Dietary Antioxidants Could Help Preserve Muscle Strength in Older Adults “In a study in older adults, dietary intake of vitamins C and E was linked with muscle strength, leading the researchers to suggest at a meeting in Atlanta this past weekend that a diet high in antioxidants could play an important role in preserving muscle function in older adults "Muscle strength is really a marker of aging," one of the investigators, Dr. Anne Newman of the University of Pittsburgh, told Reuters Health. "Muscle strength starts declining when people are in their 40s, but it decreases dramatically after age 60." This decline is "a major risk factor for...frailty and disability in older persons," she said, but certain strategies may slow down the loss.”

Lifelong Exercise Keeps Seniors Young at Heart “For example, those who exercised four to five times a week during their lives had about 54 percent of the benefit seen in "Master" athletes, while those who exercised two to three times a week had 42 percent of the benefit. Master athletes are seniors who've exercised six to seven times a week for 15 to 25 years and retained 100 percent of their heart's youthful characteristics and have hearts similar to those of 30-year-olds. “

A few extra pounds may help elderly live longer “Prior to reaching the golden years, too much body fat tends to increase the risk of dying, but extra weight may have the opposite effect for older adults, a new study hints. Higher fat mass in older adults "is thought to be an energy reserve that helps the individual survive illnesses and chronic conditions," Dr. Jennifer L. Kuk, from York University in Toronto, Canada, noted in an email to Reuters Health. The study she co-conducted with Dr. Chris I. Ardern, also from York University, seems to bear this out. In the study, many lower weight and body fat indicators were associated with a greater risk of dying among men and women aged 65 and older. Among individuals older than 75, having a low versus a normal body weight seemed to raise the risk of death from any cause by a factor of 1.6 in men and nearly 3 in women, they report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. “

Linking hippocampal structure and function to memory performance in an aging population. ( Arch Neurol. 2009)

Nutrition, longevity and behavior. ( Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009)

Watch the Walk and Prevent a Fall

Psychotropic drugs boost fall risk in the elderly “A new analysis of studies including nearly 80,000 people aged 60 and older confirms that certain types of widely prescribed drugs, such as antidepressants and sedatives, can increase their risk of falling. Falls often have serious consequences for older people, such as injuries leading to disability and admission to a nursing home, or even death.”