Beth Newcomb

New York Times featured commentary from Caleb Finch on new studies that appear to show extremely slow aging in cold-blooded animals such as tortoises. While the mortality risk in long-living turtles and tortoises remained stagnant over the decades, they haven’t obtained eternal youth according to Finch. “Some of them get cataracts and are feeble to the point where they need to be fed by hand. They wouldn’t survive in the real world, so there’s no question that they do age.”

New York Times featured a study by Eric Klopack and Eileen Crimmins on how exposure to social stress can speed up the aging of the immune system. Klopack also discussed the study in a column for the Conversation. “Less aged immune systems are better able to fight infections and generate protective immunity from vaccines,” he wrote. “Immunosenescence may help explain why people are likely to have more severe cases of COVID-19 and a weaker response to vaccines as they age. Understanding what influences immune aging may help researchers better address age-related disparities in health and illness.”

Parade quoted Carin Kreutzer in an article on the best foods to eat for longevity. “Scientific studies have shown that the risk for cancer goes up the less plant-based foods people have in their diets, specifically fruit and vegetables,” she said.