1 / 13

Life Expectancy, Aging, & Centenarian Research

Life Expectancy, Aging, & Centenarian Research. Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D. How has the life span changed?. 20 th Century = 65 years old. Definition of Life span = upper boundary of life, the maximum number of years an individual can live. What is the maximum theoretically?.

ull
Download Presentation

Life Expectancy, Aging, & Centenarian Research

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Life Expectancy, Aging, & Centenarian Research Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.

  2. How has the life span changed? • 20th Century = 65 years old. • Definition of Life span = upper boundary of life, the maximum number of years an individual can live. • What is the maximum theoretically?

  3. Average Life Expectancy • Males • Females • What influences when we will die? • Sex differences associated with longevity.

  4. What are the predictors of psychological longevity? • Louis Terman 1921 – termite study • Freidman et al (1995) – analysis of the “termites” • Looked at: • Effects of personality • Stressful life events • Health-related behaviors

  5. Divided stress • Parental divorce in childhood • Marital instability in adulthood • Both were found to be good predictors of the age of death. • More explanation

  6. Centenarians • 1980 = 15,000 • 2000 = 77,000 • 2050 = 834,000 • Why? • Segerber (1982) study looking at 1,200 centenarians

  7. Duke Longitudinal Study • Palmore (1982) • Longitudinal study over a 25 year period • 270 volunteers • Physical, marital, social, laboratory tasks • Best predictors of longetivity?

  8. The Nun Study • David Snowdon • 678 nuns from a convent in Minnesota • Tests included cognitive & physical functioning & they will donate their brains upon death. • What did they find?

  9. Theories of Aging • Cellular Clock Theory: Leonard Hayflick (1977) theory. • A microbiological theory of aging • Cells can divide a maximum number of times • Dividing ability decreases with age • Upper limit? • New research since Hayflick’s theory • Tips of the chromosomes - telomeres • Telomerase

  10. Free Radical Theory • Also a microbiological theory of aging • Cells metabolize energy. • Cells generate waste that includes unstable oxygen molecules = free radicals. • Free radicals = damage within the cell structure.

  11. Mitochondrial Theory • Mitochondria = tiny cellular bodies that supply energy for functioning, growth, and repair. • Why does mitochondria decay? • Oxidative damage • Loss of micronutrients supplied by the cell • Free radicals • Evidence for this theory?

  12. Hormonal Stress Theory • Aging at the hormonal level = lower resistance & increased disease • Evidence: HPA or hypothalamic-pituitary – adrenal axis plays a role in aging. • What happens to the HPA as we age?

  13. Which one is correct? • We really don’t know. • Maybe all of them are involved.

More Related