I guess my previous, wild alcoholic life is still its reaping havoc. Among "our people" I will go first. I'm screwed. Bobby 86.2 but i saw no questions concerning my magnesium. i take it with zink too. --- Carla MacInnis <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > According to a longevity test I took, from > http://www.livingto100.com/ > I'm going to live to 97.2 years. I always told my > family and friends I'm > going to live to 92 just to piss people off :) > > Would be interesting to know how old some others > among us 'might' live, > based on the questionnaire- Harvard Med School > prepared it. > > Here is actual article from our local paper: ... > > Cheers! > > Carla > > > ************* > > In Afghanistan, it's about 43. In Japan, it's 81. > And in the United States, > it's 77. But what is life expectancy but a cold > statistic used to compare > countries? > > In reality, most of us expertly avoid imagining > exactly when our number will > come up. Vague forecasts for the golden years of > life - even for those in > the midst of them - are more comforting than the > digits of destiny. Such is > the disquieting thrill of an encounter with the > Living to 100 Healthspan > Calculator. > > Created about five years ago by longevity > researchers at Harvard Medical > School and Boston Medical Center, the online > calculator > (www.livingto100.com) was recently revised by its > lead architect, Dr. Thomas > Perls, to be more user friendly. It is based on a > lifestyle and family > history questionnaire that can be completed in > minutes. Then, after some > instant data crunching, it displays a number: You're > personalized life span, > down to the decimal point. About 4 million people > have used the calculator. > > "I'm hoping it's a bit of an eye opener," said Mr. > Perls, a Harvard > researcher and director of the New England > Centenarian Study, a decade-old > project that looks at the health and habits of > people who have crossed into > triple digits. "It's not supposed to be some crystal > ball." > > True, a fortuneteller would probably deliver a more > nuanced reading. But > perhaps the calculator has something in common with > the medium: Give patrons > a vision of the potential future so they can take > steps to change - or > achieve - it. > > "If you do bad things, you subtract years. If you do > good things (exercise, > shun cigarettes, learn a musical instrument), you > add years, or stay where > you are," Mr. Perls said. > > Stay where you are indeed; the main message of the > calculator seems to be, > first, do no harm to yourself. Second, hope for good > genes. > > "The calculator was based on the presumption that > most people in westernized > countries have the environmental and genetic makeup > to get them to their mid > to late 80s. As you get into the really extreme > ages, genes become more > important." > > As it poses questions with clinical curiosity about > your vices ("How often > do you eat sweets such as ice cream, > cake/pie/pastry, or candy bars?") and > private habits ("Do you have a bowel movement at > least once every two > days?"), the calculator inspires the queasy feeling > that tends to accompany > moments of unvarnished introspection about one's > health habits. > > But when the prognosis of, say, 86.5, is conveyed, > and you're wondering how > to take this stark quantification of the years > ahead, at least the > calculator doesn't abandon you on the examining > table. It's there with a > soothing, albeit computer-generated, message of > support. > > "Below," read the words after that numeral in bold > type, "please find the > reasoning behind the questions which you answered > that made your score less > than it should be . . ."