Is there really a Fountain of Youth?

 Carol Forsloff - Many product manufacturers refer to the "Fountain of Youth" in their descriptions, however was there ever such a place and if so where might it be and what wonders might come from it.

Much of the interest in the Fountain of Youth is the accent on longevity has long been a direction for science, but now it is being refined into what is called "successful aging," but what does that actually mean for the upcoming generations. 

The definition of successful aging has been debated by scientists as either objective or subjective, that is how adults view themselves and what they do and the actual status of the human body. 

These issues have become particularly important given the large numbers of baby boomers who will be 65 this year. 

Researchers from the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging (NJISA) at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine have years ago released the results of their study that clarifies what it means to age successfully. 

In this new research, the accent is based on modifiable factors, i.e. those things people can do to impact their life span. 

What are these?  Researchers find those who are well educated tend to live longer.  Other things that promote aging successfully include never have been incarcerated, being married, consuming only moderate amounts of alcohol and either working for pay or doing volunteer work. 

These findings are based upon a study of 5,600 New Jersey residents between the ages of 50 and 74. and the results appear in an advance article in The Gerontologist. 

“What you do before age 50 really will generally have the bigger impact on how well you age,” said lead author Rachel Pruchno, PhD, who is also the director of research at NJISA. “Our research shows how aging is a lifelong process. The person you become at a very old age is really a function of how you lived your earlier years.” 

The researchers examined how factors early in life can impact what happens to individuals as they age.  

“Education and incarceration were particularly strong factors,” Pruchno said. “The fact that we currently have a large number of people in prison serving relatively short sentences could herald a significant public health problem in the future. Interestingly, although marriage also coincided with successful aging, being childless did not appear to have a negative impact.”

Now to that Fountain of Youth and could some of us just find that and reach our optimum health by visiting it?

The belief there is a Fountain of Youth, according to the National Explorer, comes from the stories related to the 16th century Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon.  He wasn't looking for it but people thought it would be found in Florida somewhere he came ashore.  But historians think instead his journey took him farther south near what is now Melbourne, 140 miles from St. Augustine where people thought he had landed.

A professor by the name of Ryan K. Smith from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond tells us, "People are more intrigued by the story of looking and not finding than they are by the idea that the fountain might be out there somewhere."

And just like the Fountain of Youth itself perhaps it is the journey people enjoy, the quest of finding the truth in staying young by living a good, moral life.