Fitness Has No Age Limit

 

 

In Anton Chekhov's classic play "Uncle Vanya", Vanya spends a lot of time bemoaning his age and all the missed opportunities of his life, concluding that it is simply too late for him to do anything about it. Don't tell that to James Owen, the author of Just Move: A New Approach to Fitness After 50 and producer of the documentary The Art of Aging Well. 

When Owen Turned 70, he felt mentally fit but physically depleted. His knees were shot, his rotator cuff was immobile and he suffered from frequent debilitating back pain. He could not do a single pushup.

Five years later he was doing 50 pushups every day, his back pain was gone and he had taken up running several days a week. On his 80th birthday his doctor told him that his physical age was now 10 years younger than his chronological age.

Owen says that while working out is not always easy, it is far easier than dealing with the infirmities of old age.

If you are ready to start your own fitness journey, whatever your age, Owen recommends the following.

1. Set a Specific Goal. Don't make your goal "getting fit". Make it " I will be able to walk 2 miles in an hour within 5 months." Or whatever it is you want to achieve. Just make it specific and set a deadline. Then keep it where you see it every day.

2. Be ready for slips and setbacks. No one gets it right out of the gate. You'll have days where you fail to keep with it. Expect them, and refuse to let them derail you. Just get back to it.

3. Start out slow. Owen could not do a single pushup on the day he started working on his fitness. If you have been sedentary, be realistic. Walk to the corner and back. It doesn't matter what you do or how much of it you do, just get started and don't stop. Five sit ups a day? Great! That's 5 more than none.

4. Include all the aspects of fitness in your plan. Aim for cardio, balance and flexibility work every day and strength training 2 or 3 times a week. 

5. Always look ahead. No matter where you are now, you can have better days ahead. You just have to be willing to work for them.

Vanya was 47 years old when he decided it was too late to have a great life. Owen proved him wrong at 70.

Plant-based Diets Increase Bone Fracture Risk

There are very few things in the wellness arena that come as unalloyed good or bad. Most things present as tradeoffs that we have to evaluate and decide what is best for us. Even aspirin, as close to a miracle drug as there is, can cause stomach ulcers and internal bleeding with long-term use.

Plant-based diets justifiably have many vocal advocates. A plant-based diet reduces your risk for many cancers, reduces overall levels of inflammation, provides high levels of anti-oxidants, helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces your risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even some mental health illnesses.

But there is no free plant-based lunch. Being vegetarian or vegan requires more attention to what you eat, particularly to ensuring a diet with all the essential amino acids required to synthesize proteins. Many would consider that a small price to pay for the many benefits.

Now a recently completed study of 55,000 people in the UK has concluded that vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians (its a thing, Google it) are at much higher risk of bone fractures as they age. This study builds upon previous research revealing that plant-based diets can often fail to adequately support bone health. For example, vegetarians suffer from far more cavities and other tooth problems than those who eat meat. The 18 year long study found that vegans, vegetarians, and even fish-eating pescatarians all exhibited higher risks of fractures than meat-eaters, in some cases, astronomically so according to lead author Tammy Tong, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford.

While plant-based diets are associated with lower body weight, one of the reasons they are so popular, adjusting for BMI did not remove the stubbornly high risk of fractures for those who do not eat meat. In particular, vegans suffered from a higher specific risk for broken legs and hips.

Specifically, the study found that vegetarians suffered 4.1 more fractures per 1,000 people than meat eaters, while the increase for vegans was 19.4. The study adjusted for BMI, socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and medical history. Researchers theorized that calcium is more bioavailable in a diet that includes meat. 

If you are consuming a plant-based diet, this is certainly not a reason to stop or to add meats to it. There are many demonstrated benefits to avoiding meat. But you may want to pay particular attention to bone density and health as you age.

Plastics Pollution in Shellfish

 

It is estimated that up to 13 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year—the equivalent of a garbage truck load’s worth every minute of every day. Fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris, causing suffocation, starvation, and drowning. Humans are not immune to this threat. While plastics are estimated to take up to hundreds of years to fully decompose, some of them break down much more quickly into tiny particles, called microplastics, which in turn end up in the seafood that we eat. 

A macroanalysis of over 50 studies conducted between 2014 and 2020 investigated the levels of microplastics contamination globally in fish and shellfish. Through mismanagement of the disposal of plastics in the oceans these tiny particles make their way into the tissues of marine animals, with mussels, oysters and scallops showing the highest levels of plastic pollution. Study author, Evangelos Danopoulos, a postgraduate student at Hull York Medical School said: “No one yet fully understands the full impact of microplastics on the human body, but early evidence from other studies suggests they do cause harm. Microplastics have been found in various parts of organisms such as the intestines and the liver. Seafood species like oysters, mussels and scallops are consumed whole whereas in larger fish and mammals only parts are consumed. Therefore, understanding the microplastic contamination of specific body parts, and their consumption by humans, is key.”

Animal research has linked consumption of microplastics particles to infertility, cellular inflammation and various cancers.

Think about all this when you buy things in plastic containers and how you might reduce your own use of plastics at home and work. Every little bit helps.

Caring for an Aging Brain

 

As we age, memory loss and dementia become what we most fear. We fear it more than cancer. Because it robs us of our ability to care for ourselves, to interact with our friends and family and, ultimately of our ability to be us. Many other deadly diseases can now be treated or even reversed. Alzheimer's can't.

The good news is that dementia is not inevitable. And while there is not presently any way to guarantee you will not suffer from it, there is  a great deal that you can do, right now and every day, to minimize your risk.

Cognitive impairment and dementia are diseases, like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. And like these other diseases, they rarely have one single and definitive cause. Yet modern medicine treats cognitive decline as though it were one single thing with one single cause, and such treatment as there is usually targets only one single factor of the disease. This "one-size-fits-all" approach lends itself to drug treatments but often does little good for the patient.

Dr. Ginger Schechter, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer of AffirmativHealth in Sonoma, CA where she focuses on cognitive health. She offers the following lifestyle steps to minimizing your risk and minimizing the degree of impairment if you are affected.

Keep your blood sugar levels under control. Many recent studies have found strong links between blood glucose and insulin levels and dementia. In fact, some doctors have take to referring to cognitive decline as "Type-3 Diabetes". High glucose levels create inflammation in the brain, which is a risk factor in cognitive decline. The best way to control blood sugar levels is with a healthy diet.

Exercise. Regular moderate exercise preserves brain tissue, stimulates areas of the brain involved in cognition and enhances the ability of neurons to generate new connections that improve memory and learning.

Adequate sleep. Sleep is when the body does its repair and maintenance work and also when the brain forms new memories. Poor sleep is strongly linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's. If you get less than 7 or more hours of sleep every day, you are at measurably higher risk.

Managing stress. Stress is not a bad thing in itself. It can prompt us to perform better or extract ourselves from a dangerous situation. But when stress becomes chronic it causes the release of inflammatory hormones like cortisol. Long term exposure to stress can damage cognitive health. Try to become aware of the stress in your life and find ways to deal with it through things like breathing, meditation, yoga or anything that helps you relax. No, a couple of Scotches do not count.

These may all sound like the same basic advice we get for managing many health issues, and of course they are. But here is one more that is specifically helpful in lowering your risk of cognitive decline.

Socialize more. Making and maintaining strong social connections with family and friends can significantly reduce your risk of cognitive issues, by as much as 70% according to some studies. 

The bottom line is this. There is a great deal that you can do starting right now to reduce your risk of dementia and cognitive decline. It is never too late to begin. But you do have to begin. So what are you waiting for? Remember to take action. While you still can.

Want to Live to Be 100?

 

In 2021, more than 100,000 Americans will be at least 100 years old. This is nearly twice as many as in 2010, and by 2060 experts predict that more than 550,000 Americans will have passed the 100 year mark.

Charles Inlander, coauthor of 100 Ways to Live to Be 100, offers the following suggestions for reaching that age yourself.

Keep up with your medical screenings. Most medical problems can be treated most easily and effectively when they are diagnosed early. So keep current on your routine screenings and tests such as colonoscopies, prostate exams, etc. And don't neglect regular checkups and wellness visits with your primary care provider.

Get vaccinated. Be sure you are up to date on all of your immunizations. The older you get, the more vulnerable you can be to illness so practice prevention.

Practice safety. Accidents are one of the top causes of death among seniors. Falls alone account for some 40,000 deaths a year. Accident proof your home, always use your seatbelt when driving and be alert for side effects from any medications that you use.

Maintain good nutrition. The many benefits of healthy eating are well documented. It is never too late to improve your diet. Cut back on alcohol, salt, sugar and saturated fat. Add plenty of vegetables and fruit to your meals. Many seniors neglect to eat well because the find preparing meals challenging. Don't be one of them.

Exercise. No matter how old you are, exercise is key to maintaining health and mobility. As little as 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Exercise may also help ward off dementia.

These things are good advice for anyone, but if you plan to get that letter from the President congratulating you on your 100th birthday they are especially important for you. Get started today.

Unintended Consequences

 

The Law of Unintended Consequences posits that each and every purposeful act leads to results which are unintended and unforeseen, apart from those which were intended. Often these consequences are negative or even in opposition to the act which produced them. You hear about this Law often in regard to legislation. It turns out that the Clean Air Act of 1970 and subsequent related laws were subject to the Law of Unintended Consequences. But in this cases, the consequences turned out to be wonderfully positive.

Air pollution has numerous well documented ill effects on humans. It is estimated that 16% of all deaths, worldwide, are directly or indirectly related to pollution. Air pollution contributes to myriad health problems and medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, liver and blood diseases, headaches, anxiety, eye/nose/throat irritation, breathing conditions such as asthma, nervous system disorders, lung cancer, problems of the reproductive system, and other chronic and long-term diseases. 

The animals with whom we share the earth are similarly affected. 

A study by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Oregon, Eugene, estimates that the clean air legislation of the past 40 years has saved the lives of 20% of all birdlife in the United States. A total of about 1.5 billion birds. The rules not only protected our feathered friends directly, but also contributed to healthier  plants and larger populations of the insects upon which the birds feed.

“Our research shows that the benefits of environmental regulation have likely been underestimated,” says Ivan Rudik, the study’s lead author and Ruth and William Morgan Assistant Professor at Cornell’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. “Reducing pollution has positive impacts in unexpected places."

It seems as though every now and then Murphy calls one in our favor.

No-kill, Lab-grown Meat Approved for Sale

 

US company Eat Just has received approval from Singapore's food safety agency for sale of its laboratory produced “chicken bites” product. The approval of the cultured meat, produced in bioreactors without the slaughter of an animal, for human consumption has been hailed as a landmark moment across the meat industry.

The meat is grown in a bioreactor from chicken cells and then combined with plant based ingredients. The approval could open the door to a future when all meat is produced without the killing of livestock, the company said.

Dozens of firms are working to develop cultivated chicken, beef and pork, with a view to slashing the impact of industrial livestock production on the climate as well as providing cleaner, drug-free and cruelty-free meat. Currently, about 130 million chickens are slaughtered every day for meat, and 4 million pigs. By weight, 60% of the mammals on earth are livestock, 36% are humans and only 4% are wild.

Initial availability will be limited, the company said, and the bites would be sold only in a restaurant in Singapore. The product would be significantly more expensive than conventional chicken until production was scaled up, but Eat Just said it would ultimately be cheaper. The cells used to start the process came from a cell bank and did not require the slaughter of a chicken because cells can be taken from biopsies of live animals. The nutrients supplied to the growing cells were all from plants.

Josh Tetrick, of Eat Just, said: “I think the approval is one of the most significant milestones in the food industry in the last handful of decades. It’s an open door and it’s up to us and other companies to take that opportunity. My hope is this leads to a world in the next handful of years where the majority of meat doesn’t require killing a single animal or tearing down a single tree.”