Living to 100 may be easier

In an editorial in the current Archives of Internal Medicine William J Hall discussed papers by Dellara F. Terry, Yates and himnself, and others. about more people living to 100 through a combination of genes and personal habits such as moderate diet and alcohol use, not smoking, moderate exercise, sufficient rest, an active brain and early secondary prevention of common chronic diseases. There were no magic potions, no magic pills, no complementary medicine. Just a careful approach to living. At the same time we must consider the impact of large numbers of nonagenarians and cetenarians who may not have good retirement plans and will need social support systems which are inneffective at best, currently. This is a two edged blessing.