Healthy Aging

If you were to ask the average American what they fear most about aging, many would likely mention memory loss or dementia, decreased mobility and loss of vision. Each of these can quickly impact our sense of independence, which is important to our overall quality of life. But there are actions we can take now to help reduce our risk of these age-related conditions later in life.

Memory Loss and Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a very serious condition that has been garnering significant attention over the last 3 decades. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT a normal course of aging. Estimates from the National Institutes of Health are that 4.5 million Americans suffer from this debilitating disease. And that number is expected to increase as Baby Boomers move into their 60s and 70s.

Research is ongoing, but evidence is pointing to a number of factors which may cause Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Scientists believe that age and genetics in and of themselves show a fairly clear pattern related to AD. If your family has a history of AD, your risk appears to be increased. And the number of people with AD doubles with each 5 years of age beyond 65. Additional research is examining what impact education, diet and the environment may play in AD. Interestingly, there are some risk factors for heart disease that may also increase the risk for AD: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and low levels of folate.

With this in mind, let's focus on the factors for which there appears to be some control:

1. Taking care of the heart may help protect someone from AD. Staying at the ideal weight through diet and exercise, keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check are all risk factors individuals can influence. Increasing intakes of folate may also provide some benefit.
   
   
2. Mental exercise may also provide some protection against AD. So pull out that crossword puzzle and put away the calculator to exercise the brain wherever possible. Reading the newspaper or a good book may help as well, and the more challenging the subject matter the better. Attend public lectures at the local college or university.
   
   
3. Socializing regularly may also reduce the risk of getting AD. Nurture your social network by staying in touch with family and friends and plan regular outings. If you don't have a social network, now is the time to build one through your community center, neighborhood, or place of worship. Consider joining outdoor/hiking club, book club or other groups which share common interests, such as a local gardening club, or bridge club -- and get both the mental exercise and socialization.

Avoiding Loss of Mobility

Almost 46 million US adults are suffering either joint-related pain or arthritis. Combined, these are the leading cause of disability for Americans over the age of 15, and tend to affect women more than men. Arthritis can affect most daily activities, from opening bottles & jars, to driving and typing. The most severe forms of Arthritis can be immobilizing.

Risk factors for arthritis and loss of mobility include some of the "usual suspects":

1. Age. Simply being over 40 increases your risk of joint pain and swelling as well as arthritis. This comes as a result of years of bending and lifting and carrying your weight.
2. Weight. Just 10 pounds of extra weight can significantly increase your chances of developing arthritis. The added weight increases the pressure on the joints (and the cartilage in them) as you walk and bear weight on them. 
3. Gender. Women are more likely to be afflicted with joint issues and arthritis. Researchers suspect that female hormones play a role in the onset of arthritis, but they don't yet understand the mechanism of action.
4. Previous injury. A past injury to the knee or joint leads to the breakdown of the cartilage and ongoing joint issues.

 So what can you do to minimize your risk of arthritis and loss of mobility as you age?

1. Lose weight. It may sound like weight loss is the remedy for most of our ills; that is because it is! Every extra pound of weight increases the pressure on your joints. Conversely, every little bit of weight you take off makes a huge difference on your joints. In fact, research indicates that losing as little as 11 pounds cuts your risk of osteoarthritis of the knee by 50%. We offer several weight loss products that are designed to help maintain healthy weight levels as part of a healthy diet and exercise program.
2. Build strong bones. Use both weight bearing exercise (squats, push-ups, lifting weights) and calcium-containing foods and supplements to help your body keep calcium stores at their optimum. Make sure to include vitamin D in your diet to increase absorption of the calcium you consume. Consider a good calcium citrate supplement that contains magnesium and vitamin D, like our Cal-Mag to supplement your diet. Calcium citrate is the most useful form of calcium to the body.
3. Increase your omega-3 intake. Research shows that the omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish, flax seeds and nuts can help to reduce the inflammation that comes with arthritis and joint pain. 
4. Consider glucosamine and chondroitin. Recent studies by the National Institutes of Health point to these supplements' ability to ease joint pain and stiffness, and their possible ability to contribute to cartilage repair.

Vision Loss and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease associated with aging in which the central vision path is degraded or destroyed. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, AMD is the leading cause of blindness in Americans over the age of 50. It goes without saying, AMD can seriously impact quality of life and the ability to complete everyday tasks by severely limiting the ability to read, drive and get around without special assistance.

Normal Vision		Vision with AMD
(photos courtesy of National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health)

There are 2 types of AMD: dry and wet. Dry AMD is caused by degradation of the macula, an ovate cluster of light-sensing cone cells on the retina. The degradation of the macula results in blurred central vision. Wet AMD is caused by abnormal blood vessels growing behind the macula and then leaking their fluid. With wet AMD, vision loss can occur quickly. One of the first symptoms of AMD is straight lines appearing wavy. As with dry AMD, vision loss is limited to the central vision.

AMD risk factors include the following:

1. Obesity. Once again, being overweight is a huge risk factor, and even moderate weight loss can help to lower your risk.
2. Smoking. If you didn't have enough reasons to stop smoking already (cancer, heart disease, emphysema), now you can add vision loss to your list. So stop smoking!
3. Hypertension or high blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure can cause blood vessels in the eye to rupture repeatedly. Over time the ruptures affect the overall health of the eye. Maintain a healthy blood pressure through diet, exercise and medication, if necessary.
4. Poor cardiovascular health, including high cholesterol.
5. High fat diet, especially unhealthy fats. Limit your intake of red meat and dairy foods and replace them with healthy fats that come from fish, nuts and vegetables
6. Race. Caucasians are at an increased risk of getting AMD.
7. Genetics. Family history of AMD has a greater associated risk.
8. Gender. Women are at greater risk than men.
9. Exposure to sunlight, the blue-light portion of the spectrum being especially harmful. Wear quality sunglasses even on cloudy days when blue light is at its greatest.

In addition to managing risk by modifying your habits and diet, The National Eye Institute (one of the U. S. National Institutes of Health) conducted a clinical trial called The Age-Related Eye Disease Study which found that daily intake of the following nutritional supplements significantly reduce the risk of advanced AMD and its associated vision loss:¹

• 500 mg of vitamin C
• 400 International Units of vitamin E
• 15 mg of beta-carotene
• 80 mg of zinc as zinc oxide
• 2 mg of copper as cupric oxide

Optim-Eyes™ High-Potency Vision Support has all these ingredients and more, including lutein, astaxanthan, zeaxanthan, bilberry and N-acetyl cysteine which other studies have indicated may also be of benefit. Bilberry, a European relative of the blueberry, contains powerful antioxidants that have long been used in traditional medicine to treat eye-related problems. Learn more about bilberry and other product that my be beneficial to eye health at our website.

1. Sackett, C. S. and S. Schenning (2002). "The age-related eye disease study: the results of the clinical trial." Insight 27(1): 5-7