I don’t know how many of our male readers have reached the age of 85, but a recent article on the subject, posted on the Internet at seniorjournal.com, is apparently the most popular article the Web site has had in quite a spell.

A study released in November advises men who wish to live to at least 85 need to get started when they are in their mid-50s. The secret is to avoid smoking, excessive drinking, high blood pressure and being overweight. A big problem for some is that if you “are not married, you probably aren’t going to make it to 85.”

There was no advice for women who want to live to be 85 – my goal, since on the Kelley side of my heritage, everyone seemed to reach 85 and beyond.

About seven or eight years ago, I did a survey of readers of Windham Senior Voice, a newsletter I write for area senior citizens that is published by the Windham Parks and Recreation Department. The newsletter is mailed by request to more than 400 people in Windham and surrounding towns, and is available at libraries, the senior dining center and other venues. In the survey I asked what topics people would like to have more information on, and nutrition was the No. 1 subject. This tells me that no matter how many “feel good” articles are written for seniors, we basically want to really feel good by improving our health.

I’m always on the alert for little tidbits of data, which give me insight into what I am eating. For instance, I love coffee and continue to drink it every day, caffeine or not, since I discovered that decaffeinated coffee does, indeed, contain caffeine.

New statistics from the government watchdogs tell us that obesity ranks high as a deterrent to good health. Years ago we didn’t worry about getting fat, since we all lived a totally different life. We didn’t “drive through” for a meal, banking and prescriptions – we walked. Today, in our high-speed culture, 25 percent (yes, one quarter) of the population is overweight, opening the door for so many other health issues.

Here’s another health tidbit: People who drank three or more servings of fruit and vegetable juices per week had a 76 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those who drank juice less than once per week, according to a large new study. Even drinking juice once or twice per week was found to reduce the risk by 16 percent.

And guess what? That advice we seniors received so many years ago, about eating all our vegetables was good advice. Even though I hated carrots (cooked) if they were on the table, I ate them, no questions asked. Now, yet another study has discovered that pigments in corn, squash, carrots and other vegetables help protect against age-related vision loss (macular degeneration is included).

Of course, all these tidbits of information carry a disclaimer that further study is required, and before you make any massive changes to your diet, check with your doctor.