Healthy eating for older adults Archive

It's well known that women fall more often than men, but why is that so? A team of Canadian researchers tackled that question by looking for factors that tend to put women at higher risk than men for spills.

The researchers studied around 15,000 adults ages 65 and older who were enrolled in the Canadian Community Health Survey–Healthy Aging. All the participants were asked if they had suffered a fall serious enough to limit their normal activity. People who answered "yes" were then queried about their lifestyles and medical histories. When the researchers analyzed the answers, they determined that stroke, arthritis, and poor nutrition increased the risk of falls in both men and women. However, different risk factors were linked to falls for women, including being 85 or older, having at least one alcoholic drink a week, taking five or more medications, and having diabetes or osteoporosis. The findings were reported online Feb. 19, 2015, by the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Why you should plan now for care you may need later.

Q. Why do people over 60 lose height? I've lost a few inches over the years. Can this be prevented?

Easy ways to increase activity and cut down on sedentary time.

They're linked to calorie absorption, high blood pressure, and heart trouble.

For weight-conscious people who love the bite of carbonation and the taste of various soft drinks, the advent of sugar-free sodas 60 years ago seemed a blessing: if there were no calories, you didn't have to worry about weight gain—and the diseases that go along with obesity, like diabetes and heart disease. "But there are growing doubts about whether diet sodas really help people lose weight and avoid diabetes," says Dr. Anthony Komaroff, editor in chief of the Health Letter.

It's no secret that healthy living can reduce your risk for developing heart disease. But ever wonder how much it may help? Up to 92%, suggests a study published Jan. 6, 2015, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. It evaluated health habits of 70,000 young and middle-aged women during a 20-year period. The habits included not smoking; exercising for at least 2.5 hours each week; watching TV for fewer than seven hours a week; consuming a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, and whole grains but low in red meat, refined grains, and sugar; consuming no more than one alcoholic drink daily; and having a body mass index in the normal range. Compared with women who had none of those habits, women with all six reduced their risk of developing heart disease by 92%. Why do those habits provide so much protection against heart disease? "Limiting TV watching frees up time for exercise, and the other activities are known to reduce blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and blood sugar, which reduce the three major risk factors for heart disease—hypertension, high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and diabetes," says Dr. Randall Zusman, a cardiologist and Harvard Medical School associate professor. And even though the study involved young and middle-aged women, Dr. Zusman reminds us that it's never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

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Standing up more throughout the day may help you dodge heart disease and live longer.

Some first-generation diet pills proved risky to the heart. New drugs may have expanded the options for treating obesity.

Q. Would you suggest I try taking a probiotic supplement for general colon health? I have a sensitive stomach and sometimes suffer from constipation.

A. Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that live in our intestines and assist in digestion, have gained a lot of support lately. Each week, a new study appears describing health benefits or diseases associated with changes in the so-called microbiome—the diverse community of microorganisms each of us carries inside our body. Still, the benefits of adding probiotics to the intestinal tract are uncertain.

Probiotics have proved helpful in situations where the body's normal, healthy bacteria have been destroyed, such as after taking a powerful antibiotic. Small studies in people with irritable bowel syndrome have suggested that taking probiotics improves pain and diarrhea. The benefit in constipation is less certain, but it's reasonable for you to try taking a probiotic if you are interested.

Soy foods can help you build a healthy diet, but their ability to prevent heart disease and cancer remain unproven. Soy foods, from soy milk to tofu, are often touted for their health benefits. But if you add soy to your diet, be mindful about what you are pushing off the plate.