In Pursuit of the Fountain of Youth by Elvira Maricic As lifespans increase, ensuring quality of life becomes all the more challenging print article      send to a friend

At age 73, Madeline Mayhew is still kicking. Literally. The petite Lakewood, Ohio, septuagenarian belongs to the North Coast Follies, a troupe that puts on monthly Vaudeville-style revues for senior citizens and allows her to kick it up in weekly rehearsals of dances such as the Can-Can. In addition, Ms. Mayhew recently returned from a tour of Italy and is already planning her next vacation, all of this while holding down a part-time job in the mail division of a large bank, a position that requires a significant amount of physical exertion. "I'm too busy to slow down," she says.

So why is she in such great shape while many of her peers are in nursing homes? Has she found the fountain of youth? Maybe. "I take my vitamins, and I see the doctor regularly and have tests done, including the bone density test." Plus, she doesn't smoke, and you'll never see her gorging on junk food. "Also, I've always been active, even as a child," she says. "If you don't use it, you'll lose it, you know." She is definitely onto something.

Getting Older, Getting Better?

In 1940, the average lifespan was around 60 years for men, 65 for women; today it's nearly 80. That same year, about 3,000 people in New York were more than 100 years old. By 2010, that number is expected to grow to 300,000 notes Charles Spenler, MD, a Los Angeles plastic surgeon. "So now the issue is not only how old you live to be, but also the quality of life and the vitality you'll have. I hear a lot of people, myself included, say they don't want to live to be 120 because the quality of life those people have now is not the greatest, physically and mentally," Dr. Spenler says.

The ultimate goal, he adds, isn't necessarily to live longer, but to be more vigorous and more vital for as long as you possibly can until the inevitable occurs.

In the past few years, scientific research has been putting the possibility of a greatly expanded lifespan within our reach. Consider:

• Italian scientists have genetically engineered mice to live up to 35 percent longer than normal
• The House of Lords approved a change to government regulations that makes Britain the first country to effectively legalize the creation of cloned human embryos. This measure is aimed at allowing stem cell research, which may be able to provide valuable information on the mechanism of aging.
• Experiments using fruit flies have identified genes that have the capacity to make a cell last indefinitely by repairing damage. When active, the genes make the insects live for up to three times their normal life span. The researchers predict that the same mechanism exists in humans, giving people born now the possibility of surviving well into the 22nd century by reaching ages of 140 or more.

So if the research is right, and we do manage to live well into our hundreds, what can we do to maintain quality of life? Taking a page from Madeline Mayhew's lifestyle might be a good place to start.

"There are a lot of things people should be doing starting at age 20 or younger. That is the biggest part of the pie, and that's what I call lifestyle choices," says Dr. Spenler. These include:

• Making the choice not to smoke
• Making the choice to exercise
• Making the choice to practice safe sun and not go to suntan beds
• Getting your Pap smear and mammogram
• Getting a colonoscopy after the age of 50
• Eating the proper proportions of carbohydrates and protein; and
• Drinking alcohol in moderation

"Those are the basic kinds of things you start with," Dr. Spenler says. There are also appearance related measures a person can take. "As you move up the ladder, you can start doing proactive things like skin conditioning, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion," Dr. Spenler says. He notes that if you really want to go even further, there are other anti-aging strategies you can utilize, including taking antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E and supplementing your food intake with a daily multivitamin pill.

Growth Hormone: The Magic Bullet?

Those who want to do more than adopt a new and healthier lifestyle now have additional anti-aging options, one of which is Human Growth Hormone (HGH).

A study conducted more than 10 years ago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine featured a group of men between the ages 60 and 80, half of whom took HDH and half of whom did not. After six months, the HGH group had lost about 15% of body fat, gained 9% body mass, had improved LDL/HDL cholesterol ratios, had more energy, and were stronger and more flexible.

Results like these have made human growth hormone the buzzword of the over-40 set. Benefits are said to include:

· Increased energy, mood, and health

· A decrease in body fat and potential for disease, and

· Enhanced memory and sexual performance

"So by providing lower doses of HGH - just enough to bring the level to that of a 30-year-old -- we might be able to make life after 50 more vital. Maybe we can make living to be 100 years old worthwhile," notes Dr. Spenler, who is investigating HDH for the FDA and is also a study participant.