Today, he reveals his tips to help you keep every part of your body in good shape — whatever your age. Not long ago, many health problems experienced by older people were simply put down to their advancing years.
Fortunately, attitudes are changing. Fewer doctors are likely to tell you: ‘What else can you expect at your time of life?’
It’s now generally accepted that old age is not a diagnosis or a disease. Indeed, most problems in later life are not caused by the ageing process itself.
However, we should all be aware of the changes in our bodies as we grow older — and take action to avoid damage to our health. Here, then, is my top-to-toe guide to body maintenance to help you hold the years at bay.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
For most of us as we age, the gut remains all too efficient at digesting food and absorbing the sugar molecules that make us fat and increase the risk of disease. Many of us, however, suffer from two particular problems in older age — constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
It is now widely accepted that these conditions are not the consequences of ageing.
They are the consequences of years, indeed decades, of consuming a diet with too little fibre. This could be regarded as a loss of fitness of the muscles in the intestine.
The solution, then, is simple: Eat more fibre — soluble and insoluble! Soluble fibre sources include oats, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and most fruits. Insoluble fibre is found in wheatbran, most vegetables, and wholegrains such as barley, bulgar wheat, millet, brown rice, rye, oats and wholewheat.
Try to incorporate as many of these foods into your diet as possible — even small changes like switching from white bread to wholegrain can make a difference.
If you are still troubled by IBS it may be worth trying a gluten-free diet to see if that has an effect (check with your doctor first). Most large supermarkets now stock a good range of gluten-free products.
THE LIVER
Most liver disease is caused not by ageing of the liver tissue but by either infection (hepatitis) or dietary factors — such as too much alcohol. There’s no need to go teetotal, but research suggests that from the age of 70, you shouldn’t drink on more than four days a week.
And even on those days, you shouldn’t have more than three units of alcohol a day if you’re a man, and two units if you are a woman. (One unit is a small glass of wine, a half pint of beer or a single shot of spirits.)
Cutting down on booze also helps with your weight because alcohol is rich in calories, not very filling and often increases your appetite — a triple whammy.
If you’re still working or want to use your brain in the afternoon, alcohol at lunchtime should be avoided completely.
THE LUNGS
The world record by a 70-year-old man for running one mile is 5 minutes 19 seconds, set by Joop Ruter in 2003. Meanwhile, John Woodburn, aged 71, set a new record by cycling 25 miles in 54 minutes and 21 seconds.
So clearly the effects of ageing alone on the lungs are relatively unimportant. For most of us, however, our lung function by the age of 70 has been affected by a number of other factors.
The Clean Air Act, for instance, was only passed in 1956. Therefore, anyone born in a city before that date is likely to have experienced some damage to their lungs.
Similarly, our lungs may have been damaged when we were children by our parents’ smoking. Or, as adults, by our own smoking.
Smoking continues to affect lung function and damage your health, whatever your age. But if you stop smoking, even as late as 70:
Your risk of lung cancer will remain stable and not increase year by year — as it will if you carry on.
Your risk of heart disease will reduce — by the age of 80 it will be the same as if you’d never smoked.
The risks associated with having an anaesthetic will reduce.
Your symptoms of bronchitis will also reduce.
The other good news about ageing lungs is that it’s possible to improve your body’s ability to take in oxygen — and therefore reduce the rate at which you get breathless by doing some form of exercise that makes you breathless three times a week. Heavy housework, cycling, dancing, swimming and brisk walking are good examples.
THE HEART
The heart is a big muscle — so, like all muscles, it’s affected by ageing. However, most of the problems that people experience, from heart failure to chest pain or an irregular pulse, are caused by disease rather than ageing.
To prevent further decline in heart function — even if you already have heart disease — you should:
Stop smoking and eat a healthier diet.
Take exercise that will make you breathless five times a week.
Reduce your blood pressure, if it’s too high, by losing weight if necessary and/or taking prescribed medication for lowering blood pressure.
There is much debate about the part that drugs like statins can play in preventing heart disease in people who have never had any symptoms. At present statins are not prescribed for people at very low risk; but some people are now taking the polypill, which combines a number of different drugs, but at lower doses than those prescribed by doctors.
The polypill has been developed to give people at low risk an opportunity of reducing their risk even further without any possible side-effects. Ask your GP for advice on this and on exercise.
THE JOINTS
For most of us, problems with joints are greater than problems with the bones themselves.
Our cartilage (the material that covers the bones in a joint) thins with age — faster in some of us than in others. But there’s no evidence that walking or cycling or moving the joints within their usual range wears out the cartilage and causes arthritis. In fact, it’s essential to keep exercising because this keeps the muscles that support the joints strong.
The fibrous tissue in tendons and ligaments also loses elasticity as a result of ageing. Much of the stiffness that develops, however, is simply due to loss of suppleness.
THE BONES
As we age, everyone’s bone tissue thins, thus increasing the risk of fractures. The strength of your bones at, say, 70 is determined by two factors: how strong your bones were at the age of 30, and how quickly you have been losing bone tissue. The first of these factors you can obviously do nothing about.
But you can definitely slow the rate of bone loss in later life by:
Increasing the amount of activity that puts pressure on your bones. In short, any exercise recommended for increasing muscular strength will also increase the strength of your bones.
Taking exercise — even a brisk walk strengthens the bones in your legs as a result of the impact of walking.
Swallowing 15-25mg of Vitamin D daily during the winter months —important for everyone, since the sun isn’t strong enough for us to make enough of this crucial vitamin.
Not cutting down too much on dairy products. You need about 1,200mg of dietary calcium per day to maintain bone strength. (Tip: skimmed milk may have the least fat, but it also contains more calcium than full-fat milk.)
MIND AND MEMORY
On Saturday, we looked at the importance of protecting your brain, but things can go wrong with the mind even in people who have perfectly healthy brains.
In particular, memory loss is experienced by almost all of us as we get older, particularly loss of short-term memory.
So while we are still able to remember much of what was learned in geography, English and chemistry 50 years before, recently acquired information is not so well retained — names, for example.
It cannot be denied that this can be frustrating, but can be overcome with very simple steps such as making lists more often, always leaving your keys in the same place when you come home, or writing appointments down as soon as you’ve made them.
I find smartphones are particularly useful for this.
And, in fact, your mental faculties may be better than you think: research has proven that some cognitive skills, such as general knowledge and vocabulary, actually improve with age, and while reasoning and decision-making processes may be slower, research proved that quick decisions are often bad ones.
To help keep your mind and memory in good condition, it’s helpful to:
Get enough sleep: aim for seven hours a night. To achieve this, don’t nap in the daytime, increase exercise during the day and drink less fluid after 6 pm so you won’t need so many night-time trips to the loo.
Play intellectual games, such as Sudoku, or do crosswords every day. Try reading the excellent Cracking Cryptic Crosswords, by Morse creator Colin Dexter, to hone your skills; turn to the Mail’s daily puzzles (starting on page 39 today) or try one of the apps in the box on the right and get cracking!
Learn something new. This could be learning how to use a computer, mastering a new language or researching your family history.
Interact more with other people, whether through a job, voluntary work, standing for election as a councillor or starting a new business.
THE SPINE
Most spinal problems in older people are caused by preventable changes in the muscles and ligaments of the spinal column — not by ageing. True, the bones of the spine become thinner with age, but this rarely causes problems.
However, if your bone density was low at the age of 30, your bones may eventually become so thin — a condition called osteoporosis — that one or more vertebrae can fracture and collapse. There are now many medical treatments that can help with this — consult your doctor if you experience any pain.
What about loss of height?
This is usually caused by shrinkage of the discs between the vertebrae PLUS changes in posture brought about by weakening of the back muscles.
Many people also start to stoop as they grow older, though this is rarely the effect of advancing years — it’s because too many of us drive, type, sit or lounge about with our heads poking forward from the spine.
This is hard to correct if it’s been going on for decades — but even in your 70s, it’s possible.
Adjust your car seat so you sit straight, head against the headrest, with a small cushion behind your lumbar spine.
Place your computer on a high surface and type while standing.
Do stretching exercises. The starfish is particularly good: lie flat on your back on the floor, stretch your arms out sideways, with elbows on the carpet. See if you can put the back of your hands on the carpet. Hold for ten seconds, then repeat at least five times.
Go to a Pilates or Alexander Technique class.
THE FEET
Ageing itself doesn’t cause foot problems; the most likely cause is a history of wearing the wrong shoes. Nevertheless, it’s important to look after your feet as you age, and you can do this by:
Losing weight, if necessary.
Strengthening the muscles of your lower limbs through exercise, such as regular walking.
Buying shoes that don’t pinch.
Washing your feet every day, drying them thoroughly and massaging in an oil-based or aqueous cream.
Seeing a chiropodist regularly.
TEETH AND GUMS
Even the best-kept mouth is full of bacteria, which attack the vulnerable border zone between the teeth and the gums.
This leads to the formation of plaque, which can lead to inflammation of the gums — or gingivitis.
This causes shrinkage of the gums, meaning that teeth may no longer be strongly anchored.
Indeed, more teeth are lost through gum disease in old age than through any disease affecting the teeth directly.
Therefore your teeth need obsessional care, as do your gums.
Buy an electric toothbrush with a rotating head and spend about three or four minutes using it night and morning — more often if you can.
Brush between the teeth with little single-pronged brushes, available from chemists and supermarkets. Alternatively, use dental floss.
Avoid sugar and acid. If you do have acidic food — such as an apple — neutralise the effects of the acid with an alkaline antidote . . . a piece of cheese, for example.Use fluoride toothpaste — and also fluoride mouthwash at least once a day, at different times to brushing, and visit your dental hygienist at least twice a year.
THE SKIN
Ageing skin has fewer elastic fibres, sweat glands and sebaceous glands that produce natural oil. To maintain skin in later years, everyone (male and female) should buy a big tub of moisturiser, preferably oil-based, and massage their entire body with the cream — if possible once a day, but at least once a week.
Deep wrinkles and blemishes are principally due to exposure to the elements, particularly sunshine. So use at least a factor 20 sunscreen every day.
THE EYES
The lens of the eye becomes less elastic as we get older, and almost everyone ends up needing spectacles for reading. In addition, three major eye diseases occur more commonly in old age: glaucoma, cataract and macular degeneration.
There are now effective treatments for all of these. It’s therefore sensible to have an eye test every two years. It is important to appreciate that in eye care, as in any other branch of healthcare, diagnosis does not necessarily indicate a need for treatment, and just because an optometrist identifies early cataract or raised intraocular pressure (a sign that serious glaucoma might develop), this does not mean you need treatment immediately, or even ever.
THE EARS
From childhood onwards, hearing loss occurs, initially for high-pitched sounds, but in later life all pitches may be affected. It is an effect of ageing that occurs more quickly in some people than in others, for reasons that are probably genetic.
There’s no screening programme for hearing loss in older people. Detection and treatment therefore depend on you taking action of your own accord. Make an appointment with your GP, who’ll probably either diagnose wax build-up or refer you to the audiology service of the local hospital or to an approved provider of NHS hearing aids.
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