Aging gracefully

Every anti-aging discovery seems more promising than the last. Diets and cosmetic surgery can almost completely stop the outward signs of getting old. Human growth hormone appears to reverse the loss of lean muscle mass, giving you a truly youthful body. Mice fed a macrobiotic diet live up to one-third longer. But for every new discovery, there seems to be one that didn't live up to its promises.

Separating the science from the hype is aging expert Dr. Andrew Weil, author of Eight weeks to Optimum Health, Healthy Living, and over a dozen other books. In his latest book, Healthy Aging, he offers an explanation of the newest theories on why we age, including discoveries at the cellular level, but leaves us with the unfortunate conclusion that there are no anti-aging products or pills that really do us much benefit, and there are unlikely to be any in the near future.

Instead, Dr. Weil suggests aiming for the realistic goal of trying to increase the quality of our later years through preventative medicine and common-sense lifestyle habits such as exercising regularly, reducing stress and following a simple diet. (In addition, he recommends you use his anti-inflammatory diet, which is explained in the book.)

As a doctor who has studied communities with long life expectancies, Dr. Weil offers an educated look at the cultural influences to longevity. These include practical differences, such as the fact that most of these communities require moderate physical labour through their lives and include simple diets with anti-inflammatory aspects. But he also talks about the mental and social aspects. The Okinawans, in Japan, have one of the world's highest life expectancies. They include their old in their community -- complete with a celebration for those who have reached 97 ("second childhood"), and there are fights between siblings over who gets to care for their elderly parents.

Speaking not as a doctor but as a 61-year-old man, Dr. Weil provides a valiant defence of aging, decrying our society's focus on the young and distaste for the old. He dismantles the argument of youth's superiority, pointing out that he and many others are glad to exchange the worry and superficiality of youth for the depth and calming influence of experience. In addition, Dr. Weil points out, accepting aging allows you to reap its intangible benefits, like appreciating your mortality, and thinking about the time remaining in your life. And he encourages you to do the same.

Still want to live forever? Check out our secrets to living longer.

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