The secrets of ‘super agers’
There is no magic bullet for aging well, says UCI Health expert
November 20, 2023
UCI Health neurologist Dr. Claudia Kawas is a co-investigator on the
90+ Study, which is examining the lifestyles and behaviors of
"super agers"
IN THE NEWS: Since 2003, more than 2,000 people who have lived into their 90s and beyond with exceptional memories are the subject of a UCI study that examines their physical health and lifestyles. Their brains are also examined after death, if donated.
The 90+ Study’s co-principal investigator, UCI Health neurologist Dr. Claudia Kawas, tells AARP that there is no single secret to aging well.
“Everyone wants it to be one thing, like blueberries or crossword puzzles. I don’t think it’s that simple. A good diet matters. Get as much education as you can. It doesn’t mean Nobel laureates don’t get Alzheimer’s, but at a lower rate. It confers lifelong prevention through some mechanism that we don’t understand yet.”
Kawas is a professor of neurology at UCI School of Medicine and a professor of neurobiology and behavior at the UCI School of Social Sciences. An associate director of the UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, her clinical interests are dementia and memory disorders, geriatric medicine and geriatric neurology. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts.
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