Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Maybe it's not health care's fault.
The failure of the U.S. to match longevity statistics of other developed countries is well-known, but a column in today's New York Times offers a different explanation for the gap. To put it simply, it's lifestyle (particularly smoking) that sets us apart from these other countries, not the quality of our health care, according to researchers. "Dr. Preston and other researchers have calculated that if deaths due to smoking were excluded, the United States would rise to the top half of the longevity rankings for developed countries," the Times reports.
The good news is that many Americans have quit smoking in the past decade or so, so we should be seeing continuing gains in health. The bad news is that we're working hard to make up the difference by getting fatter.
Labels: longevity, obesity, smoking cessation
posted by Stacey Butterfield at
11:34 AM
0 Comments
Monday, January 5, 2009
103-year old aunt imparts secrets of longevity
Clif Cleaveland, MACP, writes in the ACP Tennessee Chapter's online journal, Grand Rounds in Literature, of an inspirational lunch he had recently with his still-spry 103-year-old aunt. After suffering a minor stroke earlier in 2008, 'Aunt Mary' gave up driving and checked into a retirement home, Dr. Cleaveland writes, but, aside from a few memory lapses, her "energy and socialibility" remain relatively unimpaired. Her longetivity speaks to a few simple truths, Dr. Cleaveland reflects:
"We do not need sophisticated, electronic devices for our entertainment and well-being. A library book or Scrabble, checkers, or chess board can provide endless hours of pollution-free engagement of the mind. Conversation, without interruption of cell-phone sonatas, is a precious, yet undervalued activity. A walk can refresh the mind, while toning the muscles. A sense of community dilutes personal stress or sorrow."
Labels: Literature in medicine, longevity
posted by Janet Colwell at
9:18 AM
0 Comments
Monday, November 24, 2008
Are ants the key to the human aging process?
An NYU School of Medicine researcher is hoping to understand human longevity by using ants as his subjects. The hope is that gene regulation in ants will provide a model for human aging.
According to the researcher, ants can assume either reproductive or non-reproductive roles, and queens live up to 10 times longer than workers. The researcher will completely sequence the genomes of three ant species. Then, he'll assess whether changes in the brain and behavior occur from the environment and what changes in gene expression drive the adaptations.
"I truly believe that this project will open the door for my next 20 years of science," the researcher said. How long is that in ant years?
Labels: aging, genetics, longevity, research
posted by Ryan DuBosar at
4:30 PM
0 Comments
ACP Internist hosted Grand Rounds on June 16, wrapping up the best of the medical blogosphere. Click here for the complete wrap-up.
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