Keeping fit by jogging or cycling in middle age and beyond slows and reverses the decline in muscle power, balance and coordination in later life, according to a study published in the April edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Women begin to lose fitness around the age of 35, with aerobic power falling by up to a half by the age of 60. This loss of fitness can make everyday activities exhausting but regular cardiovascular exercise which strengthens the heart and lungs can compensate for the fall in the body’s ability to use oxygen and generate energy that typically occurs in middle age. Reviewing previous studies on the benefits of regular exercise in middle age and beyond the research team came to the conclusion that a regular exercise programme can slow or reverse the loss of aerobic fitness and this in turn reduces the individual’s biological age. The Government advises that people exercise five times a week for 30 minutes or more and the level of exertion should be enough to raise heart beat to 120 beats a minute or higher, so brisk walking, gardening, housework, dancing and swimming are all recommended. Other evidence shows that regular exercise can ease symptoms of the menopause, boost weight loss and cut the risk of a range of health problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression.

Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement every day could help slow down the natural ageing process. It’s common knowledge that many illnesses associated with ageing such as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis are linked to mineral and vitamin deficiencies caused by an unhealthy diet. But now new research suggests that even the ageing process itself may be speeded up by a diet rich in vitamin poor fast food and refined, processed food.

Nutrition expert and biochemist Dr Bruce Ames recently told the American Association for Advancement of Science’s conference in Boston that studies showed shortages of vitamins and minerals are linked to a host of diseases associated with premature ageing. For instance, low levels of magnesium are linked with cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis, while lack of vitamin D is associated with breast, bowel and prostate cancers. Calcium deficiency has been associated with diabetes, lack of potassium to heart disease, and low vitamin B12 intake is linked to multiple sclerosis.

 

Lack of nutrients may also accelerate ageing itself, with Dr Ames’s research, which is now published in the Journal proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that dietary supplements can boost both energy and memory in elderly rats. (Go to www.naturalhealthpractice.com to find a good multivitamin and mineral for your needs and age group.)

Drinking in moderation, eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, exercising regularly and quitting smoking are four healthy habits that could add up to 14 years to your life according to Scientists at Cambridge University who are the first to look at a combination of healthy habits. The 11 year study published in the journal PLoS Medicine followed the health of 20,000 men and women aged over 45 and revealed that those who followed these four health habits were four times less likely to die than those who did not.

The study revealed that smoking had a bigger impact on health than diet, exercise and alcohol intake. The longest lived did not smoke, had an active job or exercised regularly for at least half an hour, drank one or two glass of alcohol and ate at least five portions of fruit and vegetables. An accompanying editorial in the journal added that if everyone in the UK adopted these four behaviours the public health impact would be substantial.