Longevity Library

Learn how to live longer in the Longevity Library: articles on health, fitness, aging, and robust living.

This library consists of a hand-picked selection, chosen from over 130 scientific articles written or co-written by Walter M. Bortz II, MD. These have been specially selected to bring you insights into Dr. Bortz's research and into his discoveries and insights into healthy aging. These are free for you to read and to download. However any commercial use, re-publication, or for additional copies, please contact us.

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General Interest

"Running as Armor," Marathon and Beyond, Volume 10, Issue 10, pp 60-65. A fit lifestyle helps to modulate the aging process. Dr. Walter Bortz relates how his state of fitness from running several times a week helped insure his rapid recovery from an accident when a tree fell on him, punctured his lung and broke his ribs. Running and other vigorous aerobic activities helps prevent cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal frailty, metabolic instability, while boosting the immune system, helping to prevent depression, and helping to prevent premature aging.

"On Longevity: Increase Your Bore," Diabetes Wellness Letter," Vol. 1, No. 1. Most heart problems are actually blocked-artery problems. Research has shown that aerobic activity can greatly increase the diameter of arteries when stimulated by exercise. Thus, many heart problems, as well as diabetic complications associated with blockage of the small vessels, could be averted through exercise.

Medical and Academic

"Biological Basis of Determinants of Health," American Journal of Public Health, March 2005, Vol 95, No. 3 Clinical medicine and health policy planning find common cause as they seek to define the determinants of health. There is substantial recent interest in the social ecology in which health is embedded. However, biology is where these contributing environmental factors are translated. In this article, Dr. Bortz provides a new conceptual framework for the biological determinants of health.

"Predictability of Weight Loss," Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 204, pp 101-105. This article takes the mystery of weight loss, and demonstrates that one can predict with great accuracy how much weight one will lose each day. Weight loss is a process that is susceptible to logical and reasonable precise explanation. Since a pound of fat stores 3,500 calories, once one's daily basal metabolic requirements are calculated, one can predict weight loss or gain based on caloric intake.

"A Conceptual Framework of Frailty: A Review," Journal of Gerontology: MEDICAL SCIENCES, Vol. 57A, No. 5, M283-M288. Does growing older necessarily mean growing more frail? This article defines frailty as a set of body-wide linked deteriorations, and then demonstrates that frailty is largely separable from the process of aging. As such, frailty can be prevented and even reversed by active intervention.

"Physical Fitness, Aging, and Sexuality," Palo Alto Medical Foundation, WIMP, Volume 170, No. 3. Sexuality is a major quality of life issue, even into advanced age. Some studies have indicated that both sexual performance and satisfaction decline with aging. This study shows that sexual activity and satisfaction are more strongly correlated with one's degree of fitness than one's age. Physical fitness and sexuality activity should be mutually-supportive elements of successful aging.