Active lifestyle is secret to longevity
Dr Osi Ogbu, Consultant Physician and Geriatrician (doctors for the elderly) at the National Hospital, Abuja, says the current average life expectancy in Nigeria 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 the current average life expectancy in Nigeria 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 that are found among us. So we must emulate their lifestyle practices such as living an active life”, Dr Osi-Ogbu adviced.
Continuing, Dr Osi-Ogbu says apart from living active lifestyle, living in a stress-free environment is another reason why their lives could be prolonged. “Also, if you live in an environment that is not polluted it can enhance once life. Again, those in the rural area have good support networks which city dwellers don’t have and live longer because they know their neigbours and their neigbours know them. They share in each other problem and knowing that someone else shares in your problem, half of the problem is solved.” Says Osi-ogbu.
A growing body of findings suggests that diet is one of the important contributors to longevity and a healthy life. Dr Osi-Ogbu agrees to this saying eating balanced diets with a lot of fruits and vegetables are one way to enhance one’s life span. To buttress this, it is said that members of the Seventh Day Adventists (Christian denomination) who typically eat vegetarian diets, outlive their neighbors by four to seven years on average. Research 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.
Health experts say once you reach 60, metabolism slows down and you need fewer nutrients. While it’s 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. The long-lived people of Okinawa say one reason they enjoy long and healthy lives is something they call ikigai, or “finding your reason to live.”