such as Vitamin E, for example, is thought to combat the effects of free radicals (part of the "wear and tear" theory of aging). Similar claims have been made for the effectiveness of Gerovital, hyperbaric oxygen treatments, and even a "No Aging Diet" consisting mainly of fish.

The main problem with these treatments is that they do not address the basic cause or causes of aging. They can at best only provide relief from some of the decrements associated with the aging process.

Long-Lived Populations

A frequent question that comes up in discussions of life span extension is the validity of claims of exceptional longevity in certain populations, most notably in Ecuador, Hunza, and Soviet Georgia. At a recent meeting sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Fogarty International Center, Dr. Richard Mazess of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Dr. Sylvia Forman of the University of California at Berkeley disclosed that those persons thought to be centenarians in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, are not. In cooperation with Ecuadorian scientists, Drs. Mazess and Forman conducted systematic studies of naming patterns, observed the frequency of age exaggeration, studied population migration patterns, and investigated civil and church records. Based on these findings, they compiled a list of persons born before the year 1900 and found that the oldest was 96.

According to the investigators, much of the confusion stems from the custom of passing a family name from one generation to the next. Because of this, the actual recorded birth dates of those persons living in Vilcabamba are frequently confused with those of their parents and grandparents. In addition, a common practice is to give a surviving child the same name as that of a sibling who has died. Consequently, a person's age is often the sum total of more than one family member.

The scientists also found that after the age of 60, many villagers begin to exaggerate their ages.

Increased world-wide attention has exacerbated this phenomenon. "We had one woman who told

an Italian television crew she was 146," Dr.

Mazess said. "She said she had her last kid when

she was 115."

According to Dr. Alexander Leaf of Harvard Medical School, who first brought public

attention to the long-living populations, there is much to be learned by looking at the people of Vilcabamba and other long-living populations. For one thing, the incidence of atherosclerosis in people 80 and over is uncommonly low. In the United States, the number of deaths caused by this hardening of the arteries peaks at age 80. In addition, Dr. Mazess' work shows that there are fewer bone fractures in elderly Vilcabambans despite the loss of bone density that is common in old age. This perhaps is attributable to the physical activity that goes along with life in the mountains.

Zhores Medvedev has written about the importance of certifying the validity of claims of longevous populations in a paper on "Caucasus and Altay Longevity." If longevity is proven to vary according to geographic area, it supports the belief that there is "a real secret of longevity, and that the life span can easily be controlled and prolonged by some comparatively simple external factors. This pattern of life span variations in the human race would favor the theory predicting one or two (or a few) main causes of aging, and one or two aging rate control mechanisms dependent upon external factors."

However, Medvedev claims that there is no evidence that long-living populations exist in Soviet Georgia, and ascribes the claims of longevity to several social factors. First, a great deal of honor is accorded the very old, and a great deal of local and national publicity make being extremely old a very desirable status. The Soviet Union considers a record number of centenarians a "special social achievement," and therefore encourages such claims while discouraging critical scientific studies. Finally, Medvedev speculates that Stalin, who was a Georgian, had a personal interest in perpetuating the accounts

The consequences of an extended life

span would be farreaching, and would necessitate changes in many

aspects of our society.

aging or keys to youth have been proposed, but to date none have

been proven effective on clinical trials.

reassure himself and to convince others that he would live to a healthy old age. Still, we must maintain an open mind about the Abkhazians of the Caucasus.

Although claims of exceptionally long-living populations have yet to be substantiated, demographic studies have shown some variation in life expectancy related to geographic area. Minnesota, for example, is second only to Hawaii for longest average life expectancy. Such data indicate the need for demographic and epidemiological studies of geographical areas, racial and ethnic groups, and families to determine the interplay between biology, social status, and environment in longevity.

The Need for Research

Through research on the great integrative systems of the body, we hope to improve the quality of life in the later years. In addition, certain life style studies such as the effects of nutrition and physical fitness-may eventually help us to prevent disease and disability in old age.

We are particularly interested in the reasons for the differential life expectancy between men and women and among racial and ethnic groups. Women currently live an average of eight years longer than men, while blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians face a less than average life expectancy.

One interesting finding that has come out of our Baltimore Longitudinal Study is that mild and moderate obesity do not appear to affect longevity, despite past reports to the contrary. The estimated percent of body fat in 50- to 89-yearold men who survived was a trivial 1 percent less than those who died. Other studies have yielded similar results; for example, a survey in Alameda County, California, in men and women aged 50 to 89 showed the highest mortality in the leanest and most obese groups, but revealed little or no difference in mortality in those groups ranging from their desirable weights up to 30 percent overweight. It would seem that obesity not only has risks and hazards, but also counter

balancing survival benefits which are not well understood and which therefore deserve further study.

Another area that holds promising practical results is the study of the role of receptors in the aging process. Receptors, which are the means by which hormones transmit messages to target cells, appear to decline in number with advancing age. In addition to examining why an older person has fewer receptors, NIA scientists are studying whether certain chemicals can stimulate the cell to produce more receptors, with the hope that this will enable the individual to regain some of the hormonal effects that are lost with age.

Life span extension is not simply a biological issue. It may begin as such, but it quickly moves beyond the sphere of science to involve society as a whole. The consequences of an extended life span would be far-reaching, and would necessitate changes in many aspects of our society. However, one does not need to be a prophet to predict what sort of changes will need to be made; all that is necessary is a thoughtful examination of the effects of the increase in life expectancy in this century.

The poverty, dependency, low social status, and age prejudice that victimize and afflict many elderly today indicate what life would be like if more and more people lived longer and society did not make the necessary adjustments. In my optimistic opinion these problems are temporary derangements, brought about by our lack of preparation for the Graying of America. In the past, society has adapted to such major changes as the Industrial Revolution, and there is no reason to think that it will not adapt now to our demographic revolution. In time, perhaps we will come to view extended life expectancy as the triumph it really is and stop entertaining romantic notions of life in the past. Even so, the prospect of a longer life span would require us to rethink the present system of work and retirement, as well as to devise ways to alleviate added drains on the earth's resources, increased pollution, and less space.

High Time programs and activities are guided by the Senior Advisory Group which consists of hosts, staff.

sponsors, and leaders of the senior community.

devoted to community activities, comments that many of Denver's seniors had mentioned the need for such a program. He notes, "I checked around the country and discovered-much to my amazement-that such a radio series did not exist.

"Some stations have programs, produced by the public affairs department, but to my knowledge, a program produced by senior citizens does not exist."

All policy decisions about content, format, and special events are made by the Advisory Board, composed of representatives from Denver area organizations serving senior citizens. Member organizations include the American Association of Retired Persons, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Volunteers of America, senior centers under the Department of Parks and Recreation of the City and County of Denver, the Gray Panthers, the Denver Housing Authority, the Mayor's Commission on Aging, and the Regional Office of Aging.

Member organizations are expected to schedule speaking engagements, keep individual members informed of program schedules, and seek input from the general community. The Advisory Board meets every four to six weeks to review past activities and develop programming schedules. It also serves as a network for publicizing the series.

The hosts, writers, and directors of the radio series are all over 60 and are paid. Radio air time is purchased and all production costs are paid by the program. These costs in turn are borne by

four program sponsors-the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Central Bank of Denver, Public Service Company of Colorado, and Mountain Bell. Each participates regularly in High Time features and has a full member on the Advisory Board.

Throughout 1977, the makeup of the series' audience and its growth were carefully monitored. Before High Time premiered, the KOSI audience from 9 to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday evening numbered 500. Six months after the series' first broadcast, audience size had grown to between 3,000 and 4,000-a 600 percent increase.

The series' producers hope to expand High Time's audience in size and geographic distribution. Requests for the program have been received from organizations and broadcast outlets in 16 states. As a result of this demand, the radio series will be expanded across the nation during the coming year. Local programs of High Time will be aired in Pittsburgh and the Tampa-St. Petersburg area in the fall. By mid1979, local versions of High Time are also planned in New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. A nationally syndicated version is scheduled for production in late 1979.

Also planned are extended coverage of special events and more interviews with local and national senior leaders. As High Time adds to its reporting capabilities, increased attention will be given to timely issues affecting the elderly. Investigative reports will cover topics such as nursing homes, the State legislature, utility companies, housing, transportation, and energy.

Don't Take It Easy You'll Live Longer

Thomas M. Jenkins

* Dr. Jenkins is Director of the

Communication and Arts Division, Community College of Denver, Colorado.

These people have one thing in common-they work or exercise strenuously, maintaining cardiovascular fitness. Although there are a number of important factors that contribute to longevity, no single element is more crucial than exerting the heart. None of these people take life easy; all of them look forward to tomorrow and more activity.

The nature of our society seems to be changing. We may be on the threshold of a dramatic alteration of values. Until recently, little reverence has been directed toward our nation's elderly, the modern western world largely ignoring the worth of its older. population.

Some futurists, notably Albert Rosenberg, theorize that we may be at a critical transition point in this

planet's history. Among Americans, there seems to be a trend to change lifestyles, to become more physically active and to live longer, fuller lives.

Recently released statistics suggest that a health revolution is imminent if not already underway. Sindlinger's Economic Service has stated that 87.5 million U.S. adults (18 and over) participate in some kind of athletic activity-what George Leonard calls a "fitness explosion." There are 3 million raquetball enthusiasts, 8 million joggers, 30 million tennis players, as well as a dramatically heightened interest in yoga, gymnastics, bicycling, mountain climbing, backpacking, volleyball, and swimming. In addition, there have been countless purchases of home-conditioning fitness equipment, health foods, and exercise books and manuals.

Despite all this activity, there are spectacular lessons to be learned from other cultures. Specifically, there are three countries whose citizens expe

rience extraordinary health and long life. These are the Soviet Union's Caucasus, Pakistan's Hunza, and Ecuador's Vilcabamba Valley regions, where cardiovascular fitness is attributable to a strenuous, physically-active life.

Physical exertion, in the form of either exercise or work as evidenced by these energetic older people, can produce remarkable benefits. It increases the capacity of the heart muscle to pump blood throughout the body while at the same time reducing the heartbeat and sometimes lowering the blood pressure. It builds muscle tissue and reduces the proportion of fat. In effect, the exerting heart is the one that lasts.

But unlike history's seekers of the "fountain of youth," there is more than one factor in the mosaic of human longevity. Today, it seems evident that the pattern of long life is an integrated and sometimes subtle complex of variables whose identity has been elucidated by the astonishing elders of the Caucasus, Hunza, and Vilcabamba Valley.*

These three cultures have almost identical life patterns. Their long-lived inhabitants are physically agile and quick-witted, despite their ages. The key elements of their lives include strenuous daily exercise or physical work; an active sex life in advanced old age; a nutritious but frugal diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain cereals, and milk products; strong and proud family ties with a respected, although simple, function in the community; moderation in alcohol consumption; little or no smoking; a positive attitude toward the future; and a love affair with living involving a simple, uncomplicated lifestyle. These components, interrelated and inseparable, constitute a harmonious pattern of living. These people are active, busy, and happy; their hearts are healthy because they don't "take it easy."

*Recent findings have shown that the "centenarians" of Vilcabamba, Eduador are actually in their 80's and 90's. The Vilcabambans, however, do enjoy exceptionally good health and physical agility for their ages. These findings, of course, do raise questions about the validity of claims for other large groups of centenarians such as those found in the Caucasus region of the U.S.S.R. and the Hunzas of Pakistan.