Natural Health

It’s not exactly breaking news that women live longer than men. According to the Centers for Disease Control,¹ the average life expectancy for men in the United States is 76.4, compared to 81.2 for women.

There’s plenty of other evidence, too.

Take, for instance, the ill-fated Donner Party in 1846. Of the 87 original members of the group, 47 of them survived; 70 percent were women. And in Iceland during the 19th century, records show that women lived longer than men every single year … regardless of feast or famine.

You can pretty much confirm the same thing by visiting any nursing home: […]

Stiff, aching joints, osteoporotic bones, Alzheimer’s disease, lesions that cause heart attacks and strokes: all these nasty “diseases of aging” have one thing in common — senescent cells.

Also called zombie cells, they stop normal cell division and lose their ability to function, but they don’t fully die off. Instead, they hang around wreaking havoc on surrounding tissues.

One of the most promising strategies in the field of health and longevity is to sweep these cells out of the body. The first human trial gives hope we can do exactly that. . .

Reduces Illness and Increases Lifespan

“I’ve never seen a field grow […]

In a just-published paper, biochemists at Oxford University, England, state that “immune activity and life expectancy seem to be intricately linked.”

But as we age, the immune system becomes less effective. The process even has its own name – immunosenescence.

The good news is that scientists believe they’ve found an answer to this decline — a development that could help us live a lot longer.

Thymic Involution

Weighing in at roughly an ounce, the thymus is a tiny gland located between the top of the lungs – but it packs a powerful immune punch.

It produces progenitor cells that mature into T-cells (meaning thymus-derived cells) […]

We’re all aware — or should be — that aerobic fitness lowers the risk of developing heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. It also decreases the risk of death and can potentially prolong life.

But there’s more to being in shape than heart rate and respiration. What about musculoskeletal fitness?

When it comes to muscular strength and flexibility and how they relate to life expectancy, there aren’t many studies to go on, so researchers from Brazil designed and conducted one.

The results were surprising. . .

The Sit-Rise Test

Dr. Claudio Gil Araújo, MD, PhD, specializes in exercise and sports medicine, but also works with heart […]

Blood pressure is a well-known indicator of cardiovascular health.

But there’s another test that requires no trip to the doctor’s office, needs no other person or equipment, is easy and quick to carry out, and costs nothing.

This test not only reveals information about your risk of heart disease, but your future risk of death.

All you have to do is… take your pulse. Here’s why this simple, familiar “vital sign” is such a powerful predictor of lifespan. . .

A Fast Pulse Spells Trouble Ahead

The number of heart beats per minute is referred to as the heart rate.

Taking the pulse after prolonged rest, […]

A revolutionary gene editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to make precise changes to the DNA in any cell or organism.

You’ve probably heard of CRISPR if you follow technology news at all. It’s the breakthrough that made it easy and cheap to modify genes.

In an age when many people won’t even eat GMO foods, doing gene modifications on yourself is probably a non-starter. But stay with me a moment: The gene modifications involved here may save or extend the lives of some very sick people.

While some are fearful this new technology will be used for malicious purposes, others believe it […]

Chances are you’ve seen collagen listed in your favorite face or body lotion or even as a supplement in the vitamin aisle. The ingredient gets a lot of buzz, but with it comes a slew of questions. What exactly is collagen? Why does your body need it? And how can increase the amount in your body?

Let’s just make a start on answering the first question: Collagen is the body’s most abundant protein…read on and I’ll unpack its many benefits. . .

Our bodies naturally produce collagen. It’s the major component of connective tissues that make up many body parts including tendons, […]

Wrinkles really could be a thing of the past thanks to a discovery by Japanese scientists.

They’ve been able to pinpoint a protein that’s vital to keeping youthful-looking skin, but which diminishes with aging. This discovery was a major achievement in itself — but it gets even better.

The researchers also identified two compounds that can stimulate the depleted protein to rejuvenate the skin.

They hope their work will eventually lead to an anti-aging skin cream. Keep reading for the full story. . .

Cells are in Competition

Over time cells suffer damage and develop some loss of tissue function. In short: they get old. […]

George Mann, an eminent 20th century American physician and scientist, called it “the greatest scientific deception of this century, perhaps of any century.”

He was referring to the idea that heart disease can be prevented or reduced by lowering elevated blood cholesterol. He is not alone. Many of today’s scientists agree with him.

Since heart disease is the leading cause of death, those with low cholesterol levels would be expected to have a lower risk of death compared to people with high levels.

But do they? Let’s find out.

The Lower the Reading The Higher The Risk

According to medical criteria, a “desirable” level of […]

Not long ago, most folks – including scientists – believed that our bodies simply wear out as we age. And that does seem to be sort of a common sense way of looking at it. So most of us resigned ourselves to the march of time, which meant achy joints, fragile bones, withering muscles, failing eyesight, wrinkled skin and unreliable memory.

But before you start wallowing in this defeatist mentality, take a look at some inspiring new research that proves you can stem the tide of physical aging.

Below we’ll debunk four common myths about how the body ages …

#1 Myth: You […]