How Long Do You Want To Live?
This is a legit question.
Have you thought about it? Do you have a number, a goal, a target?
I want to live to be 100. My chances of reaching this goal was 1%. Was? What does “was” mean in this context you may be asking. Fair question.
The chances of a healthy 50 year old to reach 100 in the United States is less than 1%. But, and here’s the good news, our chances increase as we age. Healthy at 50 gets us a 1%. Healthy at 71 and our chances improve dramatically. This according to AI, specifically ChatGPT which I call Alice.
Yes, Alice and I had a nice chat about the prospects of me reaching the age of 100. Why 100? It seems like a nice round number, 3 digits, difficult to reach which makes it a meaningful goal. To help in the analysis, Alice asked me a series of questions.
Age - She needed a starting point. For me, reaching the age of 71 without a serious chronic health condition was a good start.
Gender - Yes, women live longer than men, so this was a minor setback for me.
Family history - Age and disease(s) of parents. Genetics does account for 20-40% of our health and longevity. Maybe even a little higher to reach 100.
Lifestyle questions - sleep, exercise, nutrition, smoking and drinking are all considerations.
Social activity - She wanted to know if I have friends. Thought maybe she wanted to be my friend. Nope, according to the experts and AI, loneliness is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Stress - The silent killer. We all have stress. We need ways to manage it. I am not a meditator, so I walk, read and workout.
Health biomarkers - There are so many she could have asked about but she limited the response to the following - height and weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and size of my waistline. I have never had a doctor measure my waistline, but maybe they should.
Sense of purpose - Oh, this is a big one. As the Centenarians of the Blue Zone island of Sardinia like to say - Ikigai, your reason to rise in the morning.
So after a little back and forth with Alice (ChatGPT), she finally congratulated me at my increased chance of reaching 100. Her exact words were “congratulations you have improved your chances of reaching 100. It will still take some luck and effort, but your odds are no longer like the lottery. (Alice’s attempt at AI humor.) Your chances have risen to 15-25%. Keep up the good work.”
Still a challenge ahead of me, but I like my odds.
Enjoy your day,
Just a little extra-
Alice did offer some advice to reach 100, given my current health picture.
Prevent falls and injury.
Maintain muscle.
Protect cognitive health
All good advice. Thank you Alice.
References
Cole, Garry. February 2024. Are We Old Yet? (Yes, I used my book as a reference)
AI through ChatGPT