Okay, what is the secret to Betty White’s longevity? She turned 98 today and is celebrating at home with friends and family.

Science says you inherit the genes for how you will age. This is separate from living in such as way as to affect that outcome, like drug use, concussions, etc. You can have several siblings and some will inherit the gene and others will inherit the gene for early onset dementia, so don't bet on how it will go for you by how it went for your parents or siblings.

In my family I have the perfect proof of this. I have 2 very elderly aunts who are now living together in south FL. Same parents. Neither got married. Neither had kids. They lived together their entire lives (except 2 years). They worked in the same company for almost the exact same amount of years, one was a graphic designer, the other worked in HR. They ate the same food (Mediterranean diet), went on the same vacations, neither smoked or drank much. Neither was particularly athletic but they gardened, traveled, had hobbies and sewed/were crafty. One was a goofy extrovert, the other bookish and shy. One was tall and skinny, the other short and stocky. They lived low-stress lives. They cared for their mother (my grandmother) for 10 years and she lived to 96 (grandpa smoked unfiltered cigs so he died in his 70s of lung cancer). Side note: apparently the second-hand smoke did not affect grandma or any of the 8 children. Today the 100-yo has all her marbles and memory and takes care of the younger sister who is 97 with late-stage dementia. There were 8 siblings in all (my mom is the youngest at 90). They all lived into their 90s. The ones who got dementia (3) were in their mid-90s when it started. The others were taken by illnesses quickly because they literally never went to the doctor. No one took vitamins or supplements. My mom has a tiny bit of memory issues and sometimes gets confused, but she still manages her own home and dog with a little help from me.

IMO one can not really fend off dementia by much, just live as smartly and cleanly as you can to preserve what you do have. I do not think gym-style exercise or running will necessarily help (in fact I think you will wear out your parts sooner and require replacement surgeries which add to risks) Obesity has a whole host of risks and will work against you, genes or no genes (none of the siblings were obese). Nor do I think an organic diet will necessarily help, since my Italian-American family grew most of their own veggies, ate lots of dark leafy greens before it was fashionable, was moderate on red meats and desserts and processed or convenience foods -- and both my aunts ate the same things. Nor do I think a positive attitude or happiness helps, as my 100-yr old aunt was always a "nervous ninny" and worrier. But I think poor live style choices can definitely bring about cognitive issues earlier. Sorry, I don't think we have much control. That's why I believe thoughtful planning and not romanticizing our aging is really important.

Salut to Betty White! She is a lucky one (and she knows it!) Wishing her continued good health and many more birthdays!

Laughter!!! That is the secret. :-)

Money doesn't hurt, either, Alva.

Great genes and lots of money.

Happy Birthday Betty White!! I just got done watching Hot in Cleveland on myget tv channel. She is so funny on that show!! I love her facial expressions and in this episode they had her sitting next to some hot guy who was flirting with her. It was so funny!!!

Wow! That women just keeps going...that is amazing!

She always said that she will live to be a 100. George Burns said the same thing and he lived to be 100.(If I remember correctly)!


Happy Birthday Betty White 🎂🎈🎉🎁🍷

Loved her on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, etc.; her devotion to animal welfare and in general a witty, smart & funny lady. And.. I agree with Alva; great genes and money!

Her secret is that she just keeps breathing :)

Genetics and a lifestyle that greatly reduces free radicals.

recent discoveries in genetics and the human genome set has learned that at the beginning of every chromosome is a lot of junk code. It does nothing. Encodes for nothing. You inherit this.

but, each time a cell divides to be replaced, RNA (which acts as the reader) unzips the chromosome and begins the replication process...but it is like a malfunctioning copy machine, as it clips off a bit of that junk from the front. Do that enough and eventually RNA is clipping off needed coding because the junk is expended.

people who are really long lived start out with much longer chains of junk on the front end of their chromosomes, but..also do not do things which damage cells (causing the need for more replication) and do things that fight off free radicals (which cause the need for more replication).

finally....there is scientific proof that eating less extends life. Loads of studies prove this.

She's a hoot! I enjoyed her as Catherine Piper on Boston Legal the most. What a wonderful woman.

Happy Birthday Betty!

I recently read something about healthy aging that seemed like an important point to me.

It was this- in the “Blue Zones”, where healthy and productive aging seems the norm rather than the exception, most healthy, productive older adults say that they have a reason for getting up in the morning!

I LOVE the simplicity of that statement, and I’ve observed in my own life that now, because I have my music firmly returned to my life, I typically wake up planning when in the day I’ll plan to practice. Doing that shapes the way the rest of my day’s plan will fit into place.

My “reason” is especially important to me because of the amount of time I spend in caregiving. Even when it seems impossible, can you find your reason?