It's no secret that at 81, President Biden is the oldest sitting president in U.S. history. And whether the current frontrunners for either party win the election later this year, Biden or Donald Trump would be the olde…
It's no secret that at 81, President Biden is the oldest sitting president in U.S. history. And whether the current frontrunners for either party win the election later this year, Biden or Donald Trump would be the oldest president on record. Many people have raised concerns about the candidates' ages and whether they are too old to run for president.
However, a recent op-ed published in The Hillopens in a new tab or window weighed in on whether President Biden is actually a super-ager -- someone generally older than 80 who has cognitive and physical function higher than their peers, more akin to people decades younger -- and argued that framing Biden in particular as "too old" is both ageist and politically motivated.
Two of the op-ed authors, S. Jay Olshansky, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Bradley Willcox, MD, MSc, of the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, were among the panel of gerontologists who assessed the health of Biden and Trumpopens in a new tab or window leading up to the 2020 election. That report noted that "Biden is expected to outlive Trump, even though he is 3 years older" because of Biden's "exceptional health profile for a man his age."
Olshansky, Willcox, and the third co-author, former Texas politician Ben Barnes, wrote that Biden "exhibits characteristics consistent with super-ager status," and all evidence "evaluated by experts in medicine and aging science" points to Biden being in good health for his age. In response, several media outlets have reported on how Biden may be a super-ager, and some claimed he's "aging backwards."
To gain insight on whether Biden is indeed a super-ager, MedPage Today spoke with Nir Barzilai, MD, director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Institute for Aging Research in New York City and scientific director of the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), who also was on the team that analyzed the candidates' health in 2020. While there isn't a universal definition for "super-ager," he explained that the unifying factors are older age with relatively higher cognitive and physical function.
"There is a chronological age and a biological age, and I think all of us intuitively know that those are not the same," Barzilai said. He noted that while genes play a role in aging, so do exercise, diet, sleep, and social connectivity. These four "are much more important things than a specific test," he added, and Biden scores well on those traits, except for potentially sleep.
Having a parent with exceptional age is also a major clue that someone could be a super-ager, he said. Both of Biden's parents lived well into their 80s, as did Trump's.
But, ultimately, Barzilai said he can't definitively affirm that Biden is aging backwards -- or that Trump is, for that matter -- because he doesn't know their full medical histories. Specifically, he would be interested to know their HbA1c and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
As president, a lot (but not all) of Biden's health data are transparent and released by the government. Meanwhile, Barzilai said he's dubious about much of the information on Trump's health. Thus, critiquing the wealth of data on Biden while having little available on Trump could easily be weaponized for political means.
"I don't want to say [Biden's] younger or older ... and I urge everybody to say that age is a number, not a quality," he said.
Much of Barzilai's past research has focused on biomarkers of aging, including through the Longevity Genes Projectopens in a new tab or window, which analyzed the genetics of healthy people older than 95 and their families. One of his studies from 2016 found that super-agers had a compression of morbidity, meaning that many died without diseases and those who were sick at the end were sick for shorter periods of time than most people. In other words, "health span and lifespan went together," he noted.
Currently, AFAR is working on a study of super-agers, and actively recruiting people 95 and older and their families to look into longevity genes. Other studies from the past year have found that super-agers had significantly larger entorhinal cortex neurons than their peers, as well as sharper memories -- and researchers still have much to explore.
"As scientists, we're trying to figure out what is this biology and can we extend health span and lifespan for everyone else," Barzilai said.
Last year, biden discovered he had some classified papers from his time as VP at his home in Delaware. He immediately contacted the DOJ and had all the papers returned. Because Republicans tried to raise a stink that he was getting away with something Trump was being indicted for, Garland assigned this GOP Trump-appointee US Attorney to investigate and issue a report.
You're getting close to receiving a refund on your subscription. A difference of opinion is expected. Deliberately misreading things a=is another matter altogether.
You’re free to do what you want, but what did I misread? There were boxes in his possession that he had no right to in the first place. So because he says he suddenly thought to look around “just in case” , and his lawyers found some, no problem, right?
I'm not seeing anyone pointing out Norma Anderson, the 91-year-old Colorado Republican who was lead plaintiff in the Article 3 suit heard today by the Supreme Court. She was interviewed on camera following(?) the hearing; it was clear that she's healthy and possesses strong cognitive abilities. Age 91.
lot of people in their 90s are still cognitively solid, and some, like a friend's uncle, who just died at 99, are very active physically. This guy bicycled 20-30 miles a day until the day before he died.
I don't know who the fuck this Hur character is, but here's the thing where Olshansky was quoted
https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/cultureclinic/108213?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2024-01-10&eun=g1964106d0r
It's no secret that at 81, President Biden is the oldest sitting president in U.S. history. And whether the current frontrunners for either party win the election later this year, Biden or Donald Trump would be the oldest president on record. Many people have raised concerns about the candidates' ages and whether they are too old to run for president.
However, a recent op-ed published in The Hillopens in a new tab or window weighed in on whether President Biden is actually a super-ager -- someone generally older than 80 who has cognitive and physical function higher than their peers, more akin to people decades younger -- and argued that framing Biden in particular as "too old" is both ageist and politically motivated.
Two of the op-ed authors, S. Jay Olshansky, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Bradley Willcox, MD, MSc, of the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, were among the panel of gerontologists who assessed the health of Biden and Trumpopens in a new tab or window leading up to the 2020 election. That report noted that "Biden is expected to outlive Trump, even though he is 3 years older" because of Biden's "exceptional health profile for a man his age."
Olshansky, Willcox, and the third co-author, former Texas politician Ben Barnes, wrote that Biden "exhibits characteristics consistent with super-ager status," and all evidence "evaluated by experts in medicine and aging science" points to Biden being in good health for his age. In response, several media outlets have reported on how Biden may be a super-ager, and some claimed he's "aging backwards."
To gain insight on whether Biden is indeed a super-ager, MedPage Today spoke with Nir Barzilai, MD, director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Institute for Aging Research in New York City and scientific director of the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), who also was on the team that analyzed the candidates' health in 2020. While there isn't a universal definition for "super-ager," he explained that the unifying factors are older age with relatively higher cognitive and physical function.
"There is a chronological age and a biological age, and I think all of us intuitively know that those are not the same," Barzilai said. He noted that while genes play a role in aging, so do exercise, diet, sleep, and social connectivity. These four "are much more important things than a specific test," he added, and Biden scores well on those traits, except for potentially sleep.
Having a parent with exceptional age is also a major clue that someone could be a super-ager, he said. Both of Biden's parents lived well into their 80s, as did Trump's.
But, ultimately, Barzilai said he can't definitively affirm that Biden is aging backwards -- or that Trump is, for that matter -- because he doesn't know their full medical histories. Specifically, he would be interested to know their HbA1c and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
As president, a lot (but not all) of Biden's health data are transparent and released by the government. Meanwhile, Barzilai said he's dubious about much of the information on Trump's health. Thus, critiquing the wealth of data on Biden while having little available on Trump could easily be weaponized for political means.
"I don't want to say [Biden's] younger or older ... and I urge everybody to say that age is a number, not a quality," he said.
Much of Barzilai's past research has focused on biomarkers of aging, including through the Longevity Genes Projectopens in a new tab or window, which analyzed the genetics of healthy people older than 95 and their families. One of his studies from 2016 found that super-agers had a compression of morbidity, meaning that many died without diseases and those who were sick at the end were sick for shorter periods of time than most people. In other words, "health span and lifespan went together," he noted.
Currently, AFAR is working on a study of super-agers, and actively recruiting people 95 and older and their families to look into longevity genes. Other studies from the past year have found that super-agers had significantly larger entorhinal cortex neurons than their peers, as well as sharper memories -- and researchers still have much to explore.
"As scientists, we're trying to figure out what is this biology and can we extend health span and lifespan for everyone else," Barzilai said.
Last year, biden discovered he had some classified papers from his time as VP at his home in Delaware. He immediately contacted the DOJ and had all the papers returned. Because Republicans tried to raise a stink that he was getting away with something Trump was being indicted for, Garland assigned this GOP Trump-appointee US Attorney to investigate and issue a report.
Garland is over possessed attempting to fein impartiality to the point of never making a decision that leans on the GOP. “See how unbiased I can be?”
Sure. He just kinda forgot all those boxes. Of documents he never should have taken in the first place.
You're getting close to receiving a refund on your subscription. A difference of opinion is expected. Deliberately misreading things a=is another matter altogether.
You’re free to do what you want, but what did I misread? There were boxes in his possession that he had no right to in the first place. So because he says he suddenly thought to look around “just in case” , and his lawyers found some, no problem, right?
So, Mr. EZTajas, what are you saying? That your boy Hur is in the tank for the Democrats? Get the fuck out of here. Moron.
You’re an ass.
There’s a disagreement about that, but it’s in no way unanimous.
I'm not seeing anyone pointing out Norma Anderson, the 91-year-old Colorado Republican who was lead plaintiff in the Article 3 suit heard today by the Supreme Court. She was interviewed on camera following(?) the hearing; it was clear that she's healthy and possesses strong cognitive abilities. Age 91.
Dan Rather is 90 and still going strong over on Steady. https://steady.substack.com/
lot of people in their 90s are still cognitively solid, and some, like a friend's uncle, who just died at 99, are very active physically. This guy bicycled 20-30 miles a day until the day before he died.