The eternally young baby boomers are now solidly in middle age, and some will soon be eligible for Social Security. Among the consequences is the marketing of many elixirs to keep us young, or at least appearing young. Whether it's vitamin supplements, body and brain exercise, proper nutrition, creams and ointments, or plastic surgery, the market is answering our wish for eternal youth.
But will any of these cures work? Or are the effects of age a challenge we baby boomers cannot surmount?
The answer appears to be that we can have some effect on what happens to our bodies and minds as we age, but most is determined by genetics and luck. We can, however, have a large effect on how we enjoy our later years.
In terms of maintaining our ability to think, the worst scourges are Alzheimer's disease and the effects of poor circulatory systems, whether actual strokes or mini-strokes or TIAs. There still is no cure for Alzheimer's disease.
But according Paul D. Nussbaum, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who spoke after me at a recent event, there is evidence that those with brain "reserve" can delay the effects of Alzheimer's disease. He counsels actively using your brain through games, social activities, travel and even learning a foreign language. Also, exercise and healthy eating may stave off the effects of a poor circulatory system on the brain.
More recently, Dr. Muriel Gillick, a gerontologist and author of The Denial of Aging: Perpetual Youth, Eternal Life, and Other Dangerous Fantasies spoke at our firm. Dr. Gillick is a critique of our current system of caring for frail seniors which offers a choice between aggressive hospital care and hospice care, and nothing in between. But she feels that "intermediate" care that meets the true needs of patients and the likely outcomes of treatment would be both more economical and better for most seniors.
In terms of whether we can stave off the effects of aging, Dr. Gillick also recommends exercise and healthy eating, but does not see these as the fountain of youth. She strongly recommends that everyone find a purpose to their lives. This can make one's days meaningful and fulfilling no matter one's frailty.
This is also consistent with another speaker sponsored by our firm who advises retirees in finding a new purpose to their lives. David D. Corbett, the co-author of Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After 50 relates the story of an executive who retired from a high-powered corporate job to playing golf in Hilton Head. Within a couple of months, he was completely bored. No longer climbing the corporate ladder, he needed to find a new purpose to his life.
Corbett counsels his clients to find their passion, no matter what it may be. It might be something they enjoyed as a child but had to give up to earn a living. Find it and pursue it, he advises.
Coming back to the question of what you should eat to stay healthy, forget the fads. According to Michael Pollan writing in the January 28th edition of The New York Times Magazine, Americans have been following the advice of nutritionists for the last quarter century and we're fatter than ever. The problem with nutritional science is that it tries to break down food into its components and figure out how each piece affects our health. But so far, this has been impossible to do, which is why the advice keeps changing: don't eat saturated fat, don't eat carbohydrates, do eat oat bran, do eat antioxidants.
Pollan's advice? Eat food, not nutrients. Don't eat too much meat. Do eat fruits and vegetables. It's as simple as that.
So, to stay healthy and alert and live a long life? Exercise your body and your brain, eat well, and do what you love with other people. Oh yes, and pick your parents well so that you have the right genes for a long life.
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