Blue Zones: Live Longer, Better

Financial Longevity?

What are the financial implications of living longer? How much money will you need to retire, and how will you use it?

A recent report conducted by The New York Times explains that retirees who don’t get pensions these days (many), and retirees of the future who won't get pensions (most) “have to create their own income streams, usually through a combination of Social Security and distributions from retirement savings, including I.R.A.’s and 401(k) accounts.”

So what are some healthy financial strategies you should consider if you are a) in retirement, b) leading up to retirement, and c) won't be retiring for many years?

I feel great! I must be...hungry?

Feeling hungry is not fun or pleasurable, (if you’re me), but it might make you happier.
When our bodies send out hunger signals, levels of a ghrelin, an appetite stimulating hormone, increase. According to a recent study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, ghrelin’s staring roll may not be letting you know it’s time for a snack, but fighting stress.

The study
Using mice, researchers played with ghrelin levels by restricting calories and giving injections of the hormone that overtime made the mice numb to ghrelin’s appetite-rendering affects.

How did the mice feel?
Appetite aside, the dominating mood of the study was downright depressing! Mice with low levels of ghrelin activity were suicidal, (if pushed into deep water they didn’t try to swim), scared, (when they were put in a maze they hung by the entryway), and lonely, (they didn’t play with other mice).

Those mice could use a pick me up...
Interestingly, mice who showed symptoms of ghrelin-induced depression responded very well, (they perked right up), when they received anti-depressant medication.

Eggs, toast, and a side of ghrelin please...
Mice with high ghrelin levels swam like champs and took to the maze, searching eagerly for an exit. They socialized and were not afraid to explore new social environments.

Also...
Sleep studies have found that ghrelin levels increase between midnight and dawn in thin people. This may be caused by a flaw in the circadian system of obese individuals. A different sleep study, led by professor Cappuccio of the University of Warwick, found not getting enough rest may lead to obesity by increasing appetite (brought on by hormonal changes), during the day. While lack of ghrelin may cause depression, lack of sleep pumps more ghrelin into our systems which equals, “I’m hungry.” Constantly feeling hungry may also mean your body is creating less leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism.

The lesson here? It’s all about balance. Get a good nights rest and eat healthy to keep hormones, hunger, and mood swings in check.

Starting Healthy Habits Later In Life Still Makes A Difference

We know that diet and exercise play a vital role in living a long, healthy life, and scientists are always coming up with new information that helps explain why this is.

A recent study, (July, 2007), published in the journal Science, reveals that even if we start later in life, healthy lifestyle habits, (eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and a diet low in saturated fat, along with exercise), has a profoundly balancing effect on our hormones. This may extend more than our ability to rock those skinny jeans, it also extends the health of our brains.

Quoted in a CBS News report, researcher Morris White, PhD, who works at the Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, explains that adopting healthy habits "...has less to do with how we look, and more to do with a healthy brain, especially in old age.”

Researcher Morris White, PhD and others, focused their attention on the Irs2 gene in mice. This gene is responsible for creating a protein that helps cells absorb insulin, a hormone that monitors blood sugar levels. What the scientists found in mice, is a link between an inactive Irs2 gene and insulin insensitivity. The mice with insulin insensitivity gained weight and became inactive. Insulin resistance, or insensitivity in people often leads to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. According to a report released by the Mayo Clinic, diabetes increases your risk for Alzheimer's.

A healthy diet and exercise naturally balances blood sugar and keeps hormones in line. This isn’t about playing with genes, and getting all mad-scientist on some mice, our altering our brain chemistry to promote longevity through pills and potions. It’s more about promoting tried and true habits, and encouraging the body to take care of itself naturally. Daily exercise, calorie restriction, and maintaining a healthy weight all contribute to insulin sensitivity, reducing your risk for diabetes and possibly Alzheimer's.

Need tips on where to begin living a healthier lifestyle? There are a ton of great tips on this website, also visit Spark People for fun exercise and healthy eating suggestions. And don’t forget to check with your doctor before starting a new fitness routine.

FEATURE: Are You An Optimist?

Scientists are finding that from an “evolutionary standpoint," “humans have a natural bias toward a positive outlook.”

Think about your future.
Do you see the immediate outlook as sunny? If so, you are not alone. Researchers are finding that humans may have a “neurological basis for optimism.” Studies suggest optimistic people may be happier, healthier, with a lower chance of cardiovascular ailments and lung disease. This may have to do with the amount of stress hormones released by an optimistic vs. a pessimistic person. Stress hormones like Cortisol and Adrenaline weaken the immune system. Someone with an overall happy outlook may release less stress hormones during stressful times.

Optimism affects how we live.
Newlyweds don’t fret divorce, teens don’t fear loss of vision, hearing, and other age related illnesses, and while new parents will worry, the natural tendency is to worry about a runny nose, a soiled diaper, not fretting that your bouncing baby boy may one day be an unemployed 30 year old who sleeps on your basement couch. Living, loving, and exploring new areas of life and new parts of the globe requires a degree of optimistic thought. The pioneers had to be fairly hopeful, despite a lot of stressful factors. 

Glass half-empty state of mind?
Pessimism can be good. Psychologist Julie Norem, in a recent article on optimism and pessimism in the Boston Globe calls defensive pessimism, "expecting the worst and planning accordingly" a valuable outlook. Pessimists might be better planners, more solid in their professional and financial matters.

So which one are you? An optimist? A pessimist?
Take the Boston Globe “Are You an Optimist” Quiz.