![]() ![]() While these studies did reveal a few healthy elderly persons (and certainly helped boost yogurt sales), rampant age exaggeration made any study of healthy aging in these populations of questionable value. When these individuals were later found to be much younger than their stated ages-most were nonagenarians at best-a dubious shadow was cast over research on exceptional human longevity ( 1, 7, 8). Leaf ( 6) reported unusually high prevalence rates of centenarians, many of whom were remarkably healthy and disability free, in a cover story in National Geographic. Among the first organized research on long-lived humans was a study of alleged centenarians, some said to be older than 160 years, which occurred in the early 1970s in the Caucasus region of the old Soviet Union, the Hunza Valley in Pakistan, and the village of Vilcabamba in Ecuador. The study of exceptional human longevity is not new. Discovering factors that enhance odds of healthy aging and translating these findings into evidence-based interventions is becoming a research priority.Įarly Studies of Exceptional Human Health and Longevity Some researchers believe that by studying “healthy aging” rather than focusing on specific diseases, we might find protective genetic or environmental secrets that will benefit both length and quality of life ( 3– 5). In particular, more comprehensive study of long-lived individuals who are free of major clinical diseases and disability, and who might be called “exceptional survivors,” is beginning ( 2). However, in the past few years, the credible study of exceptional human longevity has blossomed. Unfortunately, finding individuals who fit this robust description-and who possess valid birth certificates-has proven elusive. Such hardy, long-lived individuals have been a fascination of society since recorded history ( 1). WE have all heard stories of cigar-chomping hundred-year-olds who drink copious amounts of vodka (or other spirits) and can climb hills or swim laps faster than most fifty-year-olds. ![]()
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