28 People per 100 NOT on CRON Will Live to 88...

August 30, 2003

Hi Iris/oc9,

Popular notions of ill health in old age are not necessarily fully accurate.

The elderly are actually leading more disease free lives in old age than

they ever have before. We're just familiar with nasty images of extended

care homes for the very ill, and that warps our perception of 'normal' lives

at, say, age 80.

That said, part of my interest in CR derives from just living better while

I'm here, entirely aside from the possibility of life extension. I don't

really want a lot of sick years tagged on at the end, but since the animal

data shows CR actually slowing aging, those little critters not only live

longer, but remain functionally 'young' much longer. If you could feel 50

before a bus hits you at 88, wouldn't that be worth it (and as Walford

points out, wouldn't you have a better chance of getting out of the way)?

All of my grandparents lived entirely on their own well into their 80s. My

spouse's family seems to never have anyone die before 100 unless s/he was

shot, poisoned, or caught an incurable (but transmittable) disease... My

adoptive mother, OTOH, has cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes all

running in her family on both sides -- other than her father, no one has yet

lived past 73. She's the only sibling who hasn't yet had one (or a few) of

the diseases from that list.

> Of course the ones you read about are

> the ones that drank, smoked, went sky

> diving up to age 92 - but this is

> certainly not the majority.

But it is an ever-growing number, even without CR. Medical advances, while

not slowing actual aging, are certainly making old age healthier and more

active for most.

Cheers,

________________________

Gifford

3-5 Humanities Centre

Department of English

University of Alberta

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