S. Jay Olshansky
S. Jay Olshansky
Stuart Jay Olshanskyis a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago concentrating on biodemography and gerontology...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth22 February 1954
CountryUnited States of America
existed history people throughout
Older people may have always existed throughout history, but they were rare.
higher life people
In centenarians and supercentenarians - people over 110 - you see a higher level of fecundity much later in life.
claims close contrary extended fulfilling promise spite
The fact is that nothing in gerontology even comes close to fulfilling the promise of dramatically extended lifespan, in spite of bold claims to the contrary that by now should sound familiar.
alive birth china either likelihood reliable somebody today
There is a possibility that there is somebody out there alive today over 122, but we'll probably never know it, because in all likelihood they come from either China or India, and they don't have reliable birth records.
century disease failure living modern rise sign success twentieth
The modern rise of Alzheimer's Disease in the twentieth century is not a sign of failure. It's a sign of success. Success in living long enough to see that disease expressed.
below extend extending intake life method percent proven reduced reducing
Reducing caloric intake is the only proven method of extending life. If caloric intake is reduced to 20 percent below maintenance, you can extend your lifespan considerably.
added ancestors century chronic developed pay
In the developed world, we live 30 years longer, on average, than our ancestors born a century ago, but the price we pay for those added years is the rise of chronic diseases.
begin change fixing food hopeful modern obesity relationship require turnaround
Fixing obesity is going to require a change in our modern relationship with food. I'm hopeful that we begin to see a turnaround in this childhood obesity epidemic.
best disability disease potential
If we do everything right, the best we can do is live out our potential with as little age-related disease and disability as possible.
age ageing associate decline eighty experience fifty life loss problem tendency thirty whether
The real problem is that there's a tendency to associate ageing with loss and decline and things that aren't desirable. But experiencing all that there is to experience in life - whether that's at the age of ten or thirty or fifty or eighty - is what life is all about.
car disease eternal human reason rid soon tear tires wear wearing
The reason we have cancer and heart disease is the same reason you can't get rid of the wear and tear on your tires on your car: as soon as you use them, you are wearing them away. You can't make eternal tires, and it's the same with the human body.
areas basic open parts process variation
You can open up a centenarian's brain, and you'll see some areas that look like that of a 50-year-old or of a 110-year-old. You can have variation in the basic process of aging, called senescence, in different parts of the same body.
advances eventually history hunt longevity medicine
Someone will eventually succeed in this hunt for a longevity pill, and when they do, one of the greatest advances in the history of medicine will have been achieved.
ancient arabic believed century greek hindus physical sought
Physical immortality is seductive. The ancient Hindus sought it; the Greek physician Galen from the 2nd Century A.D. and the Arabic philosopher/physician Avicenna from the 11th Century A.D. believed in it.