Most of us want to live longer and better. Hence the widespread interest in all that might prolong life and wellness.

The list of life boosters is long: meditation and mindful practices, physical fitness, Mediterranean and other healthy diets, a myriad of vitamins and supplements, social activities, pets, and avoiding foods and drinks considered “pro-inflammatory” or downright toxic.

The trends are fed by social media, plenty of health gurus and, to some extent, solid science.

In my youth, few middle-agers made it into their 80s. Most succumbed to cancer, heart disease or stroke well before then.

My mother was 66 when she died following a long history of uncontrolled hypertension (190/120 or more when I took it) and later heart failure or what was called “dropsy” in those days — swollen lower legs and feet.

My father died in his late 70s with a history of atrial fibrillation and a final intracerebral hemorrhage. For both my parents, not much could be done by the medicine of the day.

President Franklin Roosevelt, a shadow of his former self in 1944-1945, died at 66 in 1945 of an intracerebral hemorrhage and, like my mother, had a long history of moderate to severe uncontrolled hypertension.

His closest ally throughout the war, Winston Churchill, lived to 90 despite several heart attacks during the Second World War, several post-war transient ischemic attacks and strokes and in his last years, progressive cognitive decline before a final stroke that signalled the end.

Not bad for a man who enjoyed cigars, food and drink and exercised only as much as needed to do his job — no gyms or trainers for him. Maybe what saved him was his energy, curiosity (in science too) and prolific writing.

With the technology at hand now, Roosevelt, my parents and perhaps even Churchill might have lived a decade or more longer in better health.

Then there’s the case of super-agers such as Mariana Lenharo. She lived to 117 years.

At the time of her death, she had two daughters in their 90s, exercised regularly, was lean, ate a Mediterranean diet supplemented by three servings of yogurt a day, liked to read and by laboratory measures was stunningly healthy.

Her gut microbiome and immune system were healthy, there were no pro-inflammatory factors, none of the usual risk factors in her blood, including her lipid profile, survived COVID-19, had no risky genes and possessed genes common to some species of dogs, worms and flies associated with extreme lifespans.

Leaving me to wonder, with a health report card like hers, why did she die? Why not 150 years?

The case of Lenharo highlights a fundamental issue. Our fate is not dictated by the sum of all the diseases we develop in our lives, especially in the later decades of life.

Cell organelles and processes wear out just as parts wear out in appliances, engines and even computers. In the latter instance, mistakes creep into the software and memory systems and so with us — exemplified by age-related corruption of DNA and mutations, which affect the structure and function of proteins that every cell, including our nerve cells, depends on.

That progressive corruption of our DNA and proteins goes a long way to explaining why many neurodegenerative diseases are associated with corrupted proteins such as beta-amyloid and tau in the case of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alpha-synuclein in Lewy Body dementia or in the case of frontotemporal dementia and LATE (limbic age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy), a cause of dementia in the late 80s and 90s, the accumulation of TDP-43 protein.

There are other examples of dysfunctional proteins, but the point I’m making is that they probably reflect errors upstream in mRNA or DNA, primarily related to aging.

Of course, aging isn’t the only factor because some neurodegenerative diseases are related to inherited genetic abnormalities in DNA, for instance, in some cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

That aging is a major factor driving mortality is obvious in MRI studies of the brain from early life to death. Neocortical thinning begins in the late 20s and 30s. White matter loss begins a decade later, well before any clinical signs.

But what about whales and long life? Bowhead whales live well past 200 years and one factor stood out: bowhead whales are much better at repairing DNA errors.

Most life forms have DNA repair mechanisms in place, but bowhead whales are better at it — hence healthier proteins and longer life.

Venki Ramakrishnan, a Nobel laureate in chemistry and other scientists take rapamycin, an immunosuppressant, as an anti-aging agent.

Other scientists are exploring the potential benefit of GLP-1 drugs as a potential life prolonger based on their proven effectiveness for reducing weight and the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Readers might want to check out Ramakrishnan’s 2024 book, “Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality,” and the 2024 six-week series on aging at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library, as well as an earlier series on mindfulness and meditation — both on YouTube and accessible through the library’s website.

Dr. William Brown is a professor of neurology at McMaster University and co-founder of the InfoHealth series at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library.