Active lifestyle is secret to long life

Dr Osi- Ogbu, Consultant Physician and Geriatrician (doctors for the elderly)  at the National Hospital, Abuja, says average life expectancy in Nigeria standing at 51.6/53.6 is an improvement over what obtains in the past when the figure was as low as 30. “I am actually amazed that many older people I had to take care […]

Dr Osi- Ogbu, Consultant Physician and Geriatrician (doctors for the elderly)  at the National Hospital, Abuja, says average life expectancy in Nigeria standing at 51.6/53.6 is an improvement over what obtains in the past when the figure was as low as 30. “I am actually amazed that many older people I had to take care of are in their 80s-90s.There is a woman I saw that is 104 and she was still standing tall. It was encouraging for me that we still have Nigerians that live up to that age. But I must say that most of them live in rural areas. In those areas, people are more active, they don’t live sedentary lives, so they don’t have the chronic diseases found amongst urban dwellers. So we must emulate their lifestyle practices such as living an active life.”Dr Osi-Ogbu expressed.

Dr Osi-Ogbu went on to reveal that apart from living active lifestyles, living in a stress-free environment is another reason why they live prolonged lives. “Also, if you live in an environment that is not polluted, it can enhance one’s life. Again, those in the rural areas have good support networks which city dwellers don’t have. They share each other’s problem and knowing that someone else shares your problem is healthy.” Says Osi-Ogbu.

A growing body of findings suggests that diet is one of the important contributors to a longer and healthy life. Dr Osi-Ogbu agrees saying eating balanced diets, with a lot of fruits and vegetables, is one way to enhance one’s life span. To buttress this, it is said that members of the Seventh Day Adventists (a Christian denomination) who typically eat vegetarian diets, outlive others by four to seven years on the average. Ongoing research at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University suggests that foods especially high in antioxidants, including, grape juice, and walnuts, protect against age-related changes in the brain that lead to memory loss and even dementia.

Again, Osi-Ogbu says foods rich in fiber such as acha are good for the elderly. Whole grains pack a lot of nutrition yet low in calories. Grains like oats and wheat are also rich in a long list of disease-fighting compounds.

Health experts say as an individual reaches the age of 60s, metabolism slows down and one needs fewer nutrients. While it is true that older people typically require fewer calories than young adults, they actually need more of certain nutrients. The reason: as we age, our bodies are less efficient at making or absorbing some vitamins and minerals.

Exercise and a healthy diet have together been shown to reverse the accumulation of cholesterol-laden plaque in the arteries thereby reducing cases of heart related diseases, such as hypertension.

A diet abundant in nutrients is obviously important to longevity. So is enjoying what you eat– and especially finding joy in sitting down to meals with family and friends.

Studies of centenarians the world over suggest that social connections and finding meaning in life are both crucial to longevity of life. The aged people of Okinawa say one reason they enjoy long and healthy lives is something they call ikigai, or “finding your reason to live.”