AGEING

Nowadays, many people live well into their 80's and beyond.  But as your body ages, your systems slow down and the risk of disease increases. Although you cannot halt the progress of time, you can forestall some of the negative effects of ageing with a healthy lifestyle and some well-chosen food supplements.

What is ageing / growing older?

Ageing is the process of growing old when every part of the body is affected.  Hair turns grey, skin wrinkles, joints and muscles lose flexibility, bones become weak, memory declines, eyesight diminishes and immunity is impaired.

What causes it ageing?

The process of cell division and replacement that continues throughout life slows down with advancing age and a progressive deterioration of all body systems begins. Though some decline is normal and inevitable, many researchers believe that unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals accelerate the process, making some people old before their time.  A certain amount of damage is unavoidable because free radicals are produced during the normal course of cell activity, but there are things you can do to avoid controllable factors such as cigarette smoke, pollution, excessive alcohol and radiation from x-rays or the sun.  Antioxidants are powerful weapons that can reduce the effects of free radicals and these are manufactured by the cells and obtained through diet.

What to do about growing old healthily:

Daily consumption of supplements should be considered by everyone concerned about the effects of ageing.  Vitamin C and vitamin E are antioxidants that fight free radicals.  Vitamin C and flavonoids work within the cells' watery interiors and  vitamin E protects the fatty membranes that surround cells.
Vitamin E also improves immune function in older people and reduces the risk of some age-related conditions.  Green tea extract and grape seed extracts are other antioxidants that may be more potent than vitamins C and E.

Folic acid maintains red blood cells and promotes the healthy functioning of nerves. Folic acid taken with vitamin B12 fosters healthy brain function. Vitamin B12 supplements are also useful for older people by helping them to absorb the vitamins from food. The "A – Z" multivitamin and mineral supplement is an excellent way to take B vitamins as these have shown to improve the immune function and reduce infection rates in the elderly.

To help protect against osteoporosis, nutritionists recommend calcium, magnesium and vitamin D because adequate doses of these are not supplied by multivitamin and mineral formulas.

So protect yourself from the sun – ultraviolet rays make skin age faster.  If you smoke – give it up.  Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, as they are rich in antioxidants and exercise more, particularly weight bearing exercise.