We are in the midst of a worldwide longevity revolution. The average life expectancy on this planet will soon pass age 60. The twentieth century brought us a phenomenal increase in the amount of time we spend alive. In this 100 year period, we added an extra 30 years to our lives as average life expectancy increased over 50% in most developed nations. This increase in the 20th century was more than the increases in the previous 19 centuries put together.

What will the 21st century bring? Instead of the rare individual reaching age 85 and older, in the 21st century most of us in developed countries have an excellent chance of making it to this age. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself to be part of the longevity revolution. What does this mean? It means taking charge of your aging.

I was a member of the MacArthur Foundation Study of Successful Aging that showed that you can indeed determine your quality of future life¹. Successful aging was defined by this group as good health, psychological well being and robust social interaction. Our task was to examine the genetic and environmental factors that control successful aging. Our laboratory was the Swedish Twin Study, which is a lifelong study of identical and non-identical twins that were raised together or raised apart. At this point, you might be curious about how they could find enough twins raised apart. In Sweden, at the turn of the century, there were many families that could not afford to take care of two new babies and therefore gave up one twin to other family members or friends for adoption. Since identical twins are genetically identical and fraternal or non-identical twins share 25% of the same genes, they provide the basis for comparing the effects of genes and the environment.

This twin study revealed that for the early part of your life your genes are the primary determiners of your health. You might expect this since genes can play an important role in determining your childhood health and your susceptibility to diseases of early adulthood such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and hypertension. However, the environment played a more important role than genetics in determining the risk of the diseases and disorders that afflict the later years of life. This is terrific news since it indicates that your health habits - your physical fitness, your nutrition, and your sleeping habits - are the key to your successful aging.

When you are 85, it is not easy to get off the couch, climb a flight of stairs, carry heavy shopping bags, drive a car, clean your home . . . . all the things you need to do to remain independent. In the upcoming articles, I will focus on those actions that you can do to be part of the aging revolution and age successfully. I will outline my formula for aging successfully, and give specific advice that you can implement for yourselves. It will take about 30 minutes a day, but you will be rewarded by being sharper on your job, happier with your home life and be able to look forward to being healthy and independent at age 85.

Information provided in this article is for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice furnished by your own physician or other health care professional. This content should not be utilized for diagnosing or treating a health condition or disease, or prescribing any medication. Before taking any health product, you should read carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care professional. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.