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Pizzo 2020 JAMA

From Bioblast
Publications in the MiPMap
Pizzo PA (2020) A prescription for longevity in the 21st century: renewing purpose, building and sustaining social engagement, and embracing a positive lifestyle. JAMA 2020 Jan 9. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.21087.

» PMID: 31917444 Open Access

Pizzo PA (2020) JAMA

Abstract: What guidance should clinicians offer parents of a newborn about how to prepare their child for a life that may last to 100 or more years? What should a physician discuss with adolescents who are beginning college, or young adults starting a new career about how to optimize their healthy life? How does this guidance change when individuals reach midlife and later life? Is there a prescription a physician should provide that would allow individuals at all stages of the life cycle to optimally align life span with health span, compressing morbidity and sustaining high functionality through the arc of life?

Bioblast editor: Gnaiger E

» BME and mitObesity news (2020-02-10)
  • Embracing a positive lifestyle as prescription for an extended health span

Selected quotes

  • .. substantial demographic changes will require that physicians and other clinicians think differently about how to support the longer lives of their patients, focusing on how to make them more meaningful and functional and less attenuated by the morbidities that lead to medical, social, and financial dependency.
  • The Hartford Foundation constructed an Aging Society Index that assesses nations on their well-being (eg, disability-free life expectancy); equity (estimates of food security, risk of poverty, and educational attainment); cohesion (eg, social support, trust ,and intergenerational connectivity); productivity and engagement (eg, participation of older adults in the workforce or volunteerism); and security (eg, feeling safe and financially secure) as a way to help nations prepare for the major changes in workforce and dependent populations they will need to balance and support.2
2. Goldman DP, Chen C, Zissimopoulos J, Rowe JW; Research Network on an Aging Society. Measuring how countries adapt to societal aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(3):435-437.
  • .. genetic predisposition constitutes approximately 30 % of the risk for early death, and other determinants of early death include social circumstances, environmental exposure, and behavior and lifestyle. For a number of conditions, ranging from cardiovascular disorders to dementia, it is possible to modify genetic risk factors by lifestyle choices and behavior.3
3. Lourida I, Hannon E, Littlejohns TJ, et al. Association of lifestyle and genetic risk with incidence of dementia. JAMA. 2019;322(5):430-437.
  • An assessment of an individual’s sense of purpose, social engagement, and lifestyle choices constitute a triad associated with longevity and should be part of the health assessment.
  • A recent study of 6985 individuals in the Health and Retirement Study of adults older than 50 years demonstrated that a stronger life purpose was associated with decreased mortality, suggesting that purposeful living has positive health benefits.8 For example, purpose can be renewed through career counseling in the workplace, as well as through education and retraining opportunities at universities and colleges, or through community and public service or volunteer activities.
8. Alimujiang A, Wiensch A, Boss J, et al. Association between life purpose and mortality among US adults older than 50 years. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(5):e194270
  • The opportunity to modify the risk of dementia as well as obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other disorders through changes in lifestyle and positive age beliefs is noteworthy. That regular exercise is pursued by 22.9% of the population speaks to the need for community-based fitness groups or mobile devices that engage individuals in health habits.10
10. Blackwell DL, Clarke TC. State variation in meeting the 2008 federal guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities through leisure-time physical activity among adults aged 18-64: United States, 2010-2015. Natl Health Stat Report. 2018;(112):1-22.
  • Having a purpose, seeking social engagement, and fostering wellness through positive lifestyle choices (eg, exercise, nutrition, mindfulness) are important in reducing morbidity and mortality and improving the life journey. .. While these associations are not new, their benefits for individuals, institutions, and society are important and could foster positive outcomes and better alignment of life span and health span with less financial, medical, and social costs for individuals, communities, and society.


Labels: MiParea: Exercise physiology;nutrition;life style  Pathology: Aging;senescence 






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