What chimps can teach us about healthy aging

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Research on chimpanzees in the wild and in African sanctuaries where they have plenty of space to roam shows surprisingly better health in aging animals, compared to their lab counterparts.

It also suggests that studying the health issues of lab chimps may not have taught us much about their natural aging. Instead, the fate of these ailing captive chimps may tell us more about the risks of increasingly sedentary lifestyles for many present-day humans.

People often become less active as they age, inspired by the self-fulfilling prophecy that their bodies are naturally weakening and that their condition is therefore inevitably deteriorating. Yet even wild chimpanzees like Auntie Rose, who had to walk many miles a day to find food and did not receive health care when ill or injured, appear to be aging in a healthier way, says anthropologist Melissa Emery Thompson of the University of New Mexico, a co-director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project.

“It’s not physical activity, but inactivity, that makes us frail,” she says.

[...] It’s not that chimpanzees show no signs of aging, says Joshua Rukundo, formerly the head veterinarian and now the director of the Ngamba Island sanctuary. Inflammation of the joints is common in aging chimpanzees, he says.

“They also often get dental problems, which leaves them unable to digest fibrous foods. A lack of food then affects their immunity, and they become vulnerable to disease.”

But he adds that most of these symptoms can be treated. In that sense, as far as healthy aging goes, the chimps at Ngamba Island may be living in the best of both worlds: Plenty of space to move around like they would in the wild, with some of the perks of captivity, like extra food and health care.

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/what-wild-chimps-can-teach-humans-about-healthy-aging

[Helxig 45,427]

So this basically backs up what we know! Stay active!

I'm always so impressed by those old grannies that are still walking miles a day or play tennis multiple times a week or do marathons in their fricken 80's!

I really gotta stop sitting in my computer chair for 10 hours a day 

[Arcadia 1,366]

1 hour ago, Helxig said:

So this basically backs up what we know! Stay active!

I'm always so impressed by those old grannies that are still walking miles a day or play tennis multiple times a week or do marathons in their fricken 80's!

I really gotta stop sitting in my computer chair for 10 hours a day 

Goals tbh!

[GagaSine 7,464]

Who tf thought physical activity makes aging worse  it's so counterintuitive. Obviously overexerting yourself can be bad/damaging to your health but staying active is essential! 

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3 minutes ago, GagaSine said:

Who tf thought physical activity makes aging worse  it's so counterintuitive. Obviously overexerting yourself can be bad/damaging to your health but staying active is essential! 

I think this relates to this part of the article.

"People often become less active as they age, inspired by the self-fulfilling prophecy that their bodies are naturally weakening and that their condition is therefore inevitably deteriorating."

Some elderly people stop their physical activity as soon as they see their first signs of decline.. not knowning this only leads to more decline. My mom for instance tells my grandma to refrain from physical activity but my grandma says it actually helps her feel better.