Two things boost odds of living to 100

Adam’s Journal

My son Theo should live to be 100.

That’s the conclusion I drew after I saw a recent report on life expectancy projections. The report, published by the British medical journal The Lancet, looked at how life-expectancy has increased since 1900, when the average American lived to the ripe “old” age of 47.

Drawing on these statistics, the study authors predict that more than half of the children born since 2000 in wealthy countries should live long enough to blow out 101 candles — one for good luck, of course — on their birthday cakes. That’s great news for Theo (born 2001) and also for his brother Will (who missed being born in the 2000s by a scant nine months).

Still, as the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s motto says, the goal is not just longer lives, it’s longer, healthier lives. Can you offer a few tips for optimizing my boys’ chances of seeing the year 2100?

Dr. Prescott prescribes

I, too, would love to see all that 2100 will deliver. Think oxygen-powered vehicles. MAPS 13. An artificial sweetener that actually tastes like sugar.

Alas, at age 151, I fear I’d enjoy none of it.

Yet for today’s youngsters, the secrets to long life are not really secrets at all. There’s plenty of good data about how to boost the odds of reaching a healthy old age.

The problem is that most of us choose to ignore that information.

What we put in our mouths has a huge effect on our health. The diet most closely linked to a low risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia, stroke and diabetes is low in saturated fat and red meat. It stresses plant-based foods — vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains — over animal byproducts and processed foods.

Now, I’m not saying it has to be a vegetarian diet. It’s simply one that’s long on naturally nutrient-rich foods and short on sugars and artery-clogging fats. And studies indicate that we can’t make up for missing nutrients in our diets with a simple pill or powder; supplements of antioxidants such as vitamin E fail to deliver the same results that a diet rich in deep-colored fruits and vegetables seems to.

The other side of the equation involves burning energy. It should hardly come as a news flash that daily aerobic activity pays a multitude of dividends for your body. But it may surprise you that regular aerobic activity also feeds your mind — literally.

Researchers studied the brains of people ages 60 to 79 who walked briskly three times a week for 45 minutes a day. During the course of the study, the scientists found that the walkers’ brains — particularly the regions involving planning, multitasking and memory — grew.

So, my advice can be summarized in five words: Eat right and exercise regularly. Saying it is easy. Doing it? Well, if it were that simple, we wouldn’t need New Year’s resolutions.

Here’s to a healthy 2010 (and 2100)!

Running streak in jeopardy with new year

Adam’s training journal

With less than two weeks remaining, it looks as if — knock on wood — I will make good on my New Year’s resolution to run every day in 2009.

I originally defined a “run” as a minimum of four miles. But when I banged up my ribs and forearm in an ill-fated snowboarding experiment, I cut that number down to three miles for a week in March. It was, I confess, a compromise. But given that I spent that week at 10,000-foot altitude, was running on mountain roads that didn’t possess a single foot of flat terrain and could not take a deep breath without excruciating pain, I think I did pretty well to keep running at all during that time.

As 2010 prepares to make its entrance, I don’t know whether I’ll try to keep the streak intact. But I do know that I’d like to maintain my general level of fitness.

The biggest potential obstacle I see is a ski vacation I’ve planned in January. Other than the obvious joke at my expense — no, I won’t be snowboarding again — any words of wisdom?

Dr. Prescott prescribes

I’m glad to hear you’re finally coming to terms with your middle-agedness. As a 41-year-old, you’re wise to leave snowboarding to those who cannot remember life before there was an X Games.

In that same vein, a recent study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that acting one’s age may be the best way to avoid injuries while skiing.

Researchers in a mountainous region of Switzerland gave questionnaires to 782 skiers who’d been treated at local trauma centers and 496 comparable skiers who hadn’t. What, they wanted to know, distinguished the one group from the other?

The injured skiers, it turns out, were largely men. And their average age was 40.

Chances of injury increased when, as the study authors put it, skiers had a high “readiness for risk.” In other words, if they opted for moguls and jumps instead of groomed blue slopes, watch out.

The study also found that risk increased significantly with new ski equipment (which could lead to overconfidence and increased risk-taking) and old snow (think crust and ice). Interestingly, the uninjured skiers admitted to a higher rate of drinking on the slopes. But please do not take this as an endorsement for mixing Jell-O shots with powder shots.

Improved equipment has helped cut the number of injuries to about 2 per every 1,000 skier visits. Quick-release bindings and easier-to-control parabolic skis have been key advances. And there’s simply no excuse not to wear a helmet.

As long as you ski like the responsible father of two that you are, you should be able to avoid last spring’s misadventures. But I’ll keep my cell phone on just in case.

Balance is key for kids to go distance

Adam’s journal

It was a long football season for my son, Will. As the quarterback on a fifth-grade team with a leaky offensive line, he spent more than his fair share of time underneath large piles of 10-year-olds.

Given the studies that are emerging about the long-term injuries, particularly to the brain, that football can cause, it would not break my heart if Will decided to hang up his shoulder pads.

He’s shown an interest in running, so following a recent 5-kilometer race that I ran, he and his younger brother — age 8 — ran the 1-mile kids’ “fun run.”

They both enjoyed it so much that they asked me whether they could run a full 5-kilometer race.

I said yes, and a few weeks ago, they both successfully completed the Putnam City Cancer Classic (which, I must note, benefited cancer research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation).

Both Will and Theo were proud of themselves for covering more than three miles.

Will ran the whole way, while Theo threw in some walking breaks.

They both seemed to feel great afterward and have repeatedly asked me whether they can run another 5K.

Is it safe to let them follow in my footsteps at this young age?

Dr. Prescott prescribes

Running is a great way for Will and Theo to start down the road to lifetime fitness. Physiologically, there is no reason healthy elementary school children shouldn’t try a 5K.

But like every athletic activity for children, it must be done in moderation. Overtraining is one of the most common causes of injury in young athletes. Overuse injuries have seen a surge in recent years, largely attributable to the increased numbers of children who specialize in a single sport at an early age.

It is not uncommon for a preteen to practice and play a single sport many hours each week, year-round. This can cause repetitive microtrauma to particular areas of the body, such as the knees of a soccer player or wrists of a gymnast. Studies have found that such persistent microtrauma leads to overuse injuries such as tendonitis, ligament damage and stress fractures.

Excessive training and competition at an early age can cause psychological stress that leads to anxiety and burnout. So whether it’s running or any sport, be sure your kids are participating because they want to, not because you want them to.

Even when a child experiences success at a sport, it is important to curb the impulse to focus on that activity to the exclusion of others.

A balance of activities — as well as a lack of parental pressure — is the surest path to promoting your children’s physical and psychological health.