From US New and World Report
The 90+ Study, started in 2003, focuses on the fastest growing age group in America – the "oldest-old" – to determine what habits lead to quantity and quality of life, according to its website. This year, researchers at the Clinic for Aging Research and Education in Laguna Woods, California, focused on what food, activities and lifestyles are commonly featured among those living longer.
Analyzing more than 1,600 nonagenarians (90-99 years old), the study results showed that people who drank two glasses of beer or wine a day improved their odds of living longer than those who abstained by about 18 percent.
“I have no explanation for it, but I do firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity,” Dr. Claudia Kawas, a neurology specialist and head of the 90+ Study at the University of California, said in her keynote address.
Exercising regularly and partaking in a hobby for two hours a day were also associated with longer lives. Surprisingly, people who were overweight, but not obese, in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did.
Huh. Imagine that. Maybe I'll start drinking and buy some booze today. If I drink the whole bottle, and do that every day, will I live longer ... or be arrested for public intoxication or driving under the influence?
Plus, as I am not overweight, I'll have to eat more junk food - for my health.
