As we age, we tend to have more aches, pains, and diseases. Researchers believe that some of these may be related to persistent inflammation. They call it “inflammaging” — age-related inflammation, which is present even in the absence of injury or illness.
Super-agers are a diverse bunch; they don’t share a magic diet, exercise regimen or medication. But the one thing that does unite them is how they view the importance of social relationships.
By being more social in old age, super-agers may be able to avert some of the atrophy. An analysis included in the new paper supports this finding: The brain volume of super-agers tends to be more comparable to that of 50- and 60-year-olds than to their octogenarian and nonagenarian peers.