Staying engaged in life
All of this squares with the experience of Claudia Landau, M.D., Ph.D., chief of geriatrics and palliative care at Highland Hospital in Oakland, Calif, and an associate clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health.
Early in her career she remembers working with a group of World War I veterans, all over the age of 90. Asked to account for their longevity and relatively good health, they cited a common reason: a desire to learn and stay engaged with life. One of them had just started to study Japanese.
“When people feel more engaged and involved, they have more motivation to do other things that will keep them well,” Landau says. Those can include physical exercise, paying attention to their diet, and simply getting out of the house more.
You may already have a sense of purpose in life, but if not, retirement, and the flexibility it provides, offers a wealth of possibilities. And it might pay to pick several of them. In Landau’s experience, “people who develop multiple ways of engaging with the world do the best,” she says.
all-cause mortality
Diabetes Takes Heavy Mortality Toll in Mexico | Medpage Today
The all-cause mortality rate was more than five times higher in Mexicans ages 35 to 59 with diabetes than in their non-diabetic counterparts (rate ratio 5.4, 95% CI 5.0-6.0), reported Jonathan Emberson, PhD, of Oxford University in England, and colleagues.
Source: Diabetes Takes Heavy Mortality Toll in Mexico | Medpage Today
Blood pressure variability and cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis – The BMJ
Results – 41 papers representing 19 observational cohort studies and 17 clinical trial cohorts, comprising 46 separate analyses were identified. Long term variability in blood pressure was studied in 24 papers, mid-term in four, and short-term in 15 (two studied both long term and short term variability). Results from 23 analyses were excluded from main analyses owing to high risks of confounding. Increased long term variability in systolic blood pressure was associated with risk of all cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 1.22), cardiovascular disease mortality (1.18, 1.09 to 1.28), cardiovascular disease events (1.18, 1.07 to 1.30), coronary heart disease (1.10, 1.04 to 1.16), and stroke (1.15, 1.04 to 1.27). Increased mid-term and short term variability in daytime systolic blood pressure were also associated with all cause mortality (1.15, 1.06 to 1.26 and 1.10, 1.04 to 1.16, respectively).
Conclusions – Long term variability in blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular and mortality outcomes, over and above the effect of mean blood pressure. Associations are similar in magnitude to those of cholesterol measures with cardiovascular disease. Limited data for mid-term and short term variability showed similar associations. Future work should focus on the clinical implications of assessment of variability in blood pressure and avoid the common confounding pitfalls observed to date.
Source: Blood pressure variability and cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis | The BMJ
Lower microstructural integrity of brain white matter is related to higher mortality
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that impairments in cerebral white matter, even at early stages, are not limited to adverse brain outcomes and they are related to mortality, especially from cardiovascular causes.
Source: Lower microstructural integrity of brain white matter is related to higher mortality
Low Aerobic Activity Tied to Higher Death Rates in Men – Medpage Today
Only smoking is bigger risk factor in middle-age men
Source: Low Aerobic Activity Tied to Higher Death Rates in Men | Medpage Today
Get up. Get out. Move it.
How Will I Die? – The Atlantic
What should you fear? The answers are different at each stage of life—and vary dramatically for different groups of Americans.
Source: How Will I Die? – The Atlantic
The Life-and-Death Probability Simulator is morbidly fascinating.
The Despair Death of the Middle-Aged American – The Atlantic
Uneducated white Americans are living sicker and dying younger. Here’s why.
Source: The Despair Death of the Middle-Aged American – The Atlantic
MedPage Today link below.
Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies | The BMJ
Conclusions Saturated fats are not associated with all cause mortality, CVD, CHD, ischemic stroke, or type 2 diabetes, but the evidence is heterogeneous with methodological limitations. Trans fats are associated with all cause mortality, total CHD, and CHD mortality, probably because of higher levels of intake of industrial trans fats than ruminant trans fats. Dietary guidelines must carefully consider the health effects of recommendations for alternative macronutrients to replace trans fats and saturated fats.
This is what 365 days without a vacation does to your health
Source: This is what 365 days without a vacation does to your health
One week ago we were hiking the mountains in and around Aspen Colorado. It was a glorious getaway surrounded by gorgeous natural beauty. Our MGS (mountain goat son) gave us a glimpse into his new life, living and working in the Roaring Fork Valley. The original plan was to spend a long Labor Day weekend with MGS but he had other plans. Right now he’s in Utah on a kayak and camping trip with friends from work.
It’s all about balance. When working, work your ass off. When you’re not working, make damn sure you truly take time off to pursue whatever you find enjoyable and forget totally about work. Disconnect!!! Leave all of your inconvenient 24/7 devices at home. The emails can wait until you get back.
One of the life lessons I’ve passed along to MSG and his brother RocDoc came in the form of a question. Be brutally honest and ask yourself this:
Do you live to work or do you work to live?
Even Light Activity Can Boost Seniors’ Health – MedicineNet
Even Light Activity Can Boost Seniors’ Health – MedicineNet.
It really is amusing the stuff that grabs your attention the older you get.
lifeunderwriter.net 
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