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| Clinic for Aging Research and Education in Laguna Woods, California |
RAISE A GLASS TO THE golden years. Making it past 90 years old may boil down to
drinking a couple of glasses of alcohol a night, according to a study on
members of the oldest demographic in the U.S.
The 90+ Study, started in 2003, focuses on the fastest growing age group
in America - the "oldest-old" - to determine what habits lead to
quantity and quality of life, according to its website. This year, researchers
at the Clinic for Aging Research and Education in Laguna Woods, California,
focused on what food, activities and lifestyles are commonly featured among
those living longer. Analyzing more
than 1,600 nonagenarians, the study results showed that people who drank two glasses
of beer or wine a day improved their odds of living longer than those who
abstained by about 18 percent.
Dr. Claudia
Kawas, a neurology specialist and head of the 90+ Study at the University of
California, presented her findings at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 17. "I have no explanation for it, but I do
firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity," Kawas said in her
keynote address.
Exercising
regularly and partaking in a hobby for two hours a day were also associated
with longer lives. Surprisingly, people who were overweight, but not obese, in
their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did. "It's not bad to be skinny when you're
young, but it's very bad to be skinny when you're old," Kawas said at the
meeting.
Cheers to life, seriously. When it comes to making it into your 90s,
booze actually beats exercise, according to a long-term study. The research, led by University of California
neurologist Claudia Kawas, tracked 1,700 nonagenarians enrolled in the 90+
Study that began in 2003 to explore impacts of daily habits on longevity.
Researchers
discovered that subjects who drank about two glasses of beer or wine a day were
18 percent less likely to experience a premature death, the Independent
reports. Meanwhile, participants who
exercised 15 to 45 minutes a day, cut the same risk by 11 percent. “I have no explanation for it, but I do
firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity,” Kawas stated over the
weekend at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual
conference in Austin, Texas.
Further study
is needed to determine how habits impact longevity beyond people’s genetic
makeups.
Read More at http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-drinking-alcohol-living-past-90-20180220-story.html
