Researchers have found that treating the medical condition of heart disease (or better yet preventing it) goes a long way in obviating frailty syndrome as we age.

“A second finding is just as surprising to skeptical scientists because it seemed to many like a wrongheaded cliché — you’re only as old as you think you are. Rigorous studies are now showing that seeing, or hearing, gloomy nostrums about what it is like to be old can make people walk more slowly, hear and remember less well, and even affect their cardiovascular systems. Positive images of aging have the opposite effects. The constant message that old people are expected to be slow and weak and forgetful is not a reason for the full-blown frailty syndrome. But it may help push people along that path.”

Both conclusions are good news because they signify that we have some control over our fate. Proper diet has been shown to practically eliminate your chances of getting heart disease even if heart disease runs in your family. And recent studies have show that your mental state is something you can do something about as well.

Old but Not Frail: A Matter of Heart and Head – New York Times

[thanks, Jeff!]