100 years of health and the 3 R’s to get there

Esther Tuttle is nearing the end of the 10th decade of a remarkably productive and adventurous life. Next July 1 she will join the rapidly growing clan of centenarians, whose numbers in the US have increased to 96,548 in 2009 from 38,300 in 1990.

At age 92, Tuttle wrote a memoir with the prescient title “No Rocking Chair for Me” displaying an acute memory of events, names, dates and places that she retains as she approaches 100.

What is the secret to her longevity? Is it genetics? Perhaps, but it’s hard to say. Her parents died at ages 42 and 50, leaving her an orphan at age 11, along with three siblings, one of whom did live to 96.

Genes do play a role in longevity. Dr Nir Barzilai, geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, reports that centenarians are 20 times as likely to have a long-lived relative. But a Swedish study of identical twins reared apart concluded that only about 30 per cent of longevity is genetically determined. Lifestyle seems to be the dominant factor. As Tuttle said: “You’ve got to work, be cheerful and look for something fun to do.It’s a whole attitude.”

Her memoir and replies revealed three critical attributes that might be dubbed longevity’s version of the three R’s: resolution, resourcefulness and resilience.

Throughout her long life, she’s taken hardships in stride, traipsed blithely over obstacles and converted many into building blocks. And she has adhered to a regimen of a careful diet, hard work, regular exercise and a very long list of community service, while raising three children.

Like many if not most other centenarians, according to the findings of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, Tuttle is an extrovert who has many friends, a healthy dose of self-esteem and strong ties to family and community. She still enjoys her youthful passions for the theater and opera.

A study of centenarians in Sardinia found that they tend to be physically active, have extensive social networks and maintain strong ties with family and friends. They are also less likely to be depressed than the average 60-year-old.

Do optimists live longer than pessimists? Yes, studies indicate. Dr Hilary A Tindle of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that among 97,000 women followed for eight years, those deemed optimistic were significantly less likely to die from heart disease and all causes than were pessimistic women. The optimists were also less likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol. The pessimists were more likely to be overweight, smoke cigarettes and avoid exercise, indicating, Tindle says, that negative thinkers make poorer lifestyle choices than positive thinkers.

A walking example

Tuttle could serve as a model for that study’s findings. Each morning, she does an hour of yoga and other floor exercises, then dresses and goes out for a half-hour walk before breakfast of orange juice, oatmeal, a banana and black coffee. Then she works at her desk, mostly corresponding with her 11 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Lunch may be soup or leftover meat, a “very thin” slice of rye toast, with tea and fruit for dessert. The afternoon includes an hour’s nap and another walk, often combined with grocery shopping. At 6.30 every evening, she enjoys a cocktail before a home-cooked dinner.

The benefits of coping

As good as her health is (no high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes), it is not perfect. She describes herself as “a bionic woman from the waist up,” with an artificial breast to replace the cancerous one removed 20 years ago, a heart pacemaker installed about a decade ago, a hearing aid and contact lenses. Although she has spurned dairy foods for most of her life, she was only recently found to have osteoporosis.

Nor has she always enjoyed an affluent lifestyle. Though born into an well-to-do family, her parents’ early death and her decision to pursue an acting career led to a hardscrabble existence. According to one study, survivors of traumatic life events learn to cope better with stress and poverty and are more likely to live to 100.