Actuaries preside over a weird science. Part of their jobs is to forecast how long people will live, or, on the other hand, when they will die. One set of figures stands out. Very old Americans, who are 85, have a good chance to live to be 90. Warren Buffett, who is 85,  may well see his 90th birthday.

Some of the figures we examined were based on the Social Security Actuary Life Table. They are misleading with regard to Buffett, because they are predictions based on the forecast life expectancy of someone born in 2011. However, the trend is clear.   Of the 100,00 people born in that year, 34,041 will live to be 85. And, 17,429 live to be 90.

Buffett has a number of critical advantages. One which is obvious is his access to the world’s best health care. Another is that he has no obvious serious medical problem.

People who are active live longer. According to an article in the Annuals of Internal Medicine, published earlier this year:

Prolonged sedentary time was independently associated with deleterious health outcomes regardless of physical activity.

Based on the number of times Buffet is seen every day on TV or at public appearances, the only time he is sedentary, is when he sleeps.

Buffett is not obese. According to the National Cancer Institute:

After accounting for other factors that could affect life expectancy, such as socioeconomic status, the researchers found that life expectancy was 3.4 years longer for people who reported they got the recommend level of physical activity.  People who reported leisure-time physical activity at twice the recommended level gained 4.2 years of life.  In general, more physical activity corresponded to longer life expectancy.

As a bonus, people who follow some basics, tend to keep their mental faculties. According to the authors of a Harvard Study:

Studies have shown that you can help prevent cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia with some basic good health habits: staying physically active, getting enough sleep, not smoking, having good social connections, limiting alcohol to one drink a day, and eating a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats. Certain health conditions that can impair cognitive skills include diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, hypothyroidism, and high LDL(bad) cholesterol. If you have any of these health issues, you can help protect your memory by following your doctor’s advice carefully.

Buffett does drink Cherry Coke, probably because he owns so much of Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO). He also says he has the diet of a six year old, But at 85 why not indulge yourself?

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