Are you a Super Ager?

Every week a new headline, a new study, a new piece of research says that diet and exercise will keep us young but also that genetics play a huge role in whether we will have a sharp mind into our golden years.

On the radio the other day, guest Emily Rogalski from the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University in Chicago, told listeners that the study conducted by her department at Northwestern showed there is more than one path to being a SuperAger.

Ms Rogalski remarked that even if genetics is involved we should not give up the healthy way of living. In her study she found that SuperAgers are from different walks of life, different socio-economic backgrounds, different cultures, etc.  She commented that some enjoyed exercise and some did not.  While diet and exercise were important for some who participated in the study, it was not important for others. Here's a link with more about the results of the study

http://www.canada.com/health/superagers+have+brains+similar+those+years+younger+study/7102249/story.html

 The bottom line is that SuperAgers don't lose brains cells very fast and the cortex in their brain is thicker. Lucky people! I bet their teeth are good too. No plaque and certainly no gum disease. An article in today's paper cites a US Study from the University of California that followed nearly 5,500 elderly people (yikes, sounds like stalking to me!) over an 18-year period and found that those who reported brushing their teeth less than once a day were up to 65 per cent more likely to develop dementia than those who brushed daily.

The best advice I can offer after all this is that you should keep in mind there are TWO signs that you are NOT a SuperAger. The FIRST is the loss of memory, the other one escapes me. Hmmm.