主播大秀

Have been ill recently with flu, so have been watching TV more than usual. I saw some really interesting programmes last night - and on Channel 4, not Sky, which is full of rubbish as far as I can see.

I watched a little Indian girl with 8 limbs and the struggle to operate to save her. She had a conjoined twin attatched to her - bottom to bottom - and it had no head. (hope you've had yer tea) People came from far and wide to stare at her, and I have to say I too was glued to the screen. The op was a success, by the way.

However, a chance comment from TWS about my mother's age prompted this blog - the other programme I watched was about age and how different people age.

I of course am ageless, all my friend gaze at me in wonder at my youthfulness, and ask me for my secret.

On the programme, the Japanese woman we saw was about 107, but looked about 77, if that. She was old but extrememely fit, and was makin a meal for her son. Her secret - the saying in her province was to eat only 80% of what you need. Her diet amounted to about 1250 calories, slightly over half what is recommended.

The Sardinian town in the study (or was it Sicilian) had a very large proportion of centenarians. It seemed to be down to genes, there had been a small genetic pool way back in history, and the town was all closely related, fortunately they had shared a lack of an ageing gene, and so they were geneticaly predisposed to old age. it could have so easily been the other way round.

They also studied a Californian town called Linda with a lot of very happy clean living old folks - an they put their longevity down to being 7th day Adventists. And they were certainly youthful and happy.

Interestingly, in Hawaii, there were some Japanese who had moved and were now third generation Hawaiians. The original very old grandad of them all was over 100, but had outlived some of his decendants. They were also much less healthy. This was put down to diet - once out of Japan the benefits were lost. (or so I think)


And then we came to Glasgow - where the Scottish folks are not healthy, we have the worst rate of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay, - and we age so very quickly. However there was a reason given , because in other towns with similar backgrounds the life expectancy is not as low.
Glasgow folk have a short life expectancy because - not diet - its a hereditary thing. We Scots had to live in very crowded conditions in the early years of last century. because there was so much over crowding and poverty, people were living in one room, a family sharing a bed, that in order to survive the body developed a particular immune response. The body had an over active immune system which helped us to fight disease. The people most likely to live out of this passed on the immune response, and so it became widespread. BUT in later life this has a negative effect on our health, we are at much greater risk of developing disease, or conditions, as our immune system starts to attack itself. Hence we are at risk from all the above diseases and we age much much faster.


so what can we do about it? not alot, but we can eat less exercise more and stop smokng drinking etc etc - hmmm let's just enjoy life while we can!