Healthy aging and longevity Archive

Like his father and grandfather before him, the typical American man of the 21st century works for his living. In most cases, though, he works with his mind, not his body.

It wasn't always that way. As recently as the 19th century, 30% of all the energy used in the American workplace was provided by human muscle power; today, the percentage is minuscule. In most ways, the transition from an agricultural economy to an industrial society to today's information age has been a great boon. But something has also been lost.

To help assess your aerobic fitness, here is a minimum standard: See if you can walk up five flights of stairs at your own pace without stopping, using the railing only for balance. The test may seem too simple to be useful, but in the days before sophisticated exercise tests were widely available, thoracic surgeons used this very test to see if their patients were fit enough to undergo lung operations. In modern terms, people who pass the five-flight test have maximum oxygen uptake values of at least 20. That level will get you through surgery and daily life, but healthy people should use exercise to build up to levels two or even three times higher.

It is unlikely that a health club would ask you to use the stairwell for self-assessment, but it might well use a single 12-inch step or bench to evaluate your fitness. With just a little help, you can do it yourself. Ask someone to time you and count for you so you can concentrate on the task at hand (or foot!). At the signal to begin, step up with your right foot, then bring your left foot up beside it. Follow the "up, up" with "down, down" to complete one step. Repeat at a rate of 24 steps per minute for three consecutive minutes. Then rest in a chair for exactly one minute before taking your pulse. Finally, use the YMCA standards (see table below) to see how you stack up.

A sleep study is required to correctly diagnose sleep apnea, but laboratory sleep studies can be awkward and uncomfortable. Efforts to lower costs and make study subjects more at ease have led to the advent of in-home sleep studies.

Some people live long lives with no disease or serious illness. What can they teach you about healthy living?

Image: Creatas | Thinkstock /Thinkstock

You won't live forever, but it may be possible to live a long and maybe disease-free life by following the lead of "wellderlies."

This is a term to describe a special group of people who have reached ages 90 to 100 without having any major health issue or disease. And if they do get sick, it often happens late in their life and a short period before death.

Ask the doctor

Q. I recently read an article claiming that flossing your teeth is a useless activity. Is this true? Should I not do it anymore?

A. Last year, the U.S. government's dietary guidelines dropped the recommendation for regular teeth flossing. This action was not due to any new research refuting the benefit, but rather the fact that the existing research did not meet current standards for "proof" of benefit.

Aspirin therapy can help prevent a second heart attack and stroke, but for otherwise healthy older men, its use depends on their 10-year risk for a heart attack or stroke as determined by their doctor. 

Sharpening your culinary skills (or developing new ones) can improve your diet, nutrition, and social life.

 Image: gpointstudio/iStock

We tend to cook less as we age. Why cook when you can zap something in the microwave, pour something ready-to-eat into a bowl, or speed-dial for takeout? But this quick-eating trend has made many men adopt diets that put them at risk for weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes.

"Many older men have never developed or have lost touch with kitchen skills, and thus have become too dependent on processed and prepared foods," says Dr. David Eisenberg, of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.