the 90+ Study:
- People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who didn’t.
- People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than people with normal or less than normal weight.
- Less than half of people aged 90 and older suffer from dementia while almost 80% are disabled. Both are more common in women than men.
- About half of people with dementia over age 90 do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brain to explain their cognitive loss.
- People aged 90 and older with an APOE2 gene are less likely to have clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, but are much more likely to have Alzheimer’s neuropathology in their brains.
One of the most shocking findings of the study that we learned from the second part of the 60 Minutes report was that having higher blood pressure may be better when you are over 90 since lower blood pressure increases the risk of mini strokes. The researcher says that we shouldn’t generalize when we study people from different age groups.
Sources:
UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders
Tags: healthy longevity, how to live long, living past 90, secrets to longevity
