Dr. Thomas Perls, one of the world’s experts on long life, spoke to Vista Hill Women’s Council on Mental Health at a recent luncheon at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.
Centenarians represent a new paradigm of aging: the older you get, the healthier you’ve been. Though genetics plays an important role in getting to 100, the centenarian studies show us that most people should be able to live to their late 80s in exceptional health, Perls said. These 25 to 30 years beyond age 60 in good health could mean a gold mine of new possibilities and vast potential for today’s baby-boomers and future generations.
For the past eight years, Perls has directed the New England Centenarian Study, the largest genetic and social study of centenarians and their families in the world. He has become one of a handful of the world’s experts studying these exceptional older patients at Boston Medical Center.
Perls and his colleagues recently discovered a key genetic region that plays a critical role in how centenarians age so well and live for such a long time. He is on the fast track to discovering the longevity-enabling genes that could translate into the development of age-slowing and disease-retarding drugs.
With multiple publications and presentations, Perls and the centenarian subjects have garnered a great deal of media attention, including appearances on “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “Oprah,” nightly new programs and National Public Radio. Findings from his study are presented in his best-selling book, “Living to 100: Lessons from Maximizing Your Potential at Any Age.”
Perls’ suggestions are summed up by the acronym AGEING:
A” Attitude
G ” Genetics
E ” Exercise
I ” Interests
N ” Nutrition
G ” Gratitude.
For more information, visit www.bumc.bu.edu.
” Mera Kelley is a gerontologist and authentic happiness coaching program graduate. www.adventurousaging.com.