Healthy eating for older adults Archive

Be upfront about your needs, and set your own ground rules.

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Allowing your kids to be involved in your health care can have many benefits. The arrangement provides advocates who can help you follow your treatment plan, talk to your doctors, and maybe even make appointments and take you to them. As an added bonus, you get to spend more time with your adult children.

But the arrangement isn't always easy. "There's a tendency for roles to reverse. The child becomes the parent. The parent may not be comfortable with that. Or the parent doesn't want to burden the child, and lets health issues go until they're too far gone," says Dr. Suzanne Salamon, associate chief of gerontology at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Consider the following tips to navigate the relationship.

News briefs

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Urgent care clinics are convenient when you don't feel well and can't see your doctor right away. But a study published online July 16, 2018, by JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who go to such clinics may be more likely to be given prescriptions for unnecessary antibiotics. Researchers analyzed 156 million insurance claims from 2014 and found that 46% of people treated at urgent care centers for viral conditions — like a bad cold, the flu, or viral bronchitis — were prescribed antibiotics. The problem: antibiotics kill only bacteria, not viruses. The study underscores the need to ask health care workers if you have a viral or a bacterial condition before you take antibiotics.

News briefs

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If you've tried to buy medications by phone or on the Internet but received an FDA warning letter instead, beware. The FDA warns that criminals are forging these notes, possibly with the goal of later getting your money. The letters look official, like they're from the FDA or the Federal Trade Commission, and they claim that the FDA has identified drug violations based on a review of your parcel and social media accounts. Don't be fooled. The FDA doesn't send letters to consumers. So why are you getting one? The FDA says it may be because you're contacting an illegal online pharmacy. "Many of these illegal websites appear legitimate, and it can be hard to tell the difference," notes FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. They may try to sell your personal information or charge you for products you never ordered. And scams aren't the only risks. Illegal pharmacies typically sell counterfeit — and unsafe — medicines. If you believe you've received a fake warning letter, email the FDA at FDAInternetPharmacyTaskForce-CDER@fda.hhs.gov. Send information about the letter or a scan or photo of the document.

The Internet is rife with dubious dietary advice for heart health. Here's how to separate the wheat from the chaff.

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Surfing the Web nearly always involves running into a few ads, blogs, and articles about diet and health. Perhaps you also have relatives or friends who send you links about what you should (or shouldn't) be eating to lose weight, lower your blood pressure, or dodge heart disease.

You might be skeptical enough to avoid clicking on suspicious links, like those once-popular ads promising "one weird trick to banish belly fat." Yet sometimes the advice appears to be from a legitimate source — for instance, a purported world-class heart surgeon who's written books about diet and nutrition. But what if the recommendations run counter to what you've mostly heard about a heart-healthy diet? It's no wonder many people feel confused and frustrated about nutrition.

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Just a few years ago, cauliflower was considered kind of ho-hum, relegated mainly to frozen vegetable medleys or crudité platters. But these days, the mild white vegetable is far more popular, thanks to its versatility as a carbohydrate substitute. Recent diet trends that encourage people to eat fewer starchy and grain-based foods likely contributed to cauliflower's rise.

Even if you're not avoiding carbs, using cauliflower as a substitute for starchy foods such as rice is a good way to cut calories and eat more fiber. You can also make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes (see www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/mashed-cauliflower). Or try making a pizza with one of the many cauliflower-based pizza crusts now available in most grocery stores.

Research we're watching

People with heart disease who eat a traditional Southern diet (rich in meat and fried foods) may be more likely to die sooner than people who follow a plant-based Mediterranean-style diet.

So says a study in the July 12 Journal of the American Heart Association that focused on people with a history of heart disease, such as a heart attack or bypass surgery. Researchers conducted dietary assessments on 3,562 people ages 45 and older and tracked them for about seven years.

Research we're watching

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Good news for urban dwellers: the heart benefits of your workout aren't canceled out by health risks caused by car exhaust fumes in the city air you breathe. A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that regular workouts still reduce the risk of heart attack even when people are regularly exposed to moderate to high levels of air pollution caused by traffic. Air pollution is known to raise risk for heart attacks as well as respiratory problems, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers studied data on more than 51,000 people ages 50 to 65, looking at how often the people exercised and other lifestyle factors, as well as their exposure to the traffic pollutant nitrogen dioxide. Over a period of nearly 18 years, nearly 3,000 of these people had a first heart attack, and 324 had a recurrent heart attack.

People who lived in areas with higher nitrogen dioxide levels had a 17% higher risk of having a first heart attack and a 39% higher risk of a recurrent heart attack, compared with those who had low exposure to traffic pollution. But regular exercise appeared to reduce that risk. Active participants had a 15% lower rate of initial heart attacks, regardless of air quality. So, even if the air you are breathing is less than ideal, regular workouts help protect your heart.

Lost your spark and gusto? These strategies can help you recharge.

Everyone has the occasional low-energy day when you are easily fatigued. Often the feeling passes, and you bounce back to your regular robust self. But if you struggle with a constant lack of energy, you may have a problem deep within your cells.

Mitochondria are the power source inside all your body's cells. These tiny structures fuel the body by producing molecules called adenosine triphosphate or ATP. However, as you grow older, your body has fewer mitochondria.