Calculating My Life Expectancy

When using the Life Expectancy Calculator at the following website: http://www.livingto100.com/, my life expectancy was calculated to be 93 years. I feel that this age does make sense because I great-grandmother lived to be 93. It was interesting to see which areas I could improve to add years to my life. There were some obvious factors like I need to manage my stress level better. It was interesting to me that it suggested taking aspirin everyday. I'm wondering if that was something meant for someone my age?

I thought all the questions asked were asked with good reason. When determining how a person ages it is important to be aware of nutrition status, exercise status and lifestyle choices such as smoking, etc. I thought it was strange to ask what my parents current age and status is.

Is Aging Genetic?

The article I found on genetics and aging was from MSNBC. It is titled, "Living to 100? Researchers Close in on Genetic Factors." Here is the link for you to check out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38041947/ns/health-aging/. The article describes a study that looked at the genetic markers of those who lived over 100. From the study, a number of genetic variances were found to be similar. To test the accuracy of the genetic variances in predicting life expectancy, researchers looked at 1,055 genomes of caucasians. The researchers were able to predict with 77% accuracy the people who were over 100 years old. It was found that the centenarians have genes that help them to live longer by protecting them from obtaining certain diseases. It was also found that centenarians that lived to be over 110 years old had three genetic variants in common.

I think this article portrays how prevalent genetics is in determining our life expectancy. Some of us, depending on our medical history may be more susceptible to diseases than others. This would cause us to not live as long. I think it is very interesting that our life expectancy may be predicted by looking at our genome, however, if this is something everyone could do I people would forget the essentials of staying healthy such as exercising and eating right. If someone said you will live to be over 100, I don't think many people will think they are doing anything wrong.

Why We Age: What Processes Cause Aging?

I think that the role of mitochondria in aging is interesting. I was not aware that damage to the mitochondria may be involved with Alzheimer's disease. I have heard the theory of damaging free radicals, or oxidants, in past classes. I agree that oxidants are a component of aging. It is because of this theory that I do my best to incorporate antioxidants into my diet. Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods that can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. Antioxidants do this by preventing or repairing damage done by free radicals. Some common foods, high in antioxidants are: carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, and oranges. Red wine is also known for its antioxidant properties.