Healthy eating for older adults Archive

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Editor's note: This year, we're highlighting legumes on this page. Low in fat but rich in protein and other nutrients, they're a staple of plant-based eating. Starting in February, we'll feature a different legume each month, along with information and recipe tips from different cultures around the world.

But we're starting off with the basics: a simple recipe for cooking dried beans.

Research we're watching

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People whose daily diets include at least two servings per day of milk, yogurt, or cheese appear to have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, or death than people who don't consume dairy products.

The findings, published Sept. 11, 2018, in The Lancet, were based on food questionnaires from more than 136,000 people from 21 countries. After a follow-up that lasted an average of nine years, researchers found that adults who consumed two or more servings of dairy each day had a 22% lower risk for heart disease, a 34% lower risk for stroke, and a 23% lower risk of heart-related death. Observational studies such as this one cannot prove cause and effect. But dairy-based foods contain vitamins D and K, calcium, and other nutrients thought to be good for cardiovascular health. The findings support the benefits of all types of dairy, including full-fat versions. However, current guidelines still recommend nonfat or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, which contain fewer calories and less saturated fat.

These master-level athletes can teach you how to stay fit and healthy.

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You're never too old to learn from the experience of others. For instance, master athletes in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s might compete at a higher level than you, but they still face the same age-related challenges.

"You can gain much wisdom from these individuals, such as how to exercise smarter, how to overcome obstacles, and how to stay motivated," says Dr. Adam Tenforde, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. "They have developed strategies that can be adopted by the average person to help maintain health and reach specific goals."

On call

Q. My skin gets dry and itchy in winter, and there are so many moisturizers available. What should I look for?

A. Dry skin develops when your skin doesn't retain sufficient moisture. This is often a problem in winter when the air both indoors and outdoors has low humidity, as the water content of our skin tends to reflect the level of humidity around it. Fortunately, using a good moisturizer is a simple way to relieve winter dry skin.

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On call

Q. I have trouble seeing clearly at night, especially when I drive. Should I change my glasses, or could it be a more serious eye problem?

A. As people reach age 60 and older, trouble seeing at night becomes a typical issue. The problem could be with your glasses or your eyes. Your eyesight might have changed since you were last fitted with glasses, and the change is noticeable only at night. If so, an updated prescription for new lenses may do the trick. Even if your eyeglass prescription is correct, ask your optometrist to add an antireflective coating to your lens to cut down on the glare of headlights of an oncoming car.

There are ways to keep morning stiffness from being a pain.

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Ever get that "old man" stiffness in the morning? You know the feeling: the dull, achy, and sometimes painful feeling in your joints — along with the customary grunts and groans — when you first stand and slowly move around.

"It's not known why this happens, especially as people age, but the only common thread is that it occurs after long bouts of inactivity," says Dr. William Docken, a rheumatologist with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "That is why you often feel so stiff when you wake up, since sleeping is when you are inactive for the longest continuous time."

Begin the new year by reviewing where you are now and where you want to go.

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This year, don't fall back on the standard resolutions as a way to set goals. Instead, do a health self-assessment. It's a way to measure where you are now, decide what you want to do, and determine how to get there.

"A health self-assessment gathers the vital information you need to begin thinking more about your life and how you want to live," says Susan Flashner-Fineman, Vitalize 360 Coach at Harvard-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife, a comprehensive wellness program that promotes healthy aging. "It helps identify your life goals, which can vary from something as simple as ensuring you can continue your independent living to something more ambitious, like traveling more."

There's a lot you can do to improve your outcome if you're taking an active surveillance approach to your diagnosis.

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About 90% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer have the localized kind, which means the cancer is confined to the prostate gland. And for many, a reasonable approach is active surveillance, in which men choose to monitor their cancer instead of going straight into invasive treatments, such as surgery or radiation therapy.

Active surveillance includes a doctor visit about every six months, most often with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal exam.

In the journals

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An observational study has shown an association between eating vegetable nitrates, found in green leafy vegetables and beets, and a lower risk of developing an early stage of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of permanent vision loss among Americans ages 60 and older. The results were published online Oct. 17, 2018, by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Researchers studied the eating habits of more than 2,000 adults ages 49 and older over a 15-year period and compared them with diagnoses of AMD among the group. They found that people who ate 100 to 142 milligrams (mg) of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69 mg of vegetable nitrates daily.

Facial exercises are being touted as a way to reverse signs of aging. A workout can't hurt and might even help. But there's little evidence of benefit.

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It used to be that women's magazines only gave fitness advice for your body. But today when you open the pages of many publications, you'll see advice on exercising not only your body, but your face, too. Articles tout strengthening exercises for the facial muscles — and even face yoga — as a way to slim and tone facial structures and help fight signs of aging.

Sounds great. But is it true? Should your workouts extend above the neck as well as below? And will those exercises really do anything for those wrinkles, sagging jowls, or double chin?