‘Compressed morbidity’ common trait of centenarians

It’s amazing. People over the age of 100 are the fastest-growing age group in the world.

“Cheer up – the first 100 years are the hardest,” jested comedians of yesteryear. But today, we’re finding that getting to age 100 isn’t actually all that bad – or that hard.

Currently, about 50,000 people in the United States are over age 100; that’s a whopping three times as many as in 1980.

Harvard University scientists studying this age group found these centenarians to be a surprisingly sprightly group.

Living a full, healthy and long life up to the very end would be the best scenario, and this is precisely what these 100-year-olds are doing, according to recent research.

There’s even a name for this phenomenon – “compressed morbidity.”

When I first heard that term, the word “morbidity” was enough to scare me off – I just hoped it wouldn’t happen to me.

Au contraire! Compressed morbidity is a good thing. It’s not so mysterious; it simply means we are compressing the time that we’re sick into a short period at the very end of our lives.

Compressed morbidity is a common characteristic of the very old.

In studies of people who reach age 100 and still are mentally sharp and enjoying good health, common themes become apparent in their specific health traits, both physical and mental, and in their basic lifestyles, too.

What are some of these traits? Could we put the centenarians’ longevity secrets to work in our lives?

Absolutely.

Genetics, although important, account for only 30 percent of our longevity. Seventy percent is up to us.

The immune system is where centenarians really shine. As our bodies age, the immune system can become compromised. Here’s where better nutrition, along with vitamin and mineral supplementation, gives us an edge on beefing up our immune systems.

Other ways to keep the immune system healthy include: Avoid stress and maintain close social and spiritual connections.

These are vital to longevity because they affect our happiness and state of mind.

Isolation and depression are our real enemies and can lead us into a deadly, downward spiral of hopelessness, illness and disability – all devastating to the immune system.

The hallmark of centenarians is that they always have lived active lives. Taking a cue from this, we need to engage in physical activity and exercise consistently – that can add years to our lives. It’s a major factor in achieving compressed morbidity.

People in their 100s are teaching college, practicing medicine, painting (i.e., Grandma Moses), writing best sellers, working in their gardens, graduating from college and running for Congress. Most of them don’t think their lives are remarkable.

They’re a fairly laid-back group, as you might have guessed.

I hate to bring up this subject, but here it is. It’s got to be said: Maintaining a normal weight throughout their lives is another common trait of centenarians.

The battle of the bulge – the Achilles’ heel of the baby-boomer generation – looms its ugly head once again. Sorry, but you must know that maintaining normal weight is the main factor in helping us avoid the killers: diabetes and heart disease.

And how about smoking? No surprise here: Centenarians, almost universally, are nonsmokers.

Even more important than genetics is our wise use of health care for annual checkups, health screenings and immunizations.

It’s a good idea to stay on top of what’s new on the health front, too, because there are new findings every day.

Dr. Michael Brickey, of the Ageless Lifestyles Institute and author of the book “Defy Aging,” has a lot of down-to-earth and powerful comments and ideas on the subject of reaching the age of 100.

For example, he says, “Senior moments are bull.”

Find his Web site at DrBrickey@DrBrickey.com.

Optimism also exerts a positive influence on aging and is another essential characteristic of longevity.

Optimism is learnable, according to another great book on long life, “The Longevity Strategy,” by David Mahoney and Richard Restak.

These authors suggest we “fake it (optimism) until the persona becomes the person.” Work at being “up” and always strive to live “on the sunny side of the street.”

Mahoney and Restak advise us to turn on the radio and move with the music. It makes us happy inside.

Furthermore, the authors caution, we should quell hostility and worry and assume the optimists’ motto: “This, too, shall pass.”

The authors are proponents of lifelong learning, lifelong working and lifelong experience.

So what happened to retirement anyway?

Winston Churchill had a few excellent words to say about retirement: “Never, never, never retire. Change careers, do something entirely different, but never retire.”

What happened to retirement?

Compressed morbidity, that’s what.

I still don’t like that name, but I sure can live with what it stands for.