(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – A groundbreaking study reveals a remarkably simple way to slow biological aging: volunteering for just one hour weekly.
See the tweet below!
This minor commitment can yield serious benefits, particularly for retirees seeking a healthy aging regimen that aligns with conservative values of community and family involvement.
While society often overlooks such simple solutions, volunteering provides both community impact and personal health benefits, serving as a powerful testament against complacency.
The research published in Social Science and Medicine highlights how minimal volunteering can combat accelerated biological aging.
Conducted on 2,605 Americans aged 62 and older, the study links volunteering habits with biological age, which is measured by cellular and tissue aging.
Volunteering, even for as little as one hour per week, provides substantial physical, social, and psychological benefits.
The study emphasizes the importance of social connections formed during volunteering, pointing to their role in stress reduction and enhanced cognitive function.
Family volunteering also teaches children essential values like compassion and responsibility. Previous research supports a connection between volunteering and reduced mortality in older adults.
“We found that the effects of a moderate level of volunteering — between 50 to 199 hours per year, or about one to four hours per week — were strongest for retired people,” said Cal Halvorsen, an associate professor at the Brown School and co-author of the study “Does volunteering reduce epigenetic age acceleration among retired and working older adults? Results from the Health and Retirement Study.”
Volunteering more than 200 hours annually, which averages to about four hours a week, showed the greatest age deceleration.
Despite influencing biological aging, volunteering is also lauded for offering a sense of purpose.
This aligns with conservative values that emphasize self-reliance and community service.
By incorporating this into public health strategies, policymakers could encourage more Americans to embrace volunteering.
The researchers utilized various factors, including physical activity, smoking, binge drinking, and obesity, to ensure the study’s reliability.
They suggest that these benefits mostly arise from social interaction and meaningful engagement during volunteering.
Biological age, which can be assessed through tests including epigenetic ones that examine DNA expression changes, offers a key insight into the power of lifestyle changes.
Nonprofits gain vital support from volunteers, addressing staffing shortages and supporting various causes.
With minimal commitment, individuals can significantly extend their healthy years, enhancing their quality of life while giving back to society.
Volunteering serves as a pivotal, natural tool for age management and societal improvement.
“It’s quite possible that the act of volunteering provided a sense of social and meaningful interaction, and physical activity, that those who were still working were already receiving. Those qualities have separately been linked to less rapid epigenetic age acceleration,” Halvorsen said.
Sources for volunteer opportunities include VolunteerMatch, Kids That Do Good, and Doing Good Together.
Suggested activities range from helping the elderly to supporting children in need, providing ample options for anyone wishing to engage.
Embracing these ideals not only fosters individual health but also strengthens the fabric of our communities.
Volunteer alert! Join Conversations to Remember’s virtual visit program to connect with older adults in long-term care from home. Just 1 hour/week for a 16-week commitment. Flexible scheduling and training provided. Sign up: https://t.co/7DiP5h8I1x
— Colorado State University Center for Healthy Aging (@CSUHealthyAging) October 10, 2024
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