Will You Outlive Your Favorite Celebrity?
By Barbara Kimmel

According to gerontologist (aging expert) David J. Demko, PhD, Jennifer Garner and Will Smith should live till 91. While Ron Howard might see 95, Paris Hilton is scheduled to check out by 74. Fortunately for Paris, she could easily add 8 years to her life by changing her diet and getting more sleep. Meanwhile, Keith Richards, who should have been dead at age 52, is living proof that “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”.

How long will YOU live? According to Demko you can estimate your life expectancy by answering a series of questions. he affectionately calls the “Death Calculator”. Beginning with age 79 (the average life expectancy in modern cultures), the calculator adds or subtracts years based on your answers to the quiz questions. Your final score is an estimate of your current life expectancy. If your score is low, you have plenty of time to heed this early warning and redirect you life toward more positive living.

Here are some thought provoking questions that are included in the 55 question “Death Calculator”.

1. Where is your ancestral home? (if not given, enter a score of 0). US = minus 2. Austria-UK = minus 1. Canada-France-Italy = 0. Australia-Singapore-Sweden = plus 2. Japan = plus 3.

FACT: Life expectancy varies by nation due to genetic and cultural differences.

2. What is your gender ? Female = plus 1. Male = minus 2.

FACT: Life expectancy favors the female gender regardless of culture.

3. Do you have an annual physical exam? Yes = plus 3. No = minus 3.

FACT: Many diseases (cancers, hypertension) in later life are asymptomatic, go unnoticed and untreated.

4. Do you have parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents who lived to 85-plus? Add 2 for each 85-plus relative.

FACT: Research demonstrates that long-lived parents tend to produce long-living children.

5. Do you volunteer on a weekly basis? Yes = plus 2. No = minus 1.

FACT: Studies confirm that volunteering focuses attention away from ourselves and onto others.

6. Do you live alone? Yes = minus 3. No = 0.

FACT: Adults who live alone tend to be less well-nourished, more isolated, and less nurtured.

7. Are you able to laugh at and learn from your mistakes? Yes = plus 1. No = minus 3.

FACT: Laughter, humility, and a positive outlooks are linked to increased life expectancy.

8. Do you have a confidant who listens to your most intimate concerns? Yes = plus 1. No = minus 2.

FACT: Confidants offer emotional catharsis and a sense of personal worth to those in crisis.

9. Do you engage in daily mental exercises such as puzzles, games, learning or problem-solving? Yes = plus 4. No = 0.

FACT: Individuals that continually challenge their minds suffer fewer cognitive disorders.

10. Do you engage in some form of daily aerobic exercise such as swimming, jogging or biking? Yes = plus 2. No = 0.

FACT: Exercising at one’s target heart rate strengthens the heart and boosts metabolism.

Demko outlines an easy-to-follow strategy incorporating physical, mental, nutritional and environmental modifications that will slow the aging process, such as the benefits of eating a daily serving of oatmeal; having friends who are a variety of ages; reducing your daily caloric intake by 20%; and having a religious or spiritual connection. He offers no “miracle” cures or dietary supplements, just pure common sense combined with scientific proof.

Barbara Kimmel is an award-winning book publisher, publishing consultant and publicist. She is the publisher of David Demko's new book, "Live Well Now: Dr. David Demko's Anti Aging Plan to Youth'n Your Life." (http://www.nextdecade.com)

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