Living a longer life: whose advice helps?

For decades, longevity gurus have touted their plans. But have they delivered? Aging experts weigh in.

By Marnell Jameson
LA Times

July 13, 2009

Live a life without frailty and disease, and enjoy lasting youth, both physical and mental. Purveyors of longevity have been cashing in on that promise for centuries -- never mind that not one of the people prescribing a life-extension plan has ever delivered one that worked.

"Longevity gurus share one characteristic," says Jay Olshansky, author of "The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging" and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. "Most are dead. And they all died at about the same age and of the same causes as the rest of the population."

Here's a look back at some of the folks who have influenced American views of longevity and related behavior over the last 100 years -- and what our aging experts have to say about their approaches.

Adelle Davis 1904-74

A food faddist with training, Adelle Davis caught the ear of America with nutrition advice that ranged from sound to harmful. She criticized the food industry for producing poor quality, over-processed and sometimes unsafe food. She also proclaimed that the right amounts of minerals and vitamins could prevent and cure almost every disease and ailment.

(More here.)