Strength training builds more than muscles

Most of us know that strength training (with free weights, weight machines, or resistance bands) can help build and maintain muscle mass and strength. What many of us don’t know is that strong muscles lead to strong bones. And strong bones can help minimize the risk of fracture due to osteoporosis.

A combination of age-related changes, inactivity, and poor nutrition conspire to steal bone mass at the rate of 1% per year after age 40. As bones grow more fragile and susceptible to fracture, they are more likely to break after even a minor fall or a far less obvious stress, such as bending over to tie a shoelace.

Osteoporosis should be a concern for all of us. Eight million women and two million men in the United States have osteoporosis. It is now responsible for more than two million fractures year, and experts expect that number will rise. Hip fractures are usually the most serious. Six out of 10 people who break a hip never fully regain their former level of independence. Even walking across a room without help may be impossible.

Numerous studies have shown that strength training can play a role in slowing bone loss, and several show it can even build bone. This is tremendously useful to help offset age-related decline in bone mass. Activities that put stress on bones stimulate extra deposits of calcium and nudge bone-forming cells into action. The tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength training (and weight-bearing aerobic exercise like walking or running) provide the stress. The result is stronger, denser bones.

And strength training has bone benefits beyond those offered by aerobic weight-bearing exercise. It targets bones of the hips, spine, and wrists, which, along with the ribs, are the sites most likely to fracture. What’s more, resistance workouts — particularly those that include moves emphasizing power and balance — enhance strength and stability. That can boost confidence, encourage you to stay active, and reduce fractures by cutting down on falls.

Caffeine and a healthy diet may boost memory, thinking skills; alcohol’s effect uncertain

If a study published in this month’s Journal of Nutrition is any indication, the caffeine in coffee might offer not just a momentary mental boost but also longer-term effects on thinking skills. Having an alcoholic drink a day might also benefit our mental performance, but the line between just right and too much is uncertain. An even better strategy for maintaining memory and thinking skills with age may be to eat a healthy diet.

In the study, researchers from the National Institute on Aging compared scores on various tests of thinking skills and memory with caffeine, alcohol, and nutrient intake in 727 men and women taking part in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Over all, participants who ranked high on the healthy diet scale did better on 10 tests of memory than those with lower diet scores. The same held true for those who took in more caffeine. The effects for moderate alcohol drinking were mixed.

The caffeine-brain connection

The reason you get a quick wakeup call after chugging a mug of coffee has to do with the way caffeine tricks your brain. Not only is caffeine a brain stimulant, but it also blocks receptors for a chemical called adenosine, which normally prevents the release of excitatory brain chemicals. With adenosine out of the way, these brain-sparking chemicals can flow more freely—giving you a surge of energy and potentially improving mental performance and slowing age-related mental decline.

The Journal of Nutrition study isn’t the last word on the subject of caffeine and memory. It showed that people—particularly those who were ages 70 and over—who took in more caffeine scored better on tests of mental function, but not on memory tests or other measures of mental ability.

Some previous studies have shown improved long-term memory performance and thinking ability in regular caffeine consumers; others haven’t shown any connection.

Drink to your cognitive health?

When it comes to alcohol, its effects on memory and thinking skills may depend on how they are measured and how much you’re drinking. In this study, moderate alcohol use appeared to improve working memory and attention—especially in women and in those ages 70 and over. But those benefits could come at the expense of declines in skills like executive function and global thinking.

Excessive drinking, defined as more than two drinks a day for men or more than one a day for women, is known to harm the brain. Over time, excessive drinking can cause everything from short-term memory lapses to more permanent problems. Any benefits from alcohol seen in the Journal of Nutrition study came from moderate drinking.

Better memory through diet

The study also looked at the connection between diet and mental performance. People who ate foods with plenty of healthful nutrients had better attention and memory than participant with poorer diets. A healthy diet was also linked to good thinking skills in women and participants under age 70. In particular, foods that are part of the Mediterranean diet—fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, olive oil, and whole grains—show promise for preserving memory and preventing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

A recipe for maintaining memory

This study is just one of many linking healthy eating habits with maintaining memory and thinking skills into old age. Continuing a healthy diet, or switching to one, makes sense on many levels. It probably is good for your brain, and it’s definitely good for your heart, bones, muscles, and overall health.

As for caffeine? There’s no evidence yet that you need to start drinking coffee or tea to protect your brain. If you like drinking caffeinated beverages, enjoy them. But keep in mind that adding lots of sugar or cream, or getting caffeine via sugar-sweetened soda, may counter any benefits.

What about alcohol? If you enjoy drinking alcohol, keep it moderate—or less. As the researchers write, “alcohol has potentially deleterious effects over time with lower intake being a better choice than moderate intake.”

Foods that fight inflammation

Doctors are learning that one of the best ways to quell inflammation lies not in the medicine cabinet, but in the refrigerator.

Your immune system attacks anything in your body that it recognizes as foreign—such as an invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemical. The process is called inflammation. Intermittent bouts of inflammation directed at truly threatening invaders protect your health.

However, sometimes inflammation persists, day in and day out, even when you are not threatened by a foreign invader. That's when inflammation can become your enemy. Many major diseases that plague us—including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer's—have been linked to chronic inflammation.

One of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation comes not from the pharmacy, but from the grocery store. "Many experimental studies have shown that components of foods or beverages may have anti-inflammatory effects," says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Choose the right foods, and you may be able to reduce your risk of illness. Consistently pick the wrong ones, and you could accelerate the inflammatory disease process

Foods that combat inflammation

Include plenty of these anti-inflammatory foods in your diet:

• tomatoes
• olive oil
• green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards
• nuts like almonds and walnuts
• fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
• fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges

Anti-inflammation foods

On the flip side are foods and beverages that have been found to reduce the risk of inflammation, and with it, chronic disease, says Dr. Hu. He notes in particular fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, apples, and leafy greens that are high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols—protective compounds found in plants.

Studies have also associated nuts with reduced markers of inflammation and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Coffee, which contains polyphenols and other anti-inflammatory compounds, may protect against inflammation, as well.

Anti-inflammatory eating

To reduce levels of inflammation, aim for an overall healthy diet. If you're looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.

In addition to lowering inflammation, a more natural, less processed diet can have noticeable effects on your physical and emotional health. "A healthy diet is beneficial not only for reducing the risk of chronic diseases, but also for improving mood and overall quality of life," Dr. Hu says.

Want a stronger core? Skip the sit-ups

Sit-ups once ruled as the way to tighter abs and a slimmer waistline, while “planks” were merely flooring. Now planks — exercises in which you assume a position and hold it — are the gold standard for working your core, while classic sit-ups and crunches have fallen out of favor. Why the shift?

One reason is that sit-ups are hard on your back — by pushing your curved spine against the floor and by working your hip flexors, the muscles that run from the thighs to the lumbar vertebrae in the lower back. When hip flexors are too strong or too tight, they tug on the lower spine which can be a source of lower back discomfort.

Second, planks recruit a better balance of muscles on the front, sides, and back of the body during exercise than sit-ups, which target just a few muscles. Remember, your core goes far beyond your abdominal muscles.

Finally, activities of daily living, as well as sports and recreational activities, call on your muscles to work together, not in isolation. Sit-ups or crunches strengthen just a few muscle groups. Through dynamic patterns of movement, a good core workout helps strengthen the entire set of core muscles — the muscles you rely on for daily activities as well as sports and recreational activities.

Finding relief from calluses and corns

Calluses and corns are areas of hardened, sometimes yellowish skin on the foot. They form on pressure points or around bony areas. Calluses usually appear on the bottom of the feet and corns on the top, usually around the toes.

Although they aren't necessarily welcome, calluses and corns develop to protect the foot from further damage. The cause is often poorly fitting shoes, but how you walk (your gait) or the bone structure of your feet may make you more prone to these foot issues.

If you develop corns or calluses, cushion the affected area with moleskin, cotton, or lambswool to relieve pressure. Many pharmacies sell over-the-counter products to cushion corns and calluses, which you may find helpful. Custom shoe inserts that redistribute your weight and take pressure off the affected areas are another option.

Better-fitting shoes will reduce the irritation that caused the problem in the first place, and over time, the corns or calluses will shrink on their own. But don’t expect overnight results; the process can take weeks or even months.

To get rid of corns and calluses faster, you can use a pumice stone, which will gently remove the top layers of skin. Soak your feet in warm water first, to softeirst place, and over time, the corns or calluses will shrink on their own. But don’t expect overnight results; the process can take weeks or even months.

To get rid of corns and calluses faster, you can use a pumice stone, which will gently remove the top layers of skin. Soak your feet in warm water first, to soften the corn or callus. Dry your feet, then rub the pumice stone gently over the corn or callus. Afterward, moisturize the area with skin lotion. The key word is gentle. Don’t overdo it, or you could hurt your skin. Pharmacies sell various chemical peels and acid disks, but use such products with caution. Most of them contain salicylic acid, which can damage healthy tissue unless you follow the instructions exactly. Some foot care specialists advise against using these products at all.

For larger corns and calluses, consult a foot care specialist. Although some pedicurists may offer to remove corns and calluses, it’s safer to seek help from a trained medical specialist, like a podiatrist.

Key minerals to help control blood pressure

A healthy, balanced diet plays a major role in blood pressure control. And you should consume some specific minerals on a regular basis for good blood pressure management: calcium, magnesium, and potassium. But do most of us get enough of these? "If you're eating a healthy diet, you probably have nothing to worry about. But people eating a diet of processed and canned foods might need to be concerned, as well as people taking certain medications," says Dr. Randall Zusman, director of the Division of Hypertension at the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center.

1 Potassium

Normal body levels of potassium are important for muscle function, including relaxing the walls of the blood vessels. This lowers blood pressure and protects against muscle cramping. Normal potassium levels also are important for the conduction of electrical signals in the nervous system and in the heart. This protects against an irregular heartbeat.

Potassium is found naturally in many foods, such as prunes, apricots, sweet potatoes, and lima beans. But food may not be enough to keep up your potassium levels if you take a diuretic for high blood pressure such as hydrochlorothiazide (Esidrix, HydroDiuril). These drugs cause potassium to leave your body in the urine, thereby lowering your body's potassium levels. "I'd say at least a third of patients on diuretics for heart failure or high blood pressure or edema don't get enough potassium from their diets. In those cases, we do use supplements," says Dr. Zusman. Don't try a supplement on your own. Too much potassium, like too little, can lead to dangerous irregular heart rhythms.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of potassium is 4.7 grams per day for both men and women ages 51 and older.

2 Magnesium

Magnesium helps regulate hundreds of body systems, including blood pressure, blood sugar, and muscle and nerve function. We need magnesium to help blood vessels relax, and for energy production, bone development, and transporting calcium and potassium. Just like potassium, too much magnesium can be lost in urine due to diuretic use, leading to low magnesium levels.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that most older adults in the U.S. don't get the proper amount of magnesium in their diets, although extreme magnesium deficiency is very rare. It's best to get the mineral from food, especially dark, leafy green vegetables, unrefined grains, and legumes. The RDA of magnesium is 420 milligrams (mg) per day for men ages 50 and older; 320 mg/day for women ages 50 and older.

Too much magnesium from a supplement or from magnesium-containing drugs such as laxatives may cause diarrhea. There are no known adverse affects of magnesium intake from food.

3 Calcium

Calcium is important for healthy blood pressure because it helps blood vessels tighten and relax when they need to. It's also crucial for healthy bones and the release of hormones and enzymes we need for most body functions. We consume it naturally in dairy products, fish with bones (such as canned salmon and sardines), and dark, leafy greens.

The RDA of calcium for men ages 51 and older is between 1,000 and 1,200 mg per day. For women ages 51 and older it's 1,200 mg per day. Unfortunately, most people get about 700 mg of calcium in their daily diet. So should you take a supplement to make up the difference?

That's tricky business. As we reported in June 2013, some evidence shows calcium supplements increase the risk of death from heart disease. "It's been controversial, so most of us advise our patients to get their calcium from food rather than from supplement pills," says Dr. Zusman. If it's not possible to get enough calcium from food, you can use a low-dose calcium supplement to reach your daily RDA.?

Peanuts Can Curb Appetite

A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition (2013; 109 [11], 2015–23) has found that eating either peanuts or peanut butter as part of your breakfast can control blood sugar throughout most of the day, even following a high-carb lunch.

In addition to what the researchers called “second meal effect,” peanuts and peanut butter caused a significant reduction in the desire to eat for up to 12 hours and a significant increase in secretion of the hormone peptide YY, which promotes satiety and feelings of fullness. The article suggests that it is the synergy of high protein, high fiber and healthy oils found in peanuts that helps maintain bloodsugar control, while contributing to feelings of fullness.

How Exercise Benefits Older Seniors

New research from the University of Navarra in Spain shows that exercise can have a significant positive impact on older seniors.

Scientists recruited 24 adults aged 91–96 and divided them into a non-exercise control group and a “multi-component” exercise group. The primary focus was to learn how exercise would impact “muscle power output, muscle mass, and muscle tissue attenuation; the risk of falls; and functional outcomes in frail nonagenarians.”

At baseline, subjects completed several tests to measure their strength, power, balance and gait. Sit-to-stand ability and injury rates were observed, as were lower-extremity muscle mass and muscle fat infiltration.

The exercise group met twice weekly for 12 weeks. Training sessions consisted of “muscle power training”— participants performed 8–10 repetitions at 40%–60% of 1-repetition maximum—along with balance and gait retraining.

By the end of the study, the exercise group participants had improved on all counts.

“The intervention group showed significantly improved [time-up-and-go] with single and dual tasks, rise from a chair and balance performance, and a reduced incidence of falls,” the authors explained. “In addition, the intervention group showed enhanced muscle power and strength. Moreover, there were significant increases in the total and high-density muscle cross-sectional area in the intervention group.”

The authors concluded that strength, power, balance and gait training should be recommended to older seniors as a means of improving health and reducing injury risk. The study was published in Age (2013; doi: 10.1007/s11357- 013-9586-z).