Sunday, November 26, 2006

Sharon will live to 88

On 29th November Sharon's total cholesterol level was 4.97 mm/L. (target <5.0), Glucose (diabetes test) 4.9mm/L (target <6.0).

Sharon took the 10minute Eons.com test to see how long she could live.

Sharons' Calculator age is:

88

personal

+0.25 years

People who are optimistic about their aging fare much better. Turn your attitude around about your aging and you could add a quarter of a year to your life

lifestyle

+1.0 year

Minimizing or cutting out your caffeinated coffee consumption completely could provide you with about a year more in life expectacy

+1.0 year

If it is ok with your doctor, taking an 81 mg aspirin every day improves your heart and brain health and could help you delay or escape a heart attack or stroke. Taking an aspirin each day, perferably in the evening, could add 1 year to your life expectancy.

+0.5 years

Ultraviolet rays present in sunlight and tanning beds greatly increase your risk of skin cancer, including melanoma. They also increase wrinkles. Minimizing your sun exposure could add half a year to your life expectancy

+0.5 years

There is a clear link between the inflammation of gum disease and heart disease. Do a good job of flossing daily and you could add half a year to your life expectancy.

nutrition

+0.5 years

You are already making an effort to cut back on your carbs. Further cutting back the carbs in your diet (basically anything white and French fries) to a serving every other day could add half a year to your life expectancy

+1.0 year

Changing your daily dietary intake so that you get to and maintain a healthy weight could add 1 year to your life expectancy (though you probably will gain more years, depending on how heavy you are and this is taken into account when we calculate your body mass index)

+0.5 years

Increasing your exercise regimen (more than 30 minutes a day) to at least 4 days a week could add half a year to your life expectancy

medical

+0.5 years

Being in touch with your health care provider annually is very important for screening and preventing illness. Getting the appropriate blood tests on a regular basis could add a half a year

+0.5 years

Getting your blood pressure checked annually could add half a year to your life expectancy

PERSONAL

Gender

Being female gives you a head start in the longevity marathon. Women usually have heart attack or stroke about 10 years later than men and 85% of centenarians are women and 15% are men. After menopause (average age 51 years), this advantage seems to diminish and therefore some scientists speculate that estrogen plays a role in this advantage. Another theory holds that chronic iron deficiency (due to menstruation) gives a woman her advantage. Iron is critical to our cells' ability to produce age-accelerating free radicals that also predispose to heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

Next steps

The following actions and potential problems to be checked for are general guidelines for the general public. There may be instances where a particular recommendation does not pertain to a particular patient because of their unusual circumstances. Furthermore, in some cases something might need to be checked or examined at a younger than usually recommended age because of a familial predisposition or predisposing environmental exposure or behavior. The following is not meant to be an all-inclusive list and it is wise to have a detailed discussion with your health care provider to come up with a plan of prevention and screening that fits your particular circumstances.

  1. Each year, with your heath care provider, be sure to cover the following.
    • Medical history and physical exam
    • Tobacco use
    • Diet and exercise counseling
    • Alcohol and substance abuse
    • Sex-related concerns
    • Vision screen and hearing test
    • Depression screen
    • Osteoporosis prevention counseling and calcium and vitamin D intake
    • Self examination counseling (e.g. skin and breast exam)
    • Driver safety counseling (e.g. seat belt use, assessment of driving safety record)
  2. And, have the following checked by physical examination and/or laboratory evaluation annually:
    • Obesity screening and counseling (body mass index and waist size)
    • Blood pressure
    • Breast exam and mammogram
    • Stool for any blood (requires a special test to detect trace, invisible amounts)
    • Total blood cholesterol (and specifically HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels)
    • Electrocardiogram (ECG) if you are at increased risk for heart disease (increased risk would be the case if you have two or more of the following: a family history of heart attack, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or smoking)
    • Pap smear for women who have a cervix (testing can be less than annual if recommended by physician)
    • Screen for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) if you are at risk. Risk factors include history of prior STD, new or multiple sex partners, inconsistent use of barrier contraceptives, use of injection drugs. STD tests may include HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea.
  3. Be sure that the following is performed regularly at the recommended intervals:
    • Check for osteoporosis with urine test and DEXA scan. Determine the frequency of this test with your physician
    • Colorectal cancer screening
    • Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, every five years
    • Complete colon examination by colonoscopy, every 10 years (no need to perform sigmoidoscopy in the tenth year when colonoscopy also examines the sigmoid colon)
    • Tuberculin skin test (PPD) every 1-3 years depending upon your risk of being exposed to tuberculosis
    • Exercise treadmill test (ETT) if at increased risk for heart disease (for example: family history, smoker, high blood pressure, diabetes, or poor cholesterol profile) or if otherwise felt to be warranted by your health care provider
    • Screen for ovarian cancer using transvaginal ultrasound and rectovaginal pelvic exam for women who are at risk for ovarian cancer (can include (a) having a family history with at least one first-degree relative with ovarian cancer or a first-degree or second-degree relative with breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer.
Next steps

Marital Status

Interestingly, New England Centenarian Study data suggest that marriage or having a partner in your life has different effects upon your life expectancy depending upon whether you are a man or woman. In the case of a woman, being or having been married does not provide a distinct survival advantage, at least in the ability to achieve exceptional old age. An unusual proportion of the female centenarians never married (about 15%). Perhaps personality features that lead to perseverance, independence, and assertiveness provide a survival advantage. Such women may also be particularly good at managing stress. On the other hand, nearly 100% of the male centenarians are married or were only recently widowed.

Next steps

Proximity of Family

Having reasonably frequent contact with family or friends who are like family to you can be an important feature of your ability to manage stress well and is probably a life expectancy extender. Extended family cohesiveness and frequent contact is a notable feature of centenarian families. Researchers have noted that people who do not belong to cohesive families have fewer coping resources and increased levels of social and psychological stress. Psychological stress is associated with heart disease, various cancers and increased mortality risk.

Next steps

How Do You Cope With Stress?

Excellent! Managing your stress in such a way that it doesn't eat away at you, and in your case actually acts as a motivator is tremendous. Your ability to manage stress effectively will substantially improve your life expectancy and increase the number of healthy years ahead of you.

Next steps

Sleep Habits

It is terrific that you are getting adequate and quality sleep. Adequate sleep is also a sign of good health.

Education

Those added years of education will likely increase your life expectancy for obvious reasons such as your being a more informed consumer of health care and your being more likely to partake in healthy behaviors such as not smoking and having a healthy diet. Regarding your brain health, continue to participate in cognitively challenging activities, exercising parts of your brain that haven't been used so much - new activities that are difficult (what neuropsychologist Paul Naussbaum terms .novel and complex.). Learn a new language or musical instrument; if you don't have time for these most potent activities, try crosswords, Scrabble, bridge, sculpture or painting, but when you get good at something, move on to another cognitively challenging activity. Cognitively challenging activities as an adult, have been shown to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and to slow its progression.

Next steps

Hours on the Job

A recent Japanese study of the relationship between work hours and heart attack risk revealed that men who worked, on average, 11 hours or more a day had twice the risk of heart attack. Interestingly though, those who worked less than 7 hours a day were also at increased risk. If you find your current workload comfortable and that you are taking advantage of your leisure time to perform healthy and enjoyable activities, good for you and keep up the good work!

Next steps

Brain Strengthening

Excellent! Your brain strengthening activities can help you delay or escape memory loss and perhaps Alzheimer's disease.

Next steps

LIFESTYLE

Smog

Ahhh. Take a deep breath of that clean fresh air! It is wonderful and life expectancy-enhancing that you live in a smog-free environment.

Coffee

You are drinking too much coffee. You may have many reasons for this degree of consumption including trouble with sleep, withdrawal headaches, the taste, and so on. Gradually replacing your coffee with tea is one method of weaning yourself off. There are effective methods for the majority of people and the effort is worthwhile in improving quality and quantity of life. Excessive coffee can be a sign of increased stress. Stress can lead to a hormonal imbalance, which can physically stress and age numerous organs. In addition, coffee predisposes the stomach to chronic inflammation of the stomach and ulcers. Such chronic inflammation leads to release of substances that raise the risk of heart disease. Tea, and especially green tea, on the other hand, has been noted for its significant antioxidant content, and tea drinkers in general appear to be healthier.

Tea

Try to give tea a chance. You may find that it grows on you. Regular tea consumption is a healthy habit that may actually be life extending. The antioxidants in tea may decrease your risk of heart disease and cancer. Tea contains a powerful class of antioxidants known as polyphenols. It is controversial whether green tea has more bioavailable polyphenols than black tea. Either way however, you can't go wrong.

Second-hand Smoke

Avoiding second hand smoke is a very important habit. Because second hand smoke is even more toxic than the filtered smoke that smokers inhale, it takes less of a 'dose' or exposure to be toxic to your lungs and your body in general. Thus, keep avoiding the secondhand smoke as you have been doing. Second hand smoke is more toxic than what the smoker gets because it is unfiltered. Such exposure is clearly a substantial cause of cancer, heart disease, asthma and other lung diseases.

Aspirin

Perhaps you cannot tolerate an aspirin a day because it hurts your stomach, you get ringing in your ears, or you have a propensity for bleeding. On the other hand, if you really don't have a reason to not take an aspirin a day, consider taking one daily. 81 mg of Aspirin per day has been noted to significantly decrease heart disease risk. This benefit may be due to the anti-blood clotting effects of aspirin. Chronic inflammation may also play a role in heart disease and therefore, aspirin's effect on inflammation may also be helpful.

Sunscreen

You are doing a poor job of protecting yourself from the sun and therefore from accelerated aging of your skin as well as from deadly skin cancers such as melanoma. But you could do better. You should regularly apply sun block, at least SPF 15 or higher when you are out in the sun. Some dermatologists recommend reapplication every two hours. You should also have a regular skin (dermatology) check-up and perform a monthly self-examination for changing, new or growing lesions of your skin. For guidance on a self-exam, see [http://www.skincheck.com/]. The association between sun exposure and accelerated skin aging are clear. The ultraviolet rays in sunlight directly damages DNA. More sun means more wrinkles sooner. It also means a higher risk of deadly skin cancer. Excessive sun exposure may also have toxic consequences for the body in general.

Flossing

You need to floss your teeth. There are benefits that go far beyond better breath, but don't underestimate the benefits of good breath! Diligent and regular flossing means keeping your teeth and very possibly reducing your risk of heart attack. Recent scientific evidence reveals that chronic gum disease leads to the release of inflammatory, toxic substances and certain bacteria into the blood stream which potentiate plaque formation in arteries and ultimately lead to heart disease. This process probably also increases the risk of stroke and accelerated aging.

Next steps

NUTRITION

Your Weight

Your calculated body mass index would indicate that you are likely a bit overweight. If you are in fact lean and this calculation is off because of your unique build and greater than expected amount of muscle, then this assumption is incorrect and you should add a few years to your calculated longevity (with our apologies!). However, if to be honest, you are a bit overweight, then you should do what you can to get down to a lean (as little fat as possible) body weight. Even being just a bit overweight significantly increases your risk for diseases that markedly impact upon your longevity, including heart trouble, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, stroke and dementia. You are almost at a good weight. As you age, you may find it more challenging to keep the weight off. You will find, if you aren't doing it already, that getting into a regular regimen of weight training to maintain or build muscle mass will be very helpful in keeping the weight off. Of course diet is also important and lowering your consumption of carbohydrates is helpful. Diet advice is covered by the questions related to carbohydrates and sweets.

Fast Food

Your answer suggests that you avoid fast food restaurants and preserved meats. You are already going a long ways towards a healthy diet. Keep it up! Fast food, generally fried foods and hamburgers, are high in calories and saturated fats. These will make you gain weight and they increase your risk for heart disease, stroke and perhaps cancer. Some studies suggest that 90% of all human cancers are environmentally induced, 30-40% of these by diet. Preserved and cured meats (bacon, sausage, lunch meats, etc.) are the largest source of nitrites in our diet. Nitrites lead to the formation in our bodies of nitrosoamines, which are important environmental oxidants and probable carcinogens. For instance, there is a suggestive association between nitrosamines and stomach cancer.

Next steps

Calcium Intake

Continue to do your best to insure that you are getting plenty of calcium from your diet and if needed, from a vitamin or calcium supplement. The recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D are 1,500 mg calcium and 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day. Supplements vary according to their efficacy and side effects. The following is a summary:

  • Calcium Citrate, more on the expensive side, can be taken with and without food and is generally not associated with gas or bloating.
  • Calcium carbonate (like Tums) is less expensive but is more difficult to absorb and can be associated with gastrointestinal upset and is better to take with food.
  • Oyster shell, bone meal or dolomite should generally be avoided since they can be associated with toxic metals.
  • Calcium gluconate, calcium lactate, calcium phosphate and other calcium compounds generally have lower amounts of calcium and thus you have to take greater volumes of the supplement.

In addition to dairy products, calcium-fortified juices, breads and cereals are also excellent sources. On the other hand, large quantities of salty foods and meat can significantly increase the amount of calcium lost in the urine. Some foods high in calcium also contain oxalic acid, which interferes with calcium absorption. Spinach is such a food. Do know that even adequate amounts of calcium intake cannot guarantee prevention of osteoporosis. Strength training is also a very helpful measure. All women going through menopause should get their bone density checked by their doctor to check if they have osteoporosis or appear to be heading in that direction. Vitamin D is necessary for the body to absorb the calcium we get in our diets. Our skin naturally makes vitamin D in the presence of sunlight. As we get older, our skin becomes less able to manufacture vitamin D. Also, people who live in areas that get less sunlight during the winter months and/or stay indoors a lot are more likely to be vitamin D deficient. As a result, vitamin D deficiency is actually common. Besides lower calcium levels, vitamin D deficiency can cause annoying symptoms like aches and muscle weakness. Vitamin D deficiency can be avoided by taking in 1,000 IU per day of a vitamin D supplement.

Meat Intake

Good for you. A diet that minimizes meat is healthier. Less meat in the diet is conducive to less heart disease and risk for heart attack and stroke. Furthermore, there are nutritional sources of antioxidants in foods that replace meat in a person's diet especially the polyphenols present in certain vegetables and fruits and the omega-3 fatty acids in fish that help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol thus decreasing their risk for heart attack and stroke. Weighing red meat against vegetables and fish or skinless poultry, red meat loses out when it comes to your health. The American Heart Association recommends a diet that minimizes meat in the diet and emphasizes these alternatives. Vegetarian dishes, in addition to being an alterative to meat, also have antioxidants that protect the heart and brain. Interestingly, the vascular risk associated with red meat may be related to the fact that it is the major source of iron in our diet. The iron present in vegetables, like spinach, is relatively bio-unavailable. As you will read in greater detail, under the topic of iron supplements, iron plays a critical role in our cells' ability to produce harmful free radicals that likely potentiate aging and age-related illnesses.

Dessert

You are doing much better than the average person in demonstrating restraint from eating those desserts and candy bars. By staying away from these foods that have little in the way of nutritional value and yet significantly increase propensity for obesity and therefore heart attack, stroke, cancer and diabetes, anyone will make great gains in their life expectancy and the proportion of their lives spent in good health. Most desserts and certainly candy bars are high in saturated fats and calories. Both are terrible for you predisposing for weight gain, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. By helping you become obese, they also increase your risk of various cancers.

Carbohydrate consumption:

Not only are the number of calories you eat important, but the type of calories are important as well. Grains, pastas, fruits, and starchy vegetables like potatoes are the most common carbohydrate foods. Simple carbohydrates like white bread, potatoes (especially French fries), pasta, white rice and sugar as well, cause the body to produce insulin in response to elevated levels of glucose in the blood. The insulin in turn induces the storage, instead of burning, of fat. Other foods like fats, protein, and more complex carbohydrates like whole grain foods and fiber are less prone to turn on the production of insulin. The glycemic index of food is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels and thus the production of insulin. Carbohydrate foods that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes causing blood sugar and insulin to rise fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes. The lower the glycemic index, the less likely that food is going to contribute to the production of fat. There are numerous books and websites that provide the glycemic indices for foods and drinks. However the general food groups noted above are a good start in your education.

Diet and Your Weight

Cutting down on the amount you eat is one of the most important interventions you can do to have a dramatic impact on your health. For many people, eating too much is the main reason they are overweight. For others, it is more difficult than just not eating so much and a consultation with a diet expert may be warranted. Be conscientious about how much you eat. Become a calorie counter. Don't eat till you are full. Stop before you get there. There are also several helpful websites on the internet that are dedicated to helping people lose weight and then maintain a healthy weight. See: ShapeUp America!Obesity is associated with inefficient energy production and an increased production of oxygen free radicals within cells, thus leading to an increased risk of various cancers, heart disease and accelerated aging. It may also lead to diabetes.

Next steps

Iron Intake

It is probably good to continue to stay away from iron supplements and foods that are high in iron content, specifically red meat, if you can. Taking an iron supplement might potentiate your aging and risk for age-related diseases. There is growing evidence from animal and human studies that iron levels are related to aging and age-associated diseases. As a critical component of mitochondrial free radical generation, iron has been proposed by some to be a key modulator of rate of aging and susceptibility to age-related diseases. The available epidemiological evidence suggests that elevated iron levels are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Menstrual blood loss and resultant iron deficiency might be protective against vascular disease and even contribute to the premenopausal survival advantage of women over men. Further studies are needed to determine whether there are cardiovascular benefits or risks associated with blood donation. Men may have the opportunity to be more female-like in their risk for vascular diseases by regularly donating blood, which could induce an iron deficiency. Blood donation has actually been associated with a decreased risk of atherosclerosis. The primary source of iron in our diet is red meat and this should be avoided as well.

Exercise

Good Job. You are already making a great effort at getting that exercise into your daily routine. If you can increase the frequency even one day to three times a week, the added benefits to your physical and mental health could be substantial. Don't forget to be balanced in how much aerobic exercise you do versus strength training. Both are very important. Also, if you are doing a lot of high impact workouts, gauge how much wear and tear you are putting on your weight-bearing joints so that you don't set yourself up for premature osteoarthritis. Exercise leads to more efficient energy production by your cells and less oxygen radical formation (which speeds up aging and increases your risk for heart disease, stroke and cancer). Muscle is a tremendously efficient burner of fat and maintaining muscle mass has many benefits. Therefore, strength training is important. Depending upon how much one weighs, we generally loose a third of a pound of muscle every year after age 30, which is replaced by fat. The great news is that for most people, muscle loss can be completely reversed no matter what your age, by regular strength training.

Next steps

MEDICAL

Bowel Movements

Having a bowel movement at least once every two days may be associated with decreased risk of colon cancer. Keeping gut transit time under 20 hours seems to decrease the incidence of colon cancer, probably by decreasing the contact time between the gut lining and cancer-potentiating substances in the diet. These substances influence DNA damage and repair and therefore probably also influence the rate of aging as well. Epidemiological studies in humans and animal studies suggest that increasing dietary fiber will reduce the risk of certain cancers perhaps by increasing the frequency of bowel movements. On the other hand, recent reports indicate that the association may not be as clear as once believed. In addition to increased transit time and therefore less contact between carcinogens and the bowel wall, perhaps other factors that increase transit time such as regular exercise might be the real reason for decreased cancer risk.

Self-Examination for Cancer

Excellent. Early detection of breast cancer is so critical and monthly self-examination is an important step in catching the disease early enough. Please refer to the American Cancer Society's website on breast cancer which discusses many aspects of the disease including how to detect it early with monthly self examination (they have a very clear set of instructions on how to do the exam) and other steps women need to take including an annual mammogram from age 40 on (or earlier, if you are at increased risk).

Next steps

Cholesterol Tests

Not knowing what your HDL level should be considered a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. It means you are not availing yourself of some key information to decrease your risk for these diseases. HDL cholesterol is known as the "good" cholesterol because a high level of HDL cholesterol appears to protect against heart attack. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is processed, dumped in the intestine and then passed from the body. Some experts believe that excess cholesterol is removed from blockages in our arteries by HDL, thus slowing the build-up. However, low HDL cholesterol levels (lower than 40 mg/dL) may result in a greater risk for heart disease and stroke. For more information about cholesterol, other risk factors and treatment, go to the American Heart Association's website.

Next steps

It is apparent you are interested in your health and future well-being because you are taking this questionnaire. Now you need to take the next steps that include diligent screening. Get your cardiovascular disease risk factors, including your LDL cholesterol level, checked. A high level (higher than 130 mg/dL) of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, reflects an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. That's why LDL cholesterol is often called "bad" cholesterol. When too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can lead to the formation of plaque in the blood vessels that feed the heart and the brain. When enough of this blockage occurs, a heart attack or stroke can occur.

High blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension is a silent killer. Unless the pressure is very, very high, you may not have any symptoms. Hypertension if caught early and before it gets to high is curable in many cases through pharmacological and non-pharmacological means. Thus, it behooves you to get your blood pressure checked. Please don't put this off.

Diabetes

Of course, it is great that you don't have diabetes. Lower your risk by losing weight if you are overweight. Get your blood sugar checked at least every three years and watch for some of the more common symptoms of diabetes including excessive and persistent thirst, voiding large amounts of urine frequently with normal amounts of fluid intake, and/or unexplained weight loss.

Heart Attack

It is great news that you have not had a heart attack. Hopefully you have been avoiding or minimizing the risk factors for heart attack (also called heart disease or coronary artery disease). Here are the typical risk factors that you can modify: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes (improve your sugar control), being overweight, lack of exercise or cigarette smoking. 90% of heart attack victims have at least one of these risk factors so you might be setting yourself up for a heart attack in the future if you have one or more of these risk factors.

Next steps

Check-Ups

Regular checkups are so important. The frequency of checkups depends on your age and what if any medical or other clinically relevant problems you might have. Generally, anyone age 40 or older should be having annual checkups. Please set up an appointment for a checkup as soon as possible. A conscientious program of screening and prevention are key to living into old age in good health.

Next steps

FAMILY

Family History of Heart Attack of Diabetes

You are lucky to not have heart attack or diabetes running in your family. Now do a good job of taking advantage of those genes and don't do things that could predispose you to the disease nonetheless, such as being obese, smoking and not exercising regularly.

Family History of Cancer

You are lucky to apparently not have cancer running in your family. Now do a good job of taking advantage of those genes and don't do things that could predispose you to cancer nonetheless, such as being obese, smoking, etc.

Family Longevity

Your family history is telling you that you should be extra diligent in entering into a program of prevention and screening with your doctor. Do what you can to prevent various age-related problems and illnesses and screen for these while you have a chance of either curing them or minimizing their impact upon you.

We use maternal age (when you last had a child) to gauge how slowly and well your reproductive system is aging, which tells us something about how the rest of you is doing. If you don't have children in the future, then perhaps the age at which you go through menopause will be a good marker, though there have been no studies thus far linking older age at menopause with exceptional longevity.

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Posted by crabsallover at Sunday, November 26, 2006

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