Experts On Aging Reveal The 5 Major Habits That Will Improve Your Longevity

Remaining healthy and sharp are goals for most people as they age. But one group of people — known as “SuperAgers” — is said to have this all down as they go through life, even into their later years.

The term SuperAgers was created by researchers at Northwestern University, who define it as “adults over age 80 who have the memory capacity of individuals who are at least three decades younger.” Northwestern University is one of just a handful of institutions in the country that have SuperAging research programs.

Experts stress that SuperAgers are not the same as people with good longevity, with the main difference between them being one’s brain. Studies show that SuperAgers’ brains resemble those of much younger people.

Specifically, less brain volume loss is seen in SuperAgers in comparison to a person who just has good longevity, according to Northwestern Medicine, an affiliate with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. For example, someone who is, say, 87 years old with good longevity, may have a brain that also matches their age.

Tamar Gefen , an assistant professor at the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at the Feinberg School of Medicine, noted that “there is no special trick to becoming a SuperAger — at least not yet.”

“Like most trajectories of age, or conditions of life, it is a combination of biology, environment and personal agency,” she said.

According to Jennifer Ailshire , an associate professor of gerontology at the University of Southern California, some SuperAgers may have certain qualities, though.

“We think of SuperAgers… as people who are reaching 85 years of age, so they’re exceeding the typical or average life expectancy for… their cohort,”