The Healthful Aging Thread

[tmm99]

OK here is a really wild one. There is a huge amount of research on the gut biome and how it impacts our health. But I hadn’t run across anti-aging research until recently.

New poo, new you? Fecal transplants reverse signs of brain aging in mice
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...al-transplants-reverse-signs-brain-aging-mice


Hmmmm - I don’t know how I feel about that. Maybe something less drastic?

What is a fecal transplant? Well it’s used today to treat bad gastric infections such as C. difficile https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325128#what-is-a-fecal-transplant

Interesting! I can't imagine getting a fecal transplant from a healthy donor, but sometimes I wonder about the efficacy of oral probiotic supplementations - Maybe the first step is probiotic suppositories?

Having said that, I researched some and found an oral preparation of something similar.

https://www.amazon.com/AOR-Probioti...0082DDQH6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Some articles I read mentioned that enterococcus faecium supplementation has been banned in Taiwan, but here's in defense of their product by the manufacturer, AOR.

https://aor.ca/probiotic-3-more-than-what-meets-the-eye/

It does say in the article "The bacterial strains in this product are isolated from safe sources – E. faecium and C. butyricum are isolated from human microbiome, while B. subtilis is isolated from potato skins. "

 

[audreyh1]

Yoga

Definitely! Learning yoga was my first anti-aging step 20 years ago, and I do it a lot now.

Posture
Balance
Flexibility
Strength
Breathing

These are all so important as you age!

And I often get quite a workout! Yesterday 45 minute yoga session with AppleFitness+ was quite intense. I ended up averaging heart rate of 140, topping out at 170! My heart rate was elevated most of the time. See below.

We’re not moving fast. It’s just that the moves are challenging and involve a lot of muscle groups. And there is big body repositioning between postures.

 

[pacergal]

Yeah, C dif is not something you want. Fecal transplants are not new, but still churn my stomach

Falls are my biggest concern, so do what I can to keep the floors clear, hold onto rails on stairs, etc.
Meditation for stress relief, and good sleep.
Walking for exercise.

 

[tb001]

I’ve also been following the micro biome research for some time. As I understand it, many of the probiotic pills offer limited benefit, but eating a wide variety of foods, especially high fiber and fermented foods, can significantly increase microbial diversity, which is usually the desired outcome.

I’ve been making our own yogurt and am starting to experiment with other fermented foods. We eat a lot of greens and fish, but could stand to make a meal a week vegetarian.

 

[Marita40]

Oh, well, I’ll chime in on the topic. 9 years ago I contacted c-diff from antibiotics taken after dental surgery. I was in my early 50s and perfect health. After 5 months of failed treatment (they pump you full of MORE antibiotics), becoming nearly skeletal, and really scared I would die, I had a fecal transplant from an anonymous donor at a research university gastro center and was completely cured in 24 hours. It is a miracle cure. No symptoms or reoccurrence since, but I’m careful with antibiotics. I remain very interested in gut biome research since my first hand experience.

 

[CDRE]

Another vote for Yoga. It is truly not about being flexible or contorting your body into the shape of a pretzel.

 

[audreyh1]

Oh, well, I’ll chime in on the topic. 9 years ago I contacted c-diff from antibiotics taken after dental surgery. I was in my early 50s and perfect health. After 5 months of failed treatment (they pump you full of MORE antibiotics), becoming nearly skeletal, and really scared I would die, I had a fecal transplant from an anonymous donor at a research university gastro center and was completely cured in 24 hours. It is a miracle cure. No symptoms or reoccurrence since, but I’m careful with antibiotics. I remain very interested in gut biome research since my first hand experience.

Wow! What a story!

I’m glad that worked and so quickly too!!!

 

[timbervest]

Another vote for Yoga. It is truly not about being flexible or contorting your body into the shape of a pretzel.

I started 90 min Hatha Mixed Yoga 1-2x a week a few weeks ago and it is awesome. I am not the most flexible person in the world but I come out of those sessions relaxed and feeling good.

 

[googily]

I'd always known about the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin, but studies are showing that the specialty formulated Theracurmin supplement may also have "significant memory and attention benefits." Given that my mother died of frontotemporal dementia combined with ALS at 73, I'll definitely keep taking it. (And my knee and other creaky parts of my skeleton are so much happier, too.)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1064748117305110

"FDDNP-PET scans performed pre- and post-treatment suggested that behavioral and cognitive benefits are associated with decreases in plaque and tangle accumulation in brain regions modulating mood and memory.

"Curcumin's cognitive benefits may stem from its anti-inflammatory and/or anti-amyloid brain effects"

Only down side is that it isn't cheap, comparatively speaking.

 

[2177V]

This is a place to share information as us young retirees and not so young anymore retirees try to maintain or even improve our health as we age.

Do not forget taking care of your gum tissue. Recent evidence indicate bleeding gums can lead to Alzheimer’s because toxic molecules has a direct path into your bloodstream and then into your brain. It is known that the “blood brain barrier”deteriorates with age. When that happens, there is nothing stopping the toxic molecules from entering your brain. Your best defense is stopping the pathway by making sure your gums are healthy and clean. I now use an electric toothbrush, then I floss, then I use my water pick and finally I rinse with an Anti gingivitis mouthwash. My dentist tells me do not worry about your teeth above the gumline because that will be clean automatically. My dentist informs me to use my electric toothbrush making sure the end of the brush works below the gumline to remove food particles. Ditto with the flossing. Ditto with the water pick.

 

[tmm99]

Oh, well, I’ll chime in on the topic. 9 years ago I contacted c-diff from antibiotics taken after dental surgery. I was in my early 50s and perfect health. After 5 months of failed treatment (they pump you full of MORE antibiotics), becoming nearly skeletal, and really scared I would die, I had a fecal transplant from an anonymous donor at a research university gastro center and was completely cured in 24 hours. It is a miracle cure. No symptoms or reoccurrence since, but I’m careful with antibiotics. I remain very interested in gut biome research since my first hand experience.

OMG, that's INCREDIBLE!!!

I am so happy for you that they gave you this treatment.

 

[Music Lover]

A stat I read recently claimed that we can all expect to lose between 5-10lbs of lean muscle mass every decade after 50.

I started weight training (heavy weights) about a year ago, and I feel great, even though I still have only puny gains compared to what a young guy could have done in that timeframe. Still, I estimate I've put on about 5lbs of lean mass.

And it should be strengthening my bones, tendons, etc., so I'll both be more able to catch myself and avoid a fall, plus reduce my injuries if I do go splat. Any morning aches and stiffness are also long gone, and I like being able to lift heavy things. And seeing my triceps.

Being stronger makes everything easier, from climbing stairs to picking up a box. Your body adapts to weight training by strengthening your bones and ligaments. If you stumble you have a better chance of catching yourself and avoiding a fall, and even if you do fall the muscle mass and stronger bones help protect you from a more serious injury. A strong core helps keep your spine in line and minimizes back pain that is related to weak muscles.

I don't want to be one of those old people who struggles to get out of a chair. If I live long enough it might happen one day, but it won't happen because I let myself get weak.

 

[Chuckanut]

I don't want to be one of those old people who struggles to get out of a chair. If I live long enough it might happen one day, but it won't happen because I let myself get weak.

My Doc told me to always be able to get out of a normal dining rook chair without having to use my hands. Very high chairs don't count. Very low chairs are for superman.

I do a set of 12 Chair-Ups three times a week.

 

[meleana]

Just live your life and try to be happy. Some people I know in their 80s and 90’s never exercise and still doing great. Others are die hard exercisers every single day. I suppose they enjoy it. Me- I like variety in my days.

Everything in moderation. Some exercise- just walking is even good enough. Don’t sit too much. Try to stand up more. Eat a variety of foods. Drink water. Engage in activities and social engagements that you like. Get some sun and fresh air. Get rest and sleep. Make sure you get your annual check ups, including dental and eye care, preventative screenings and blood work.

And Laugh. In the end you don’t beat death. You don’t have as much control as you think you do.

 

[Music Lover]

Just live your life and try to be happy. Some people I know in their 80s and 90’s never exercise and still doing great.

Imagine how much better they would do if they exercised.

Everything in moderation. Some exercise- just walking is even good enough. Don’t sit too much. Try to stand up more. Eat a variety of foods. Drink water. Engage in activities and social engagements that you like. Get some sun and fresh air. Get rest and sleep. Make sure you get your annual check ups, preventative screenings and blood work.

Agree mostly, except that just walking is not enough. People need muscle mass and should do some cardio.

And Laugh. In the end you don’t beat death. You don’t have as much control as you think you do.

You can't control what life throws at you but you can control your fitness and your diet. Being weak and out of shape is a miserable way to spend your life.

 

[meleana]

Imagine how much better they would do if they exercised.



Agree mostly, except that just walking is not enough. People need muscle mass and should do some cardio.



You can't control what life throws at you but you can control your fitness and your diet. Being weak and out of shape is a miserable way to spend your life.

Honestly one couple I know does great without any of it. They are active doing things they like around the house and so forth but not formal exercise like a treadmill or lifting weights. They are both a decent weight too. And they eat pasta and potatoes and meat. But not huge eaters.

Me I’ve been a Pesco vegetarian for years- salads everyday for lunch where my co workers made fun of me- exercised every day for an hour and active on my job- a lot of walking- and suddenly have high cholesterol. Doc said it could be genetic.

Walking is good for cardio if you try to pick up the pace and go up hills and so forth. I’m
not talking strolling. Lol! Here walking is like taking a hike! I agree regarding doing some isometric exercises with hand weights at least.

But you don’t need to be fanatical about it. If I have someplace interesting to go or to do and it means not doing my exercise that day I don’t care. I will do what I like. I can exercise the next day or the day after. Exercising just to exercise is boring to me. We have to do what works for each of us.

I was a die hard at one time and obsessive and it took a lot of joy out of my life because I felt I had to stick to the schedule. Between exercise and work I had little time for anything else.

I am now retired and am more relaxed about it. Don’t get me wrong- I’m conscious and I know if I haven’t exercised for a couple of days I have to get back on track. I think about a young man I used to work with in his 40’s. Very fit. Went to the gym everyday. Riding his bike one day and dropped dead. Left a wife and kids.

On another note I have a neighbor who is 84 and is unbelievable! Puts us all to shame! At 6am he’s out there speed walking or riding his bike 25 miles and it ain’t flat around here! He said he can do it because he did it all his life. He rode his bike to work every day one hour each way- even in the dark!

Me at 6 am I choose to sit on my front porch and have a cup of tea and read. Makes me happy. Exercise starts later on sometime between 8 and 2 depending on what I have planned. I have had enough of getting up at 4 am to exercise everyday when I worked. I’m retired and my big pleasure in life is not having to rush out in the morning or anytime!

No way would I ride a bike around here with the steep hills. I hate it enough walking up them. It’s torture but I make myself do it. Then sometimes I take a break and just walk the flat roads.

As for my neighbor’s wife- she’s the same age as him and doesn’t do any of it and is healthy and happy as well, though overweight. Go figure.

 

[levindb]

DW and I do Bikram Yoga 3-4 times/week. This can be an intense form of yoga:

26 postures
2 breathing exercises
90 minutes
...in a room heated to 105 degrees

It is not for everyone, but it really helps your joints, your balance, muscle tone and all the sweating you do forces you to drink a LOT of water (or maybe some beer)

The days we do not do yoga, we are in our kayaks or on our bikes...once you stop moving, your body and health will decline. I am 71 and have been doing this for 7 years now.

 

[teej1985]

DW and I do Bikram Yoga 3-4 times/week. This can be an intense form of yoga:

26 postures
2 breathing exercises
90 minutes
...in a room heated to 105 degrees

It is not for everyone, but it really helps your joints, your balance, muscle tone and all the sweating you do forces you to drink a LOT of water (or maybe some beer)

The days we do not do yoga, we are in our kayaks or on our bikes...once you stop moving, your body and health will decline. I am 71 and have been doing this for 7 years now.

Do you ever encounter thunderstorms? Living somewhere convenient to kayaking definitely does sound fun!

 

[levindb]

Do you ever encounter thunderstorms? Living somewhere convenient to kayaking definitely does sound fun!

Yes, living in Hilton Head we have thunderstorms, and some of the storms have names…occasionally we get a hurricane. We do not kayak when it rains or if it gets real windy...those are days when yoga is a better choice.

 

[bolt]

I certainly endorse yoga of all stripes.
I also support discretionary nutritional intake as well.
Cardio also is also helpful.
Theres a lot to research for adaquate answers.

Good luck & Best wishes...

 

[SVHoper]

Diet not great, I don't have a sweet tooth but will graze all evening and eat any snack/sweet in the house. I am careful with colon health regularity, aware of microbiome health but probably have <50% fruit and veg that I should.

I did virtually no dedicated exercise until well past 50.

However, I have been in a cycling phase for about 3 years and aspire to do 100m and 10,000 ft climbing/week for those weeks I can cycle, (only achieving about 60-70% of that). Sometimes this is in 2 rides but usually 3 or more. Plus a weekly 8m 1800ft hike. All at a very slow pace, albeit as fast as I can while puffing and sweating. I don't measure it but I'm sure pulse gets well over 120 on hills as recommended by cardiologist.

I love that there are a number of 80-85 year old members of my cycling club who are very fit and healthy and happily ride 40m with a decent amount of hills. Hopefully, I have 20-25 years to enjoy riding.

I second yoga for everyone... it is basically stretching and strength for the whole body... so seems sensible that it will help with balance.

Sorry, I can't find study reference, but I remember reading of a recent study that concluded you don't just lose lean muscle mass as you age... you lose because you stop using it. Unfortunately, I see this very quickly when I drop mileage on my bike, I get even slower :-(

 

[PointBreeze]

I have been working with a personal trainer for the past several months and put on at least 5-8 lbs of muscle (after losing 20+lbs of fat after retiring). I play pickleball for 2.5 -5 hrs/week. I completely cut out soda and candy after retiring. I am now trying to get 100gm of protein today (echoing what others have said about working to not lose muscle mass as I age). I also try to limit my net carbs to 100 gms/day, because I feel so much better when I do that. My sleep has drastically improved since retiring. I’m learning lots of new things, and have a whole list of others to learn, to keep the brain young.

 

[Old Microbiologist]

I agree with a lot of what is said here. We eat yogurt of my own formulation for gut health. We are on a keto diet with 20 hours of fasting daily so as to promote autophagy. Metabolic syndrome is the highest risk for all diseases as you age and keeping all carb intake below 20 grams a day ensures you never produce insulin at all so the pancreas gets a complete rest. My wife who was a pre-diabetic had her A1c level go all the way back to 3.5 and has lost 8 kg so is very happy to see her waist again. My weight is back to where I was at 18 and I am in great health with no serious health issues at all. I exercise on a vibration platform, do HIIT training on a stationary cycle 3 times a week and 30 minutes of moderate pace the other days. I also cycle (or walk) everywhere locally that I can and avoid using the car if at all possible. I swim for at least 30 minutes a day as well. I switched from free weight training to band training after watching Sylvester Stallone lecturing on the benefits of bands over free weights for older athletes and do weights the same days as HIIT. I go sailing (which is vigorous on my yacht which is a one-design type swing keel and a lot to handle single-handed, plus mountain biking or hiking in the forests and hills nearby. I also work out using an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset and am at Master level on most exercise games now. These are also very beneficial for brain function. I also play roughly 1 hour of shooter games (Battlefield) on a console (PS4). For learning, I play guitar for 30 minutes a day as well as learning to do CAD design for 3D printing. I also fiddle about with programming and electronics projects as well as building IOT devices using ESP32 boards.

We do not eat at restaurants much and spend most of our days keeping very busy. Food no longer consumes much time in our lives not eating breakfast or lunch. We eat dinner every day at exactly 1800 and are done more or less by 1830. I cook most meals and never use any factory foods and cook everything from scratch. We also eat a lot of fermented foods my wife makes at home including pickles, sauerkraut, pickled wild mushrooms, and pickled tomatoes. We have something from this list every day. She also makes cold smoked salmon slices or smoked herring which we eat daily as well. I eat them on a low-carb "bread" along with lots of butter. Butter is good as are eggs and sour cream. The keto diet is 70% fats so we eat a lot of it. I can't stress enough how much a ketogenic diet especially coupled with intermittent fasting improves your health, particularly if you eat the American diet. The additional weight loss plus autophagy fixes a lot of chronic issues like knee or back pain and other things like gastric reflux too. It also is linked to reducing or curing dementia as the brain learns to utilize ketones instead of glucose. Oh, we also eat 5,000 units of Vitamin D a day for bone health.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Imagine how much better they would do if they exercised.







Agree mostly, except that just walking is not enough. People need muscle mass and should do some cardio.







You can't control what life throws at you but you can control your fitness and your diet. Being weak and out of shape is a miserable way to spend your life.

If one does a lot of daily activities that might be considered exercise. Two people I know dropped dead from a heart attack while exercising. One, in his 60s, during a morning run and another after teaching and playing tennis. He was 42.

 

[Old Microbiologist]

Gal - This is a big problem. Years of abuse can't be fixed overnight. The real culprit is chronic inflammation caused by excess carbohydrates for very long times which cause localized inflammation and signal an immune response. This is referred to as metabolic syndrome and gets worse as we age. This builds slowly and after the arteries become inflamed the platelet aggregation attracts cholesterol which begins to build up. This process can take years to build up. Often we find bacteria in these plaque deposits so there is a lot going on. Small insults like bruises, sitting 12 hours in a cramped airline seat, exercising a lot after years of being sedentary, etc. can cause small blood clots to form and these attach to the plaque sites causing a thrombosis which can manifest as a heart attack or stroke.

Simply eliminating carbs from the diet begins to reverse the entire process. But, to get meaningful results it takes a minimum of 6 months. This is also about how long it takes to get back to reasonable weight goals. Adding exercise can help with the process and adds calorie burn in addition to a simultaneous reduction in calorie intake. The keto diet is really just shifting away from carbs to fat for fuel. Fats are easily converted into ketones which serve as an alternate pathway for energy. Humans developed this pathway as we evolved to travel slowly walking between food sources and build fat stores when we have an abundance of food and later for use when we have no food and begin to burn our fat stores. The interesting thing is that you cannot deposit fat if you have low insulin levels. However, it only takes 10 grams of sugar to stimulate the pancreas to make insulin (roughly, as each person differs slightly, when blood glucose levels go above ~100 mg/dl). Maintaining ketosis indicates this glucose barrier isn't getting blown through. The brain cannot live on ketones alone and requires roughly 25% of energy from glucose. However, studies have shown that shifting from glucose to ketones for energy in Alzheimer's patients can partially reverse dementia. The body will make this necessary glucose through gluconeogenesis by breaking down proteins into glucose. It is harder to go from fat to glucose so it uses the pathway that is easiest. For energy, we begin to break down fat into ketones which the rest of the body (and 75% of the brain) can utilize. Carbohydrates are the only nutrient that is completely unnecessary to eat yet we all crave them so much. A keto diet will still have a small amount of sugar in it as many things (like meat) have a little bit in it. A ribeye steak will have roughly 6 grams of carbs in it. The small amount of protein ingested is also converted as needed. But, a severe diet will also begin to cause muscle loss so moderation is necessary. Starvation shows this clearly to be the case.

The problem is after 6 months or so when the goals are met and people feel so much better they relax the diet and return to the old ways and the same problems come right back along with inflammation and weight gain. So, if a person is a gourmand then it is very difficult to maintain this diet for life. It is hard to travel as well and most restaurants are out of the question especially outside the US. That said, you get pretty good at knowing what to eat and how to avoid carbs. I try not to be an inconvenient guest and eat around the carbs without making a scene but some things I simply refuse to eat and can be insulting to some people who do not get it. Outside the US, such as here in Hungary, they have zero knowledge of the keto diet. Hungary, btw, has the 4th highest level of obesity in the world (the US is in first place). Many have frank Type II diabetes and simply refuse to listen to me. Others do not have the willpower to maintain a diet, especially one as severe as the ketogenic diet. I am watching friends die because of this and it is saddening to see.