Looking forward to older age

By Herbert Vego

HAVING turned 74 years young, I occasionally wonder how many more years are left in my lifespan. Last night, for example, I had that nagging feeling of time running out due to an unusually high blood pressure.

“Not now, Lord,” I whispered to the unseen God. “I wish to make it to our class reunion on the 19^th.”

As was one of the starry-eyed high school graduates of the Antique National School in 1966, 58 years ago. I had made arrangements with my American teacher, Tom Griffin — now 84 but still kicking — to go to the hotel venue for the reunion.

We count ourselves luckier for having outlived many of his students and my classmates who have gone to kingdom come

But, of course, God willing, we would like to live further after the reunion.

Every man or woman has a reason for looking forward to older age, except probably those who are too ill and long-suffering who would prefer retirement from life.

I remember asking a 94-year-old lola whether she would like to be a centenarian.

“Yes,” she answered softly, “I would like to make a hundred thousand pesos for the first time.”

That is the cash benefit that the government awards to confirmed centenarians.

While I wonder how many centenarians are still in good shape to enjoy that amount, the cash incentive is surely worth living for.

In the Old Testament, a Hebrew patriarch named Methuselah lived for 969 years. Since then, man has been searching for his lost key to longevity.

History records the pioneering quest of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon for the fountain of youth. Discovering Florida and its beautiful unpolluted beaches, he spent the rest of his life there until 1521 when a poisoned arrow wound cut it short; he was 61.

Nevertheless it was a “ripe old age” by 16th-century standard when cures for diseases had yet to be discovered.

Since then, people have enjoyed longer lives because of advances in nutrition and medicine. In the United States, for instance, the Bureau of Census has confirmed that the life expectancy of Americans has gradually accelerated. A child born in 1900 could expect to live an average of 47.5 years. A child born today could hope to reach 76 or more.

Why do some people die young while others grow very old? After all, nobody is exempted from wear and tear. Over time, everybody’s body deteriorates because it is not capable of replenishing all damaged cells. This is often apparent among the old who become senile due to declining number of brain cells.

Way back in the 1950s, a scientist from the University of Nebraska, Denham Harmon, announced that he had found the reason behind aging. It is now widely known as the free radical theory. Based on his research, the free radicals are chemicals that rob the body of its normal health by depriving the cells of oxygen, in effect triggering diseases, including all forms of cancer. This damage, called oxidation, is comparable to rust-destruction of metals. Therefore, to rise to the “impossible” age of Methuselah, one should wipe out free radicals.

Fortunately, like all other animals, the human being has an immune system that could produce antioxidants to fight free radicals. The older the body grows, the less capable it is of producing them. There is now an urgent need for acquiring them from food and food supplements.

Based on a Google article I just read, people with sufficient vitamins E and C have lower risk of heart diseases because these antioxidants minimize fatty deposits in the arteries, thus preventing atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

Wrong choices of food, on the other hand, may trigger organ malfunction. It is universally accepted, for instance, that too much sugar may damage certain body proteins, notably collagen. Since collagen helps form bones, teeth, skin and tendons, such damage could worsen from tooth decay to arthritis and diabetes. Diabetes is considered “accelerated aging.”

Perhaps, had Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon not died due to a poisoned wound in 1521, he could truly have found the fountain of youth in healthy habits. He had spent his adult life in a beachfront house in Florida so he could swim at sea, breathe clean air and eat the most nutritious foods.

To this day, we are told to eat mostly fresh fruits and vegetables and only a little meat,  maintain a weight ideal for our age, exercise daily, shun stress, minimize alcohol intake, sleep at least six hours daily and drink plenty of water.

That sounds familiar. But does everybody follow?