This myth is so ingrained in our culture that it is one of those things that I find somewhat hard to overcome. It is right up there with PUFA and estrogen in its mythological status. I love any topic that Peat writes about but this one I find utterly amazing. When there is an exception to the rule and someone lives to 100 for example it gets plastered all over the news and we are reminded of what an oddity it is which just reinforces the myth. I currently work with mostly sick elderly people. The one thing that I never understood is how 'noncompliant' people often fared better than the ones who strictly followed doctors orders. A common rumbling you hear amongst medical workers is how 'noncompliant' a person is therefore how are you supposed to help them get better? I now understand that the positive results of being 'noncompliant' directly relate to the simple fact that those who don't follow every doctors order save a little bit of their life each time they refuse a harmful medicine or treatment. It seems more like a programmed killing reality than programmed aging! As soon as a patient enters the door there is an automatic chest xray and the misguided assaults continue unabated. It's no wonder that someone in a compromised state would decline from there. It's always dismissed as related to age, noncompliance, never took care of him or herself etc. I have a feeling a lot of these people would make a turn around in an environment where healing started with a coherent and accurate view of how the human body really works and sensible supportive measures were applied. I don't think living to 100 would be considered so unusual after all.