Too many times we’ve seen our black mothers, aunts, and sisters fall ill to diseases that come later in their lives. But for women whose mothers lived a long and healthy life, actually, have a good chance of doing the same, a new study suggests.
A long-term study of about 22,000 postmenopausal women in the United States found that those whose mothers had lived to age 90 were 25 percent more likely to reach that milestone without suffering serious health issues, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and hip fractures.
If both parents reached age 90, women were 38 percent more likely to live a long and healthy life, the findings showed.
“Achieving healthy aging has become a critical public health priority in light of the rapidly growing aging population in the United States.
Our results show that not only did these women live to age 90, but they also aged well by avoiding major diseases and disabilities,” said first author Aladdin Shadyab. He’s a postdoctoral fellow in the department of family medicine and public health.
“It’s not just about the number of candles on the cake. These women were independent and