Welcome back to GrampaSaidSo

Aging gracefully needn’t be beyond you so long as you take action before it’s too late.

But there’s not a moment to lose as choices you’ve made in the past and those you make now all affect how well or how poorly you age from now on. Some of those choices could even counteract some of the negative choices you’ve made in the past.

And don’t be put off by people telling you that how you age is just down to your genes – our genetic make-up does undeniably affect how we age but genes alone only account for about a third of the aging process.

Here are some choices you can make now to promote healthy aging:

1. Think about what you eat

Potassium: eating food rich in potassium like fruits (such as bananas and papayas); and vegetables (such as potatoes and green-leaved vegetables). A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that senior citizens 65 and over who ate well on potassium rich foods were more likely to retain lean muscle tissue. It is loss of muscle mass (over 4 pounds per person per decade on average) that can lead to impaired movement and falls with their devastating effects.

The recommended daily intake of potassium is 4.7 grams and can usually be achieved by eating between five to nine servings of the right kind of either fruit and/or vegetables – make a conscious effort to include at least one or two servings at each meal..

Salt: we all know that too much salt in our diets isn’t good for us but did you know that it can deplete your potassium levels? Salt is already added to most processed foods so try and cut out any unnecessary additional use of it.

Probiotics: it seems that probiotics, what the advertisers are fond of calling friendly bacteria, may actually play a role in the prevention of certain diseases. Although further research is needed to verify the advertiser’s claims it would appear they are linked to an improvement in immunity levels and decreased rates of colon cancers and have long been linked with the longevity of people living in areas where their normal everyday diet includes various fermented foods containing probiotics.

Vitamin B12, found in foods like seafood and poultry, has been linked with an agile mind. A recent study found that people with low levels of this nutrient in their blood had a more pronounced decline in their cognitive abilities than those with higher levels of the vitamin and were six times less likely to experience brain shrinkage.

Vitamin B12 occurs naturally in most diets, although certain people, such as vegans and some people over 65, need supplements – vegans because they don’t consume animal products and older people because a decrease in their levels of stomach acid make it difficult to absorb vitamin B12 from their food. It’s recommended that these groups take vitamin B12 as part of a B-complex supplement.

Vitamin D is known to provide a major defence against many age-related diseases. A study lasting more than 7 years, and reported on in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D in their blood were more at risk of dying from age-related diseases during the study period. Vitamin D may also help to protect against cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and some auto-immune disorders. Vitamin D is made naturally in our bodies in response to sunlight but most of us don’t get enough; however, it can also be got from eating fish, eggs, and fortified milk.

Red meat: if you’re anything like me you’ll like your red meat but too much of it isn’t good for you. Make it an occasional treat ? no more than once a week – as its saturated fat causes clogging of arteries, raises the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and may also increase your chances of getting cancer. Its risk associated with cardiovascular disease is due to its high levels of iron, too much of which can also lead to diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Red meat should be replaced with fish, poultry, or soya based foods.

Oily fish: certain fish, rich in two types of Omega3 (eicosapentaenoic acid (or EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (or DHA)) are known to be critical to healthy aging. Various studies have shown that these healthy fats are beneficial in helping to lower the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. Researchers have found that eating fish rich in omega-3 by older people leaves them less likely of suffering from strokes or dementia and less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration.

Ideally you should aim at eating two servings of fatty fish, such as herring, salmon, tuna, or trout, a week. Sardines and some other small fish free of mercury are also a tasty source of omega-3.

1. Try and maintain a positive outlook

Happiness: studies by the Journal of Happiness found that being happy and positive can actually keep you from getting ill or run down and has a similar effect on lifespan as stopping smoking does for habitual smokers. Other similar studies have tended to concur with this view suggesting that people who reply that they are generally happy and satisfied with life are more likely to be in good health with fewer long-term health problems.

1. Do some exercise and get fit

Exercise: yet another study, this time in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that you can delay the biological aging process by about ten years or more and, at the same time, prolong your independent lifestyle simply by taking up regular aerobic exercise.

Tai Chi: described as being ‘meditation in motion’, the Chinese swear by Tai Chi – a form of stretching and balance that can help you in aging gracefully and may even improve everyday physical functioning, lower your blood pressure, ease any chronic pain you may be suffering, relieve anxiety and can even slow down the loss of bone density normal after menopause. A study reported on in the journal ‘Sleep’ found that people between the ages of 59 and 86 who regularly took part in Tai Chi got more and better quality sleep than others who didn’t participate in it. And the good news is – it’s a fairly simple form of exercise to do once you get the hang of it.

1. Get out and about more

Socialise: research suggests that prolonged and unlooked for loneliness can lead to an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, depression, or even Alzheimer’s disease, and can lower your immunity levels. Keep connected and put yourself about – socializing can actually enhance your health and may even increase your lifespan. And don’t ignore the benefits of the computer – studies suggest that online social networking can also provide similar effects.

Some common myths about aging, and which have no basis in science, include:

• Extending your life by losing weight

Not only is this untrue, it’s actually counter-productive. It’s been found that people over the age of 75 benefit from a little extra weight which will give them increased protection from falls and can even add years to their life.

• You’ll need to start saving for an hearing aid

Another fallacy – although some hearing loss is natural with the aging process, only about 35% of eighty year olds tested were found to need to a hearing aid and perfect, or near perfect, hearing can still be enjoyed by most folk well in to their nineties.

• You’ll inevitably become senile

As with hearing loss, a certain amount of decline in cognitive abilities is normal as people age but this is a far cry from always being the onset of senility or dementia. With those unlucky enough to suffer more seriously it is usually down to a degenerative disease such as Alzheimers and is no way inevitable.

• All exercise will become increasingly impossible

Arthritis is a common worry about growing older but it needn’t be. Research shows that people who take up exercise, even late on in life, actually reduce the risk of arthritis worsening or even developing, and can enjoy a healthier lifestyle thanks to the exercise improving their heart function by establishing a lower heart rate when resting whilst increasing their heart’s mass and the amount of blood it pumps each time it beats. It can also lead to less shortness of breath and fatigue in older people who take up regular exercise.

• You’ll become more irritable and difficult to live with

Studies have actually found that our personalities hardly change after we reach the age of thirty. People who have a cheerful disposition in their 40s are no less likely to be cheerful in their 80s and 90s. People who do suffer a marked change in their personality are generally found to be suffering from a degenerative disease such dementia or stroke.

Getting older may be inevitable but its effects certainly aren’t. So relax and enjoy the rest of your life.

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