Issue Date: March 4, 2007
A SPECIAL REPORT
How long will you live?
Like the people on the cover, you can identify the vital factors that determine your life span by taking a special online longevity test. From it, you'll discover how much control you really have over your own fate.
By Dennis McCafferty
There are all kinds of numbers that we use to define ourselves, whether it's as finite as our age or as infuriatingly volatile as our weight. Google someone and the number of results will tell you how noteworthy (or notorious) he or she is. Often, salary is invoked as the true measure of a person's worth.
On our cover, you see another number: "life span." It's one that really speaks volumes about who someone is -- and will be.
But what does it mean, exactly? Can you really predict how long someone will live?
Not precisely, of course. Predictions are hardly an exact science. Accidents and the unforeseen will happen. But the more we learn about our bodies and how they work, the better we are at looking into our futures.
With the help of a special online calculator, 25,000 of our readers did just that. For this story, USA WEEKEND partnered with geriatrician Tom Perls, M.D., and invited readers to take the longevity test he created. Participants input personal information and received a score estimating how long they'll live.
To date, more than 1 million people have tried Perls' calculator, one of several now found online. (To find out your score, go to LivingTo100.com if you are under 50, or to eons.com if you are 50 or older.)
What goes into the tabulation? Each score is based on a sophisticated formula developed by Perls that, along with family history, directly links life span to lifestyle. It is a sum total of, among other things, our many acquired habits, good and bad. How often you exercise, smoke, drink, eat healthfully, see a doctor, or even how well you handle stress all affect your score. And gender matters: Sorry, guys, but when you use the calculator, you automatically start off with a three-year disadvantage compared with women. (For more about how the calculator works, see page 7.)
Although an online life span calculator is not a perfect tool -- it can't measure the strength of someone's genes, for example -- it can be a powerful one. It provides a blueprint for improvement. Whether your score is 60 or 106, the stark number can be a life-extending wake-up call. That's because many of the factors that affect how long we'll live are things that we can control. Yes, we actually can live longer -- if we choose.
"If all this does is call attention to certain things you can do to improve your health and longevity, then it has served a great purpose," says Perls, associate professor of medicine and geriatrics at Boston University Medical Center. "The older you get, the healthier you've been."
Stress doesn't take years off your life. Not managing it does.
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For this story, we examined the results of thousands of you who invited us to take a look at your longevity calculation. We were fascinated: Consider some of the faces on this week's cover. You see CariDee English, a winner of America's Next Top Model, young, slim and beautiful, beside actor Steven Schirripa of The Sopranos, who is -- as we're sure Schirripa would humbly agree -- none of those things. Yet, the big guy earns an 89 for longevity, while English only gets 74. The difference? Among other considerations, Schirripa has an edge in two categories: exercise and family longevity. English also smokes, the biggest single factor that can drive down someone's score. With her strong sense of optimism about life -- a key positive component of the longevity calculation -- English knows that proactive changes will help her enjoy many healthy years ahead of her.
Another TV celebrity on our cover is Mary Lynn Rajskub of 24. Her problem: "I am full of angst and self-doubt," she confides, sounding not too different than Chloe, her anxiety-ridden character fans know and love. "I think I am letting go of things that are stressful, and then I will dream about them for months." If Rajskub finds a way to cope with her stress, she can add five years to her score of 89.
Even drinking too much coffee can hurt, and it's a trait that nurse Yolanda Tenorio-Thomas and doctor Charles Ashbrook both share -- consuming at least four cups a day. Medical research has linked heavy coffee drinking to heart disease for possibly more than half the population whose bodies break down caffeine slowly. But Tenorio-Thomas scores 101 for longevity, and Ashbrook got only 80. Why? For Ashbrook, who is in his residency training, there's little contact with family members for now, and he works a crushing schedule. His lack of sleep is a liability, as well. Tenorio-Thomas has more balance in her life. And she's a rigorous exerciser -- going up 24 flights of stairs twice a day while taking breaks during her hospital shifts. She has great family longevity, too; her father won a salsa contest in Hollywood at age 72. "My plan is to live to 100," she declares. "Anything more is gravy. But give up the coffee? No, I can't see that. How do you think I get the energy to walk up all those flights of stairs?"
Point well-taken. Perls never intended his calculator to be a scolding device for those who fall short in a category or two (or four). "If you change one thing to improve your score, then you're doing something positive about your life," he says.
There are other surprising stories behind the faces on our cover: Lots of quality family time helps improve Denise Lee's score -- she and her large family recently sided their house together. But her score is a 65, compared with similarly family-tied Kate Redford's 105. The difference: Lee smokes and recently was diagnosed with diabetes. Alcohol abstainer Jil Coolidge scores an astonishing 107 because she pretty much does everything right, hiking every day, eating a balanced diet and managing stress in her life well. She's not a smoker either. Rachael McDonald, who also doesn't drink, only scores 66, the result of a combination of factors. She struggles with stress over money issues, has had health problems in her family, doesn't get much exercise and, most significantly, smokes two packs of Camel Ultra Light 100 cigarettes every day.
"Of all the health indicators, smoking remains by far the one that will have the most impact," Perls says. "It's a very frequent and direct link to lung and heart disease."
Perls points out that little things like flossing your teeth every day are considered indicators of overall wellness. However, not always, he says. David Bevens and Cheryl Munsey both floss daily. But his 80 score lags two decades behind Munsey's 101. Explains Bevins, "I don't exercise a lot, and I eat what I want." Still, he's happy with his results. "I'm surprised it was that high." Which just goes to prove that the highs and lows of a longevity score are a matter of personal interpretation.
Fulton Breen and Charlene Leatherman both are avid exercisers -- Breen runs or cross-trains at least an hour a day and occasionally competes in ultramarathons; Leatherman works out with fitness DVDs six days a week. But there's a 20-year gap between their longevity scores, with Breen's 96 and Leatherman's 76. That's because Leatherman, whose parents lived no longer than 78, also allowed her weight to get to 307 pounds before she took action. She's lost 55 pounds and hopes to lose 100 by the end of the year. "I want to be around to watch my grandchildren grow up," she says. Which is the true benefit of this simple digital exercise, as readers such as Leatherman prove: There's always room for improvement, the biggest source of which comes from within.
Kathy Rowings, Frappa Stout, Peggy Noonan,W. Eric Martin and Linda Formichelli contributed to this report.
Cover photos: Schirripa: Andrew Marks, Retna; English: Sara De Boer, Retna; Leatherman: Michelle Yee, The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.) for USA WEEKEND; Rajskub: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY; Crews: Renee Rosensteel for USA WEEKEND; Patrick: Ron McQueeney;Etchemendy: Linda A. Cicero, Stanford News Service; Lee: Tom Roster for USA WEEKEND; Higginbotham: NASA; McDonald: Stephanie Dowell for USA WEEKEND
Mario Lopez
Age: 33
Job: Co-host of Extra's weekend edition
Habit: Exercises at least four times a week
Life span: 94
Life on a set can hurt one's diet. "It's all about sugar, salt, sugar, salt," says the hunky Lopez. "Then I seek fruit." Good thing he works out a lot. Combined with great genes -- his family members live a long time -- Lopez can expect a long, healthy life.
Ann Gutierrez
Age: 33
Job: Detective. Named a U.S. "top cop" in 2006
Habit: Maintains a good body mass index
Life span: 90
Gutierrez loves being a police officer because "there's a fitness standard." It not only keeps her healthy, she says, but it also "allows you to do your job." She runs four times a week. However, she has had some family history of heart problems, so she checks her blood pressure and cholesterol regularly. So far, so good.
Buck Nieraeth
Age: 37
Job: Auto mechanic/shop manager
Habit: Deals with stress very well
Life span: 72
As auto shop manager, "unhappy customers" are "just one among many" stresses he faces. His solution: "When someone is upset, it doesn't mean I have to get upset." To improve his score, he knows what he has to do. "I can start by cutting back on bacon cheeseburgers and banana splits," he says.
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How the longevity calculator works
It's not a crystal ball, but the test does link life span and lifestyle.
By Thomas Perls, M.D.
When I introduced my longevity calculator in 1999, I came up with 23 questions addressing one's personal lifestyle, family health history and preventive care measures. As more medical discoveries have been made and old ones clarified, I found additional key topics to include. I also have customized two versions of the test, one for people under 50, another tailored to 50 and above.
Here's how it works:
Everyone starts with a base "age" -- 86 for men, 89 for women, because women tend to live longer than men. With each question answered, that number increases or decreases based on the response.
Each factor is weighted differently, depending on its effect on a person's health, adding or subtracting from the final score.
We know very well that my calculator isn't a crystal ball. It makes an educated guess about longevity based on your responses. But it serves a greater purpose: to call attention to good living habits. If a person tries the calculator and scores a 72, he can find out how to improve his score. What's so encouraging is that your score can improve just by changing your behaviors. And that's ultimately the best message a person could ever hear.
Thomas Perls, M.D., created the longevity calculator used for this story. He is the author of Living to 100, Lessons in Living to Your Maximum Potential at Any Age.
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EXPERT TIPS
What helps your score?
Exercising 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, adds 6 years.
Flossing your teeth every day can add 4.
What hurts your score?
Obesity can reduce your score by 7 years.
Stress, if not managed, can reduce your result by 5 years.
The first step: Find out what your score is.
If you are younger than 50, go online to LivingTo100.com.
If you are 50 or over, go to eons.com.
The assessment takes about 10 minutes.
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WHAT TO DO NEXT
A leading physician says trying the calculator is a great first step. He adds these tips on how to follow up.
So you've tried the longevity calculator and gotten your score. Congratulations -- you've taken a positive step toward living longer! Now what?
Although the calculator provides a helpful start to self-education, it should be considered just that -- a start. USA WEEKEND recently chatted with Michael W. Smith, M.D., chief medical editor at the Internet's leading health site, WebMD.com, who explained what you need to do next:
Follow up with your doctor. "If you're planning to take some kind of significant action as a result of your score, a visit to your physician should be the next step. The strong point about these calculators is that they ID certain factors that affect not only how long you'll live, but also your health and well-being today. Seeing a physician after taking a personalized online assessment can activate the next steps -- really doing something about it, vs. just thinking about it. We see these two keys as 'getting personal' and 'getting real.' "
Develop a plan -- and stick with it. "It's so common for people to eventually 'drop out.' They may get too busy at work and begin gorging on fast food, or they may make excuses to avoid exercise. People often make priorities -- work, family and even the health of loved ones around them -- and then their own personal health goes to the bottom of their list. They need to realize that their health should be first, because it allows them to attend to all of the other priorities."
Start small. "Instead of trying a drastic overhaul, focus on making baby steps at first. You can't go from cheeseburgers every day to tofu. But you can make reasonable adjustments in your diet to make a difference for tomorrow and for the long term."
-- D.M.
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If you are under 50, try the longevity calculator at