The fountain of youth revealed

PANAMA. Outside of the role of genes, the influence of how well we live in determining how well we age should never be underestimated. Not convinced? A new study published in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks shows common traits that centenarians share in the way they eat, move about, and deal with stress— the sorts of things we can emulate to improve our own aging process.

Many have often speculated on the ingredients that would go into a potion for long life. Now you can check out the top miracle workers that have proven to work for many.

So go ahead and shoot for those triple digits by following these habits, three below and the rest to appear in tomorrow’s issue.

1. Retiring should not mean inactivity. "Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement," says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time.

"After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables," he says. "They're never really inactive."

For those living outside Panama city, gardening might be a good option, particularly thanks to our weather. If it is not your thing, consider volunteering for any of the local charities (Casa Esperanza, Aid to AIDS, Fundacion de Amigos de Ninos con Leucemia y Cancer, etc) or cultural groups (the English language Guild Theater puts out productions with the help of volunteers) and score points on your health-o-meter!

2. Floss every day. Much to chagrin of the dentist-phobic, they were right. Flossing is not only important for mouth hygiene, but it may help keep your arteries healthy.

A 2008 New York University study showed that daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth.

This bacteria is thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. Other research has shown that those who have high amounts of bacteria in their mouth are more likely to have thickening in their arteries, another sign of heart disease.

3. Eat a fiber-rich cereal for breakfast. Getting a serving of whole-grains, especially in the morning, appears to help older folks maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, according to a recent study conducted by Ferrucci and his colleagues.

"Those who do this have a lower incidence of diabetes, a known accelerator of aging," he says.

Tomorrow: why regular sleep is so important.