Noting that the condition called 'super aging' emerges in elderly individuals who use their brains correctly, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, 'The person is 80 years old but incredibly intelligent, incredibly energetic, and possesses immense power of reasoning. Mimar Sinan also created his greatest work after the age of 80.'
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, shared his evaluations on the recently emerging concept of 'super aging'.
Concepts related to age should be used correctly
Stating that the concept of 'psychology of old age' is used incorrectly and the correct one is 'psychology of aging', Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, ' It is correct to say 'getting older' instead of 'aging'. These are very important approaches for attributing the correct meaning to aging. Because a child starts aging as soon as they are born. There are telomeres on cells that indicate how many times they will divide and multiply, and they start to decrease. There is a genetic dimension related to DNA here. There are planned cell deaths for this in the body. Aging is such a thing that there are 150 trillion cells in our body, and each cell produces one and a half volts of electricity. And only 150 billion of these 150 trillion cells are in the brain alone. Although it accounts for two percent of the body's weight, the brain uses 25 percent of the oxygen and glucose entering the body.'
65% of Aging is Related to Lifestyle…
Highlighting that brain-related abilities come to the fore in old age, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, 'Western civilization and its modernism have greatly contributed to human physical health. Physical illnesses are treated better, and the average lifespan has increased. The average life expectancy rose from 45 to 75, even 80 years. There's tremendous progress. Our physical health is good; we treat many diseases more easily, but modernism failed in mental health, unable to produce solutions. There has been a significant increase in Alzheimer's among elderly individuals. Much research is being conducted on Alzheimer's. There are diversified genes related to Alzheimer's, but the role of these genes is around 30-40 percent. 65 percent of aging is related to lifestyle.'
The concept of super aging is on the agenda
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that aging is known as epigenetics in genetics and continued his words as follows: 'Epigenetics is the quantum of genetics. This is very closely related to how a person uses their brain. In individuals who use their brains correctly, the condition called super aging emerges. The concept of super aging is currently being discussed. Who are super agers? A person is 80 years old but incredibly intelligent, incredibly energetic, and possesses immense power of reasoning. Such individuals exist. For example, Mimar Sinan created his greatest work after the age of 80. It is being investigated why some individuals are like this. There are some concepts that emerge before us for healthy aging. Every age has its pros, cons, acquired, and lost abilities. In old age, we can be more successful and happier, which is related to the matters that elderly individuals value and invest in.'
5 thousand steps should be taken daily
Tarhan stated that an individual can become a super ager if they have the right life philosophy, and asked, 'What does a person need to have to become a super ager? For example, first, a brain-friendly lifestyle. A lifestyle needs to be created along with nutrition. For instance, when people retire, you see them as if they have retired not from their profession but from life. However, one does not retire from life. When someone retires, they shift their interests from work to other areas; with these new interests, the person attributes positive meaning and manages to stay healthy by bringing new perspectives to life. Continuing physical activity benefits not only body health but also brain health. Whoever it may be, they should try to take five thousand steps. Using body muscles has an indirect benefit for the brain,' he said.
The brain should be developed with new experiences
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the brain can be stimulated more by being open to new experiences and continued his words as follows:
'If a person goes home, they shouldn't always take the same route; if they read books, they shouldn't always read the same genres; they shouldn't always watch the same television program. Individuals who make changes in their activities, and challenge opposites in their minds, age less and, because they are open to new experiences, the brain produces a growth factor. When this factor is produced, the hippocampus region uses brain stem cells to generate new stem cells. Regardless of age, we have stem cells in our body, but there needs to be a lifestyle that activates these stem cells. A life without stimulation, always in the same style, monotonous and sedentary, dulls the stem cells in the brain. Ibn Khaldun has a very important saying; 'The human brain is like a millstone. A millstone continuously turns. If you don't put wheat or something that can be ground into the turning millstone, it starts to grind itself,' he says. A very interesting observation. Therefore, it is necessary to add new information to the brain.'
The experience of elderly people should be utilized
Stating that the elderly had to stay at home within the scope of pandemic measures, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, 'During the pandemic, Alzheimer's was triggered, and rheumatic diseases increased among the elderly. It is necessary to benefit from their life experiences and converse with them. The most beautiful thing the elderly can do is to be happy by sharing their knowledge, experience, and wisdom with people. Modernism taught us to be happy by consuming like this. Currently, the biggest problem in the Western world is loneliness. They cannot find a solution to the problem of loneliness. As a society, we are a community that loves warm relationships. We are an active society, so we should not lose these characteristics,' he said.
It is natural for the elderly to experience fear and anxiety
Tarhan stated that it is natural for elderly people to experience the anxiety and fear of becoming incapacitated or dependent on others, and added, 'This is especially important for dignified elderly individuals who have lived without being dependent on anyone. If a person has values, earns through their labor, and lives with dignity, it is not possible, in terms of cause and effect, for that person to become dependent on others and fall into a bad situation in old age. For example, the fear of spending money emerges in old age. They isolate themselves, creating a tremendous defense mechanism. They sit on a large fortune but never use it. However, as they give, both they and others become happy,' he said.
Fear of death is the only undeniable truth
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan concluded his words by saying, 'The fear of death is the only exceptionless truth in life. Everything has an exception. All laws have an exception. There is an answer to the question 'Why does evil exist?' but no answer to the question 'Why does life exist?' Is death evil or not? If an elderly person has the right life philosophy, they do not see death as an enemy. Death is an inevitable end to life. There are things within human power and things beyond it. There are things one can change and things one cannot. Death is something a person cannot change.'