15 Biomarkers That May Predict SuperAger Brains by Super Age

 I don't care about any of these, I'm just going to get there. This just causes worry, which is useless!

15 Biomarkers That May Predict SuperAger Brains

I'm a Longevity Researcher. These 5 Common Habits Are Hurting Your Long-Term Health

 What is your competent? doctors EXACT PLAN to get you to be a super ager? Doesn't have one; PURE INCOMPETENCE! Fire them! These are just guidelines, you want EXACT PROTOCOLS that guarantee longevity!

I'm a Longevity Researcher. These 5 Common Habits Are Hurting Your Long-Term Health

There's no "secret" to longevity, but there are lifestyle habits that can increase the odds you live a longer, healthier life. What we eat, how we move, and even the way we socialize can all impact our health as we age.

Longevity isn't just about staying alive for as long as possible. Experts are increasingly focused on "healthspan," or the number of years spent living in good health.

Research shows about 80% of adults over 65 in the U.S. are living with two or more chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer.

So the real goal of interventions should be to increase how long we live healthfully, Emily Johnston, Ph.D., a research professor at NYU Langone specializing in healthy aging, tells TODAY.com.

Fortunately, there are everyday choices we can make to extend our healthspan well into the golden years.

And it's never too early or late to start building healthy aging habits, cardiologist and longevity scientist Dr. Eric Topol told TODAY.com previously. These include strength training, eating a nutritious diet and managing stress.

to avoid and what to do instead to promote healthy aging.

Sitting Still for Too Long

Daily movement is one of the most important habits to protect our physical and mental health as we age, according to Johnston.

As we get older, we tend to spend more time sitting around. If you already work a desk job or spend your free time "bed rotting," the hours add up.

A sedentary lifestyle has long been associated with health issues, from back pain and "dead butt" syndrome to obesity and inflammation. It can increase the risk of heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, cancer and premature death.

If you find yourself sitting for long periods, try to get up every hour or so to move your body. Work manageable bits of physical activity into your routine when you can, like taking the stairs, walking to work, cleaning dishes or doing laundry.

“In terms of physical activity, many people associate that with being in the gym or the treadmill. But it could be walking. It could be dancing,” Johnston says.

Most adults should aim to get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, strength train two to three times per week, and stretch for 5-10 minutes per day, TODAY.com reported previously.

Eating Ultraprocessed Meats Regularly

A diet rich in plant foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains (i.e. the Mediterranean diet) is one of the best eating patterns for healthy aging, research shows. What you don’t eat also matters.

If you want to extend your healthspan, eating less ultraprocessed food is a great start, says Johnston. Some ultraprocessed foods are worse for health than others.

“Try to have very limited, if ever, processed meats,” says Johnston.

This includes sausages, hot dogs, bacon and canned meats. These have been significantly modified using industrial ingredients and often contain high amounts of sodium, saturated fats and preservatives, Johnston says. Eating these regularly is linked with an increased risk of heart diabetes and heart disease.

The World Health Organization considers processed meats a group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence that they can cause cancer, namely colorectal cancer.

If you love processed meat products, consider healthier substitutes, like lean cuts of beef, chicken or seafood.

“I know some people really love hot dogs, for example. I’ll tell them (to) have one at a baseball game, one on your birthday, but try to limit it to that at the most,” says Johnston.

Isolating Yourself Too Much

As people age, they tend to spend more time alone — and sure, being alone isn’t always lonely. But humans are social animals.

Spending too much time alone can increase the risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with depression, cognitive decline, heart disease, early death and more, according to the National Institutes of Health.

"The importance of keeping a social circle and being involved in your community, you really can’t overstate the benefits" for healthy aging, Johnston says. In addition to promoting mental fitness, staying connected can help reduce stress and foster a sense of purpose.

While connecting with people online is convenient, Johnston recommends spending face-to-face time with friends, family, colleagues or neighbors when possible.

Ignoring Sleep Problems

Our sleep patterns change as we age. Many people find it becomes harder to fall or stay asleep as they get older, per the NIH.

Sleep problems like snoring, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea also become more common as we get older, and they often go untreated, which can seriously impact long-term health, says Johnston.

“Some people don’t either recognize that they have them, or they perhaps don’t bring it up to their physician because they don’t think that it’s a medical issue," Johnston adds.

But being a "bad sleeper" isn't a personality trait.

Over time, sleep disorders can significantly decrease sleep quality, increaing the risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia.

If you can't fall or stay asleep, snore excessively, wake up gasping for air or experience severe daytime sleepiness, don't ignore it.

“Prioritize speaking with your physician and trying to get those managed,” says Johnston. You may be eligible for a sleep study, which can help diagnose the underlying problem so you can work toward sleeping the recommended seven to nine hours.

Skipping Routine Doctors' Visits

Most age-related chronic conditions don't happen overnight. They slowly develop over many years — sometimes without obvious symptoms.

When caught early, they're often more treatable, and you can prevent a smoldering health issue from developing into a serious or deadly disease.

That's why it's crucial get annual physicals and routine screenings, and to have honest conversations with your doctor, Johnston notes. However, millions Americans do not take advantage of preventive care services, research shows.

Getting a picture of your health status can allow you to take proactive measures, from monitoring your blood pressure to starting a cholesterol medication or drinking less alcohol.

Even if you're just struggling to make healthy lifestyle changes, a physician can help tailor your approach, Johnston explains.

"If you have any condition that limits your availability to do these things — sleep well, manage stress, move more, eat well — speak to your doctor," Johnston adds.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

What Makes A SuperAger? A Massive Brain Study Offers A New Clue by mindbodygreen

 This means your competent? doctor needs to get research going that guarantees creation of cognitive resilience! I will get there, only 70 now.

What Makes A SuperAger? A Massive Brain Study Offers A New Clue

15 Biomarkers That May Predict SuperAger Brains by Super Age

 I don't care about any of these; I'm just going to get there.

15 Biomarkers That May Predict SuperAger Brains

SuperAgers retain exceptional memory through mechanisms beyond genetics

 Have your competent? doctor EXACTLY FIGURE THIS OUT and create a protocol for it! You do want to become a superager? So, fire your incompetent doctor and find a better one!

SuperAgers retain exceptional memory through mechanisms beyond genetics

Many people assume that some memory decline is an inevitable consequence of getting older. But a select group of older adults, known as SuperAgers, reach their 80s and 90s while retaining memory performance as good as or better than people in their 50s and 60s.

Nearly two decades of research has identified unique biological, brain, and psychosocial characteristics associated with SuperAgers, but an important question has remained: Could SuperAgers simply be people who inherited very little genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease?

"If that were true, identifying SuperAgers might be as simple as performing genetic testing rather than the comprehensive cognitive evaluations we currently use," said Emily Rogalski, PhD, director of the Healthy Aging & Alzheimer's Research Care (HAARC) Center at the University of Chicago, who established the definition of SuperAging in 2008 and has been studying this remarkable population ever since.

A new study aimed to directly test that hypothesis using the largest prospectively enrolled SuperAging cohorts and the most up-to-date Alzheimer's genetic risk measures available. The findings, published in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, show that exceptional memory aging cannot be explained simply by low inherited Alzheimer's disease risk, reinforcing the importance of studying protective pathways directly.

A team led by researchers at the HAARC Center and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, studied a diverse cohort from across five regional sites in the U.S. and Canada comprised of 142 SuperAgers and 89 cognitively average peers. Using DNA extracted from blood samples, the researchers examined the APOE gene, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, and calculated three polygenic risk scores, which tally thousands of genetic variants associated with inherited Alzheimer's disease risk.

The results provided a clear answer to the central question: SuperAgers could not be distinguished from cognitively average older adults based on either APOE or Alzheimer's polygenic risk scores. In other words, having exceptional memory in one's 80s is not simply explained by having exceptionally low inherited Alzheimer's disease risk.

The findings reinforce that preserving cognitive health involves more than reducing Alzheimer's disease risk alone. Understanding the biological, behavioral, and social factors that promote exceptional cognitive aging may ultimately complement traditional disease-focused approaches and help inform more personalized strategies for supporting brain health across the lifespan."

Ana Capuano, PhD, co-first author, director of the biostatistics core at the HAARC Center

Even when examining rare genetic protective variants previously associated with resilience against Alzheimer's disease, the researchers found no increased prevalence among SuperAgers.

"This study establishes an important boundary for Alzheimer's disease genetics," said Matt Huentelman, PhD, professor and director in TGen's Early Detection and Prevention Division and co-senior author with Rogalski. "Common genetic risk factors captured by APOE and current polygenic risk scores do not explain the SuperAging phenotype. Future work should move beyond disease-risk models and investigate the broader biological, environmental, and experiential pathways that contribute to exceptional cognitive aging."

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This future work will entail a multidisciplinary approach that combines detailed cognitive assessments with brain imaging, blood biomarkers, genetics, neuropathology, immune profiling, sleep and activity monitoring, social and environmental measures, and other indicators of whole-person health.

"For many years, aging research has focused on identifying factors that increase the risk of disease," added co-first author Ignazio S. Piras, PhD, associate professor in TGen's Early Detection and Prevention Division. "Those studies are critically important, but the absence of risk factors does not necessarily mean someone possesses the protective factors that support exceptional brain health. This study helps demonstrate that distinction."

Ultimately, the results reinforce a hopeful message: memory decline is not inevitable, and some people can - and do - maintain remarkably youthful memory well into their 80s and beyond. The search for how and why continues with the help of SuperAger research participants: extraordinary partners in discovery who have generously contributed their time over many years to help scientists understand what successful cognitive aging looks like and pointing toward new pathways to resilience.

To learn more about SuperAging research, visit https://superagingresearch.com/

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging (U19AG073153), the McKnight Brain Research Foundation through the SuperAging Research Initiative, and the Simons Foundation, along with the many participants, families, and collaborating investigators across five research sites.

Source:

University of Chicago Medical Center

Journal reference:

Piras, I. S., et al. (2026) SuperAging is not the inverse of common-variant Alzheimer’s risk: evidence across genetic ancestries. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. DOI: 10.1186/s13195-026-02124-2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13195-026-02124-2

Superagers' Exceptional Memory Can't Be Explained by Genes Alone, Study Finds

 How EXACTLY is your competent? doctor ENSURING  you become a superager? NO plan IS PURE INCOMPETENCE!

Superagers' Exceptional Memory Can't Be Explained by Genes Alone, Study Finds

Inherited Alzheimer's risk didn't differ between superagers and cognitively average older adults

Key Takeaways

• Superagers are a group of people age 80 or older with episodic memory at least as good as adults 20 or 30 years younger.
• Why superagers have exceptional memory still isn't clear after two decades of research.
• This study showed that inherited Alzheimer's risks didn't differ between superagers and cognitively average controls, suggesting genes alone do not account for differences.

Exceptional memory at age 80 and beyond was not due simply to good genes, an analysis of prospective data suggested.

The study assessed outcomes for superagers -- people 80 or older with episodic memory at least as good as adults 20 or 30 years younger -- and cognitively average controls.

Genotype distributions and APOE status did not differ between groups, reported Ignazio Stefano Piras, PhD, of the Translational Genomics Research Institute at City of Hope in Phoenix, and co-authors.

Neither APOE nor any of three polygenic risk scores predicted whether a person would be a superager, Piras and colleagues wrote in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. Results were similar after accounting for global non-European or African ancestry.

"For many years, aging research has focused on identifying factors that increase the risk of disease," Piras said in a statement. "Those studies are critically important, but the absence of risk factors does not necessarily mean someone possesses the protective factors that support exceptional brain health. This study helps demonstrate that distinction."

Alzheimer's disease is associated with the APOE gene, with APOE4 increasing risk and APOE2 generally conferring protection. Research has shown that superagers have a lower frequency of APOE4 and higher frequency of APOE2 alleles compared with other older adults.

Two decades of research have identified biological and social characteristics associated with superagers: they maintained good brain morphology, tended to be gregarious, and appeared to be resistant to neurofibrillary degeneration and resilient to its consequences. Unlike neurotypical peers, superagers had a region in the cingulate gyrus that was thicker than younger adults. They had fewer Alzheimer's-related brain changes, greater size of entorhinal neurons, fewer inflammatory microglia in white matter, and better-preserved cholinergic innervation.

But an underlying question remained: Could superagers simply be people with little genetic risk for Alzheimer's?

"If that were true, identifying superagers might be as simple as performing genetic testing rather than the comprehensive cognitive evaluations we currently use," said co-author Emily Rogalski, PhD, of the Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Research Care Center at the University of Chicago.

To test whether a lower inherited risk of Alzheimer's disease dementia predicted superager status, Piras and colleagues studied prospectively enrolled superagers and cognitively average controls from the SuperAging Research Initiative. They assessed APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4 status and three Alzheimer's disease polygenic risk scores derived from large contemporary genome-wide association studies.

At enrollment, participants were age 80 or older, had no neurologic disorders known to affect cognition, and had no significant uncontrolled medical conditions. They were classified as superagers or controls based on a priori cognitive criteria that included exceptional episodic memory performance. All superagers and controls had a Clinical Dementia Rating score equal to zero, indicating no clinical impairment in either group.

The study included 142 superagers and 89 controls from five regional sites in the U.S. and Canada. Superagers had a mean age of 83.7 years and controls had a mean age of 84.7. The genetic ancestry structure across both groups was comparable.

Groupwise comparisons of APOE status did not differ significantly between superagers and controls. In models adjusted for age, sex, and years of education, APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4 allele status were not associated with odds of superager classification. Proportions of participants with at least one APOE2 allele (superagers 12.7% vs controls 13.1%) or at least one APOE4 allele (superagers 15.7% vs controls 19.0%) were similar across groups.

None of the three Alzheimer's disease polygenic risk scores -- PRS_Lambert, PRS_Wightman, or PRS_Bellenguez -- were associated with odds of superager classification. An analysis of rare protective variants including the APP Icelandic variant, the PLCG2 P552R variant, and the APOE Christchurch variant identified one heterozygous superager carrying the PLCG2 P522R variant in the study. No other rare mutation carriers were seen in either the superager or control group.

While APOE allele frequencies and polygenic risk scores did not distinguish superagers from cognitively average older adults, both groups differed meaningfully from individuals with Alzheimer's disease, who are more likely to have these genetic risk factors, Piras and co-authors noted.

"This pattern indicates that lower inherited Alzheimer's disease risk at the group level is a shared feature of successful cognitive aging into advanced age, but it is not sufficient to explain the exceptional memory performance that defines the superaging phenotype," they stated.

The study's limitations included modest power for small genetic effects, the researchers acknowledged. The analyses did not incorporate vascular, lifestyle, or behavioral factors, which may contribute to superaging and represent an important direction for future research, they added.

The People Who Stay Active Into Their 70s and 80s Have One Thing in Common by SIM60(Still in Motion)

 I'll never stop, it is part of my identity. My goal in life is to have fun and I'm successful at that. A woman friend said the goal in life is love. Since this was a text conversation I couldn't easily explain that love takes too long

The People Who Stay Active Into Their 70s and 80s Have One Thing in Common.

THIS WEEK'S STORY

I’ve been lucky enough to know a handful of people in their seventies and eighties who move the way most people in their fifties wish they could. One of them is a 79-year-old I met at a gym about four years ago. He was doing single-leg Romanian deadlifts with a kettlebell when I walked in. Barefoot.

I asked him, as respectfully as I could manage, what his secret was.

He thought about it for a few seconds. Not a humble pause — he was genuinely thinking.

“I never decided to stop,” he said. “Most people at some point decide. They don’t say it out loud, but they decide. I just never did.”

That stuck with me. Because he wasn’t describing a workout philosophy or a nutrition protocol or a particularly well-designed program. He was describing an identity.

He was a person who moves. Not a person who used to move. Not a person trying to get back to moving. A person who moves, in the present tense, as an expression of who he is. The training wasn’t something he scheduled around his life. It was woven into how he understood himself.

That difference — between training as behavior and training as identity — is the single biggest predictor of long-term adherence I’ve ever observed. And it’s trainable.

THE MAIN MESSAGE

Motivation is unreliable. Identity is durable. When “I work out” becomes “I am someone who moves,” the decision calculus changes. You’re not asking whether you feel like training today. You’re asking whether you want to act inconsistently with who you are. That’s a harder question to answer with a no.

Four things that shift training from behavior to identity:

--  Consistency over intensity. Showing up for a thirty-minute session when you’re tired does more for long-term identity reinforcement than a perfect two-hour session once a week. Every time you show up, you cast a vote for who you are.

--  Environment and social cues. People who train with others, even occasionally, maintain activity significantly longer than those who train alone. If the people around you move, moving becomes normal.

--  Reframing setbacks. Someone who misses a week due to illness and gets back on day eight is living the identity. The setback is the exception. The return is the confirmation.

--  Connecting training to values, not outcomes. “I train because I want to be capable and independent at 80” is more durable than “I train to lose fifteen pounds.” Capability and independence don’t have a finish line. (I bought a 4 level condo so I can do steps til the day I die and can travel in Europe where restaurant bathrooms are in the basement. So I am also outcome based)

You have already done the hard part. You’re reading a newsletter about movement at an age when most people have stopped asking these questions. The identity is already forming. The job now is to protect it, feed it, and treat every session — however imperfect — as a confirmation of who you are.