Episode #7: Is there a secret to living to 100?

dr. brett kotlus podcast

When I think of the age..there‘s a fear. I can’t believe it… as you get older life is a dream. It flies.

How old will you grow to be?  Is there something you can do to prolong your life?  A recipe for longevity?

We know that our genetics play a role, but perhaps only about 25% of our longevity is influenced by genetic code.  The rest may be modified through behavior and environment.

In this podcast I speak with my grandmother, Ruth.  At the time of this recording, she is celebrating a birthday and she’s well beyond the age of 100.  She is completely present and coherent, she lives on her own, and she doesn’t take medications.  She’s an anomaly- and she amazes everyone she meets.  So I ask her why she thinks she’s lived this long.

In our conversation my grandmother shares the following:

  • The activity that she thinks may be part of her longevity
  • What she eats
  • How it feels to be past the age of 100
  • What it was like to be in New York City in the 20’s and her brush with organized crime figure Meyer Lansky

In the podcast introduction, I talk about National Geographic reporter Dan Beuttner’s book, The Blue Zones Solution.  This book examines the 4 locales around the world that have an unusually high number of centenarians and the author attempts to find common behaviors among the inhabitants of these blue zones.  In this podcast I summarize the lifestyle habits that appear to link these longevity epicenters.

Listen on iTunes

Non-iTunes Feed

Download as an MP3 by right clicking here and choosing “save as”.