Have you observed that as far as general activity level is concerned, people tend to fall into one of two big categories: the people who tend to be “couch potatoes”, and those who are constantly moving? The first group just doesn’t seem to want to move much. They would rather wait for the elevator than take the stairs, even for one floor, and if they are sitting watching TV or at the computer, rather than jumping up and getting something they need from another room, they will call for help or at least just sit and wait until they have more motivation to actually get up and move.

Now the other group, we might call the “movers” or maybe “people who putter”, seem to be constantly moving, almost in a nervous way. But take a look at the body shapes of these two groups, and you might notice a pattern—the movers tend to be a lot trimmer than the people who don’t like to move. It makes a lot of sense, and now we have good scientific evidence that the movers are both thinner and healthier than the sedate group, but the reasons for this are a lot more complex than what you might think.

Studies comparing people in occupations requiring lots of sitting (such as bus drivers) with those who stand much of the day (for example train conductors), have shown a much higher rate of cardiovascular disease and fatal heart attack in those who sit most of the day.  Experimental studies have recently demonstrated that sitting a lot, even a few hours straight, lowers the activity of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase, which normally works to decrease the fat content in your blood. So even a few hours of sitting seems to alter your very fat metabolism.

A study of otherwise healthy men who became incapacitated and confined to bed rest showed that three weeks of bed rest had a bigger negative impact on their physical work capacity than 30 years of aging. Scientists (“inactivity physiologists”) are now more closely studying the physical changes during our “inactive” periods, but while we await more research, it seems clear that people who sit too much during the day face a host of problems, and to cut your risk of obesity, diabetes, and of heart attack, you need to, basically, “get off your butt” and move around more. For some people, even a good program of  regular aerobic exercise, combined with a reasonable diet, may not be enough to keep your weight under control if you sit much of the day.

•    Avoid sitting too long. You are at higher risk of serious metabolic problems if you spend hours watching TV or sitting in front of the computer at work or during your free time. As much as you can, just get up and walk or move around, if only for a minute or two at a time, that’s fine. If you can’t get up, at least shift in your chair regularly, and maybe shake/stretch your arms and legs occasionally. Try to change your mindset so that when you need something from another room, you see that as a good thing, not an irritation.

•    If you like video games, consider as an alternative to the standard (sitting) game something more active like the Nintendo Wii, which will get you up and moving, and allows you to play too. It’s great for both your body and your mind.

•    People who sit for long periods, for example on an airplane, suffer a higher risk of DVT or “deep vein thrombosis” a potentially life-threatening condition in which the blood stagnates in the deep veins in your legs to the point that a clot forms which breaks off and travels through to your lungs. Basic prevention involves getting up and moving around the plane occasionally, and flexing your calf muscles while seated to get the blood moving in your legs. Drinking water also helps to keep your blood from getting too thick and prone to clotting.

Last post I presented evidence that the act of chewing gum can temporarily improve short-term memory and test-taking performance (click to read).

These brain benefits are based on relatively new research, including functional MRI scans, but other well established research has demonstrated that chewing gum can improve your oral health; the condition of your teeth and gums. If you have healthy gums and good oral health, you are less likely to get sick.

People with poor dental nutrition, meaning untreated cavities and inflamed gums, are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease. The current thinking is that some heart and blood vessel disease, including atherosclerosis, is an inflammatory process, and if your gums and teeth are not in top condition—meaning they are chronically infected—your oral tissues will be slowly leaking toxic, infectious products into your bloodstream. These toxins then are slowly irritating, inflaming the walls of your blood vessels and leading to more vessel damage and making you more prone to heart attacks and strokes.

As an otolaryngologist, I saw tens of thousands of mouths over 25 years, and usually I got a fantastic clue as to how healthy someone was just by looking at their teeth and gums. Not always, but usually, if the gums were in good shape, so was the person, and if the person had bad oral hygiene, their body was not in such great shape either.

Saliva is a good thing; in general the more the better. One of the causes of chronic gum infection and inflammation is dry mouth. Typically the more saliva you make, the healthier your mouth, and one reason chewing gum is healthy is because it stimulates saliva production. Saliva dilutes the acidic environment in your mouth that follows a meal—it washes away and neutralizes the acid and food particles that lead to chronic infection and dental plaque. The calcium and phosphate in saliva can strengthen your dental enamel. Further, low-grade gum irritation makes you more prone to diabetes, and if you already have diabetes, gum infection will make your blood sugar more difficult to control. Finally, a dry mouth makes bad breath more likely.

Even the normally conservative American Dental Association has endorsed certain chewing gums, and you can see which those are by clicking here. They typically contain tooth-friendly sugars like xylitol or sorbitol. The recommended “dose” is that you chew for up to 20 minutes after a meal. It’s particularly a good idea after you eat out—for example after lunch at work—and don’t brush until hours later.

Look for a gum with “Whitening” on the label. They cost more than regular gums, but are worth it. The only side effect I can think of is the act of chewing gum can in some people strain the TMJs (temporo-mandibular joints), so watch for any pain in front of your ears, and discuss any concerns with your dentist. Otherwise, give gum a try. It’s cheaper than most all medications, and a lot safer. It potentially can improve your oral health, your general health, your mental health, and your social life…as we get older, breath becomes more of an issue, and whatever we can do to combat bad breath and allow people to come physically closer, the better.

I was inspired by several recent reports showing that computer use by middle-aged and older people—either for general web searching or strategic video games—is good for the brain. It only makes sense, and hence the booming industry devoted to computer games and programs for baby boomers (and older) to keep brains young and flexible.

Think for a moment of those older folks you know who are truly computer-proficient. Most likely they also have active, flexible, competent minds and attitudes.

I’m not suggesting you buy some anti-aging brain program. Rather, for your relatives who already have a computer but don’t know its potential, show them how to really use it. Plenty of adults own computers, but their competence level is stuck at email. Maybe they manage some basic (aol usually) navigation, but using it as the wonderful people-connecting, information gathering, brain-expanding tool that it is, doesn’t happen. They may lack computer savviness, but often it’s a lack of confidence; some even think they might break something.

Now since you, dear blog reader, likely have a decent command of computers, I suggest the gift of your knowledge and time. Gift wrap a small card granting a couple hours of your undivided attention as computer tutor. Set a time and do it. Collect your patience, sit with them preferably at their own computer, and have them first demonstrate what they can do. Then, again patiently, help them expand.

Find topics that interest them and see that they can search and bookmark (you might bookmark LiveLongAgeWell, which has plenty of interesting, safe links on the sidebar). Or show them how to find recipes, or poetry, or sport scores, or shop, or pay bills. Demonstrate that many books can be found online, free.

Check their software versions and anti-virus software, and see they know how to update. Since there are online financial predators, check their firewalls. Teach them how to stay safe, not to click on suspicious links, and about phishing. If they are more adventuresome, demonstrate social networking—help them connect with lost friends. There is so much to learn that this gift can be renewed for many occasions over many years…You can’t do it all at once.

Not only will all this be good for the brain, but will help them keep current and yes, younger, as computer-competence becomes ever more necessary to connect with modern life.

Imagine if print newspapers and magazines go the way of film cameras, and most reading goes online—those who are computer-comfortable will be way ahead.  And for people who become disabled or home bound, those who can navigate a computer will still have much of the world available. So consider this gift, this year. I’ve done it. It can work for you as well as for your student, and might even make the two of you closer…Next post Monday…Happy Holidays!

Here are some of the results to date…which gives encouragement that when we hit middle age and beyond, our lives should continue to be happy and satisfying:

1. On average, the people in the study felt about 13 years younger than their actual age, and felt that they looked about 10 years younger than they actually were.

2. The men believed they looked younger than the women, by about 4 years. (I wonder if the men in this study might be well, slightly delusional, because in the U.S., it seems like the women take better care of themselves, and look younger. I’m really curious what the LLAW readers think about this. Please leave a comment with your opinion!)

3. Most in the group had a high level of satisfaction with their own aging; they weren’t depressed or discouraged about being older.

4. Some people, seemingly those in the best health, seemed to feel even younger as they got older.

5. Finally, referring back to “self-perceived age” discussed in Monday’s post: when BASE studied various groups of older people of the same age and physical health, the ones who just felt younger had better vitality, health, and longevity than those who felt their “real” age. Thinking and feeling younger seemed to give people more resilience to face the challenges of getting older.

I recently read two examples in the New York Times of older people doing amazing things (and from their pictures, they look pretty good too). First, a 73 year-old who 50 years ago played college basketball. He recently started community college in Tennessee, tried out for the college team again, and yes, he’s on the team and doing well as college basketball’s oldest player.

Second story was the 100th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall for the composer Elliot Carter. Since turning 90, he’s published over 40 compositions; six in the past year alone. James Levine, the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra says about Elliot Carter “He’s still writing at the top of his form…every time he writes a piece he has new ideas he’s trying.”

This concept of “trying new ideas”—always being willing to experiment—not sticking to a rigid self, is one great secret to exceptional aging.

The correct answer is 20, and that might cause you some concern, and indeed, until about ten years ago, most neuroscientists believed that once you entered young adulthood, your brain inevitably began going downhill, with no potential for new brain cell growth. But fortunately, it’s clear now that your brain, even though it does shrink in size over time, can retain most of its functional capacity, and even form new cells.

It turns out the shrinking brain issue is really not such a problem after all, because if we treat our brains right, the loss in brain volume can be compensated by new connections (called synapses) between brain cells, and in many cases these synapses—the connections—are more important than the number of brain cells. At least in some areas of the brain, new tissue can be formed. This ability of the brain to change and develop in positive ways is called brain plasticity (“plastic” as in the ability to re-shape itself as needed).

One of the best ways to age better is to encourage this brain plasticity, which is done by: 1) maximizing physical health; and 2) continuing to exercise our brains after age 20! You undoubtedly know the classic advice to “do crossword puzzles”, but there are so many other activities that you can do that are just as good. You can have a wonderfully functioning brain in your 80s without doing one crossword puzzle, ever.

But to keep a good brain, you need to exercise it or the new connections, the synapses, will not form well, and your brain will deteriorate just like muscles that sit unused. In LLAW, I will devote many posts regarding ways to keep our brains working well, and today I hope you read this Psychology Today blog post from Stanton Peele, Ph.D. Taking life seriously: How to preserve your mind, raise intellectual children, be a constructive citizen, and get laid more. He gives lots of ideas about how to stimulate your brain and improve your relationships at the same time.

It is a startling statistic, but one out of eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime (one out of 100 breast cancer cases occur in men), so anything that decreases this risk is welcome. And while the media tends to focus on risk factors we can’t control such as genes and family history, this study from the National Cancer Institute describes one relatively simple action women can take.

Beginning in 1987, the researchers studied over 32,000 post-menopausal women and found that women who engaged in regular vigorous activity or vigorous exercise had about a 30% reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Interestingly, this effect was seen only in slim and normal-weight women; obese women did not show the same good effect from strong exercise (though obese women would cut their risk by losing weight).

The type of activity that led to the decreased cancer risk included heavy housework such as washing windows, scrubbing floors, or digging outside. But don’t fear if you don’t want to do—or don’t have time for—heavy housework, because women who engaged in strenuous sports or vigorous exercise such as running, serious tennis, and fast dancing enjoyed the same benefit. Light housework such as washing clothes, basic gardening, or mild exercise didn’t seem to have the strong protective effect.

So especially if you have a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer, for example due to family history, keep vigorous activity in mind. (For an excellent current reference on breast cancer, check out this pdf from the American Cancer Society.) For Monday: how both men and women can cut their risk of another common and feared affliction, Alzheimer’s disease.

A recent study from UCLA examined two different groups of middle-aged and older adults, aged 55 to 76.  One group was already Internet “savvy”, and the other group was not. The researchers had the two groups perform Google-type search activity while they were put through an MRI brain scan that measured their real-time brain function. The group that was already Internet savvy showed twice as much activity in parts of the brain responsible for complex reasoning and decision-making. The conclusion was that if you use the Internet regularly for searching tasks (as opposed to downloading music or watching videos for example), your brain may become more open to further stimulation.  And again, for our brains, the more stimulation the better.

This study was small and far from perfect, and over the next few years there will be many more studies of how computers affect our brains. Perhaps computer use over time actually rewires our brains to become more efficient. In the meantime though, you might use this study to encourage older family members and friends who perhaps could use more brain stimulation, to really push themselves to use their computers.

One of my favorite patients had been one of Walt Disney’s original animators (he had worked on the movie Fantasia), and he seemed to become most alive and animated himself when he talked about his new book project, even though he was in his 70s.

It was clear to me that this ability, or willingness, to be a “late bloomer” was one secret to aging well, so I was very interested to read the article last week in The New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point) entitled “Late Bloomers”. He starts with the example of a young lawyer, dissatisfied with his career, who quit and took up writing at age 30, then Gladwell dissects the difference between artists who peak early (such as Picasso), and late (like Cézanne, who struggled during his younger years). He notes other “late bloomers” such as Mark Twain, the poet Robert Frost, and Alfred Hitchcock, whose largest run of successes occurred from his mid- 50s to early 60s.

Of course most of us will not become famous artists or authors or singers or furniture makers, but if we regularly test our minds and bodies and try out talents that (might) lie dormant within us, we will age better, both mentally and physically. And if you have a loving partner, encourage him or her in their endeavors also…you will both benefit. If you read the New Yorker article to the end, you will see that stories of successful late bloomers are actually, often love stories.

Click here for a podcast of an interview with the very cerebral Malcolm Gladwell.  Have a great weekend.