Genes Don't Predict Destiny

- By PAULA STORY, AP

PITTSBURGH (AP), While expert Robert Kahn addressed a conference on aging, 75-year-old Anthony LaCapra was completing his 1 hour workout on a stationary bike and treadmill.  Kahn explained that much of what Americans believe about aging is either myth or half-truth. LaCapra, who is retired, was following a fitness regimen that would make many youthful weekend warriors weep.

After his workout on the bike and treadmill, he uses resistance weights for about an hour before turning to the pool for an hour of laps. And LaCapra does this three times each week.

``I feel better today than I did at 30,'' he said.  He began going to the gym at the suggestion of his doctor about a decade ago. He suffered a massive tear in his rotator cuff while working as a warehouseman. His physician said he could recover more quickly if he built up his strength. ``I had my ups and downs in earlier years,'' LaCapra said. ``But it dawned on me after I retired. Instead of being a couch potato, I could keep active and live longer.''

That's just what Kahn, co-author of the book ``Successful Aging,'' was telling an audience April 9 at the 14th Annual Regional Geriatric Conference. Upstairs, in the Downtown Athletic Club, LaCapra was working out.  ``It's up to you, genes are not your destiny,'' said Kahn, a psychology and public health professor at the University of Michigan.

Kahn, 81, says, while many people blame ``getting old'' on fate and genetics, staying young is mostly a lifestyle choice.  While your cellular blueprint does have some influence on how well you age, much of that can be counteracted with a lifestyle that includes regular exercise and healthy eating habits.  Staying mentally active and maintaining connections to other people through family, volunteer work or hobbies is also important.  Unfortunately, studies show that only about one in every five elderly people get any regular exercise, Kahn said.  ``That is sad, because muscle atrophy is not only reversible, but avoidable,'' he said.

The good news is that years of inactivity and unhealthy living can be reversed with consistent exercise in later years.  Kahn gives himself as an example. At age 35 he was diagnosed with cancer. He recovered but, at age 50, doctors told him he had high blood pressure and needed to make some serious lifestyle changes. Now, he goes to the gym regularly. ``It can be a little embarrassing at first,'' Kahn said. ``I see those beautiful young bodies and they see mine.'' He now goes with a group of friends, and they support and cajole each other to keep it up. ``As a result, I'm still around to see my grandkids,'' Kahn said.

With the second-highest population of elderly people in the country living in Allegheny County, Jerry Duch of the county Department of Aging said he sees the daily effects of inactivity in older people. Many are isolated and alone, they don't want to get out in western Pennsylvania's hilly terrain and often foul weather. Money can also be an issue, many don't have the extra funds to join a gym.

Younger generations can help reverse that trend, he said, by doing simple things like visiting with elderly neighbors or volunteering to stretch or walk with an inactive older person.

Top of Page