Dr Max Gowland

Since 1900, the average life expectancy has risen from 47 to 79, with women living around two to three years longer than men. Improved hygiene combined with better nutrition are two significant contributing factors of longer life, alongside advances in medicine. Now that we’re living longer, we’re noticing some health changes as we age.

As we reach our fifties, we tend to notice a decline across a range of health areas. The four main areas we should turn our attention to include:

• Cardiovascular system
• Cognitive function
• Gut and immune health
• Body composition

Cardiovascular health

Our heart beats 100,000 times every day, pumping five litres of blood through 60,000 miles of capillaries. It’s an extraordinary organ, but one that is prone to disease as we age.

What happens?

Coronary Heart Disease is the most common problem we deal with, affecting around 7.6 million people in the UK alone. It occurs when the large coronary arteries of the heart become narrowed due to a build-up of atheroma, a complex fatty deposit that increases over time.

What causes it?

It is far more complex than just ‘eating too much cholesterol’. Around 80% of cholesterol found in a typical lipid panel blood test is a result of one’s tendency to produce it ‘endogenously’. In other words, the cholesterol is produced within the body rather than as a result of eating fatty foods.

Pain from this fatty plaque blockade can manifest itself as angina – chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles. If a full arterial blockage occurs, this can become a myocardial infarction, which is a type of heart attack.

Unfortunately, the biggest risk [to our hearts] is age itself.

Other risk factors of poor cardiovascular health include smoking, a poor diet, stress, obesity, and lack of activity. Unfortunately, the biggest risk is age itself.

How can we manage this?

Exercise is the magic silver bullet. Combined with healthy eating, this will ensure your heart will stay as healthy as it can be for as long as possible.

On the supplement front, Omega 3 fatty acids (which are found in fish oil and krill oil) contain the most important active ingredients: DHA and EPA. Both of these are essential for not only heart health, but vision and brain health, too.

These nutrients exist naturally in fish oil, though data from Public Health England (PHE) has shown that the average intake of oily fish is only a third of the daily recommendation.

Other supplements that can aide in good heart health include Thiamin (Vitamin B1) which has been proven to promote the normal functioning of the heart, and Vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is known for its contribution towards bone strength, which is does by depositing calcium into the bone by ‘stealing’ that calcium from the inside of our arteries, which lessens the risk of heart disease caused by fatty plaques.

Cognitive function

The brain makes up 2% of our overall body weight, yet it requires 20% of the energy available to the whole body. It’s a nutrition-greedy organ composed primarily of fat.

What happens?

After the age of forty, our brains decline by around 5% every year. A lot of this damage is what scientists call ‘oxidative stress’. This is where reactive biochemicals from the energy-making processes in our bodies create damaging ‘free radicals’, which attack our cells.

According to the Prime Fifty White Paper Market Research (2014), most people interviewed said they were worried about their brain health and cognitive abilities as they aged. They were keen to avoid dementia, particularly the devastating Alzheimer’s disease which, as we know, robs us of the ability to think logically.

What causes it?

Alzheimer’s is caused by the presence of protein deposits that have become insoluble and disrupt the brain’s ability to function properly. Lack of quality sleep has also been shown to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, so sleep is a massive priority as we age.

How can we manage this?

Exercise and good nutrition is the best way to stave off dementia, as well as quality sleep and a no smoking mindset. Staying mentally active and maintaining social interactions has also been shown to help with extending cognitive ability into older age.

Again, Omega 3 fish oil is a well-proven brain health supplement, but there are many other nutrients that support the same benefits. These include: iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, magnesium pantothenic acid, and co-enzyme Q10. It would be beneficial to find a UK-manufactured product which has been specifically formulated for brain health, to avoid buying all of these nutrients individually.

Gut health and immunity

Scientists are now In agreement that our gut plays a significant role in our overall health and wellbeing. One of the better-known gut health connections is the gut-brain axis of influence. The latest science is showing that our gut health influences many more aspects of our health, including our weight and body composition, our cardiovascular health, and more.

There are around 10 trillion human cells in our body, yet our gut and colon contain near 100 trillion bacteria cells, making us technically more bacteria than human! It’s easy to see how this huge amount of biochemical ‘soup’ has such an influence on our overall health.

What happens?

One of the issues with ageing is that we tend to exhibit what is called dysbiosis, which is where the balance between ‘good’ or healthy bacteria and ‘bad’ or pathogenic bacteria becomes out of balance. This makes the gut more prone to various issues such as IBS, constipation, and bloating. In turn, this can reduce the protection offered by our immune system. This is known as immune-senescence, which is when the immune system becomes less affective and is less able to protect us against infections.

What causes it?

Keeping our gut healthy is essential. With time, our gut tends to undergo structural changes which can give rise to constipation. Other factors that can influence our gut health and immunity include lack of exercise, not drinking enough, medications, poor diet, poor sleep health, stress, and perhaps most importantly, not eating enough fibre, which is so important for regularity.

PHE data shows clearly that the vast majority of older adults are not getting the recommended daily intake of many essential nutrients, which in turn will lead to a weakened immune system.

How can we manage this?

There are some gut and immunity supplements that have been formulated specifically for older adults. Typically, these products will contain all the important immunity vitamins and minerals, including Vitamins C, D, B6, B12, folate, copper, and selenium. Consuming these nutrients is key to keeping our immune systems healthy.

These supplements should also consist of a multi-strain probiotic blend of various live bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, usually in a protective hard-shelled capsule to ensure their safe and protected transit to the gut. There are some single strain products, but it has been shown that multi-strain products are by far the better supplement, as they are more effective in bringing bacterial diversity to the gut.

Immune attack explained

Weight and body composition

Most people will recognise that as we age, we tend to put on additional weight, which tends to be fat instead of muscle.

What causes it?

We tend to be less active as we grow up, thus burning less calories. We also have a slower metabolism, which means the calorie burning is much slower. Most of this is due to the aforementioned loss of muscle mass, as the muscle tissue is the key factor in burning calories. In short, the less muscle we have, the fewer calories we’re burning.

Another cause for weight gain is due to hormonal changes. For women, the menopause brings around the decline in oestrogen, progesterone, and sex hormones. For men, it’s all about their testosterone levels. Lower testosterone and growth hormones in men causes muscle loss, and encourages fat to be deposited more easily.

How can we manage it?

We have to exercise daily and ensure we eat healthily, while avoiding high calorie meals that are notoriously full of fat and sugar, and typically low on healthy micronutrients. It’s also fair to say that there is no quick fix. Ultra-low-calorie dieting is not advisable, despite its short-term effectiveness. Admittedly, weight loss is usually rapid during this fasting process, but in most cases the ‘diet rebound’ can cause even more weight gain as the body’s metabolism adjusts to the previous starvation diet.

There are also no magic supplements that can help. Don’t believe all you read in the press or on the internet. There are also large numbers of products advertising themselves as effective ‘fat burners’, but the science clearly tells us that these simply do not exist.

Things to take away

Whether it’s your cardiovascular health, your immunity, your gut health or your overall brain health, there is no mistaking that there are four basic pillars of health and longevity, that if managed well, will yield a long and healthy life.

1. Managing your nutrition

Manage your nutrition with a healthy, well-balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg, protein and fibre too. Avoiding high sugar products and high sugar sodas is essential.

Supplements are also a useful addition to a normal diet to ensure that all the necessary vitamins and mineral requirements are met on a daily basis.

2. Incorporating regular exercise

Exercise is key. There are now so many high-calibre scientific articles on this subject, demonstrating the significant effect that regular exercise can have on all facets of your health, including your mental health too.

3. Establishing a sleep routine

We know from many sleep studies that lack of sleep is clearly linked to a raft of disease states, including cardiovascular disease and surprisingly cancers too. It’s also imperative for a healthy mind. Getting that eight hours every night is key.

4. Handling stress

We all have stress of various types in our lives and each time we feel stressed, a cascade of unhealthy biochemical effects occurs which can do long term harm to our health in general. Stress is known to exert negative effects on our cardiovascular health and of course our psychological wellbeing too.

Some manage stress better than others and if possible, you should find ways of dealing with stress as a failure to do so can produce negative consequences on our overall health and general wellbeing.

Carly Pepperell

Carly gets to do everything under the sun, including writing, editing, taking photos, creating stories, and swanning around at launches. She can down a glass of Prosecco without pausing for breath, and aims to be the youngest Pulitzer winner ever.

The post Four health changes we experience as we reach 50 appeared first on Silver Magazine.

FutureYou Cambridge’s Dr Max Gowland tells us everything we need to know about managing our musculoskeletal health, which includes our bones, muscles, and joints.

Dr Max Gowland

Muscle mass

What happens?

We tend to lose a significant amount of muscle mass as we age. Scientific data (Breen et al, 2007) shows that we lost around 1-2% of our muscle mass each year once we reach our mid-forties. This means that by the time we’re in our mid-sixties, we will have lost around 25% of our total body muscle.

This process is scientifically named ‘sarcopenia’, and it is a completely normal – albeit unhealthy – part of ageing. This muscles loss speeds up as we age, and can become a real health issue if we don’t do something about it.

To put this into perspective, recent clinical trials show that, when immobile for 28 days, a middle-aged person may lose around 400 grams of muscle tissue from their legs. This compares to a shocking kilogram of muscle being lost from a seventy-year-old’s legs when inactive for just three days. This shows how prone we are to losing valuable, healthy muscle tissue as we age, especially if we fail to exercise.

What causes it?

Many of us cease to exercise regularly once we reach 50, and this sedentary behaviour therefore gets worse, causing a reduction in muscle mass. Another factor affecting this is our intake – or lack thereof – of protein in our diet.

How can we manage it?

Muscle is largely protein-based in nature, and so it needs a daily influx to rebuild lost muscle protein. The latest science shows we need around 100 grams of high-quality protein per day in order to combat the accelerated loss of muscle as we age.

Exercise has been proven time and time again to significantly improve our overall health, so it’s important to incorporate regular activity into your routine.

Left: muscle mass of a 25-year-old
Right: muscle mass of a 63-year-old

Bone density

What happens?

Our bones encounter a significant loss of density – which equals strength – as we age. Our maximum bone strength occurs just after we reach 30 years old, so those of us who have failed to maximise our bone strength by this time will be more prone to problems later in life. Osteoporosis is loss of strength and bone density, as the bone becomes more porous.

What causes it?

Women are much more prone to losing bone density as they enter the menopause, as their oestrogen and progesterone levels fall quickly. Around 50% of women will suffer from osteoporosis at some time. Weakened or ‘brittle’ bones leads to a higher risk of fractures, particularly in the hips.

How can we manage it?

Avoiding low calorie diets is key – it’s important to consume plenty of protein and calcium. Partaking in weight-bearing exercises is also a good idea for building healthy bones. Vitamin D and collagen supplements are also recommended for strengthening our bones.

Bone density loss

Joint health

What happens?

Our joints play a significant part in what causes us pain and slow us down. According to NHS data, 50% of adults have already sought medical attention for a variety of joint problems. This is an area which can cause incapacitation in so many people, especially if the individuals struggle to keep their joints moving.

What causes it?

Our joints can sometimes be stiff and sore due to inflammation, which in turn can result in us becoming sedentary. In turn, if we fail to keep moving, we can enter the vicious cycle in which we fail to exercise enough, causing our joints to become worse. This can lead to losing healthy muscle tissue. There are people who give up on their joints and fail to stay active, leading to early onset frailty.

Our muscles require daily protein to just maintain existing muscle tissue – a failure to consume enough protein a day will speed up muscle decline.

How can we manage it?

Exercising is the key to maintaining our musculoskeletal health as we age. It is the ‘silver bullet’ to all-round health and wellness, but it does take some effort.

Ensuring we eat enough protein is key. One of the main problems with this is actually trying to eat enough protein. The recommended daily intake is 100 grams, which is the food equivalent of around four chicken breasts or 18 eggs. This is why supplementation is a good idea.

Osteoarthritis explained

Significant supplements

Supplements like these below from FutureYou Cambridge containing Vitamin D are also beneficial for muscle health, though we are virtually all failing to get enough Vitamin D from both our diet and sunlight at the moment.

Zinc and magnesium are also needed for protein synthesis, so these are worthwhile supplements to maximise your muscle health.

Carly Pepperell

Carly gets to do everything under the sun, including writing, editing, taking photos, creating stories, and swanning around at launches. She can down a glass of Prosecco without pausing for breath, and aims to be the youngest Pulitzer winner ever.

The post Managing our musculoskeletal health appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Did you know marijuana has medicinal properties, reducing and curing afflictions such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, epileptic fits, Parkinson’s, dementia, migraines, chronic muscle pain and joint aches? Also that it could reduce the risk of diabetes, cataracts and glaucoma? And also alleviate sickness and nausea from treatments for cancer and AIDs, whilst increasing lost appetite?

So why is it still illegal for medical use in the UK today?

Let’s start with the drug and how it works…

The brain and immune system produce cannabinoids in our endocannabinoid system, which bind to the body’s receptors known as CB1 and CB2. Cannabinoids are what make up marijuana (around 120 different kinds), they lock onto our receptors and cause effects in our body. The two main cannabinoids in marijuana are:

THC
THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the component in marijuana that gets you high. It is also responsible for the analgesic pain relieving, anti-emetic, anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory properties of medical cannabis. Due to its psychoactive properties THC is illegal for medicinal use in the UK and is only available on the NHS in a synthetic form ‘Sativex’.

CBD
CBD (cannabidiol) is the component in marijuana that is responsible for having anti-psychotic, anti-seizure, and anti-anxiety properties. CBD is legal to sell in the UK but under strict licensing laws, and it is not allowed to be licensed as a medicine, but a dietary supplement. It must contain less than 0.2% THC.

They don’t really want you to get high, do they?

The law in the UK has been keen to very clearly distinguish between THC and CBD, making one legal only in a synthetic form, and one legal as long as it is isolated from the other. However, there is evidence to show that when ingested from the plant as it naturally occurs, THC and CBD are much more effective when given together.

High levels of THC without CBD can cause abdominal pain, dizziness, confusion, depression, nightmares, speech difficulties, chills, sweating, and even psychological and physiological dependence. Studies show that the two cannabinoids working in synergy together are much more effective.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]To kill yourself smoking it, you’d have to smoke at least 20,000 above average-sized joints in about 15 minutes[/perfectpullquote]

It’s nearly impossible to overdose on THC from cannabis. If you were to do it from edibles such as brownies or food with cannabis oil in, you’d be more likely to die from the sugar and salt first; and to kill yourself smoking it, you’d have to smoke at least 20,000 above average-sized joints in about 15 minutes.

The long and short of it is that cannabis is extremely safe (safer than its synthetic counterparts) and safer than opioids, nicotine and alcohol combined. You cannot die from it.

Sounds great so far… are there any cons?

Well, if you were to ask Theresa May, she’d say that marijuana can lead not only to psychosis and schizophrenia, but it is also a gateway drug to other substances such as crack cocaine or heroin. However, this is an antiquated and out dated argument against the legislation or decriminalisation of medical cannabis.

There is in fact more recent research to show that marijuana can be a massive help to those trying to come off harder drugs, e.g. withdrawal from heroin or alcohol addiction and that it in no ways leads people to get onto them. Though there is reason to think that THC may cause psychosis if taken in excessive quantities, CBD is thought to have anti-psychotic properties and can in fact be used to treat schizophrenia.

In countries where marijuana is legal, crops are grown with higher CBD content, such as Charlotte’s Web, so you can have little to no high but all the benefits of CBD, thus no risk of psychosis.

One of the many benefits of medical marijuana as opposed to ‘street’ versions is that there’s often a lower THC content

Marijuana can have effects such as euphoria, laughter, relaxation and increased hunger or ‘the munchies’. (Check out these ladies trying marijuana for the first time). It can also give some people dizziness, hallucinations and sickness, or maybe a lack of motivation and disinterestedness in tasks; but one of the many benefits of medical marijuana as opposed to ‘street’ versions is that there’s often a lower THC content, so you will get more of the benefits and less of the knockout.

There is also no evidence to suggest those who smoke marijuana are at greater risk of lung cancer, but if that is a worry, there are many ways to consume it that involve no smoking, such as vaping, edibles, oils, serums and rubs.

Oh, and did I mention that when Colorado legalized marijuana, over 18,000 jobs were created and it added $2.4 billion to the economy? They made so much in tax they were considering giving $7 back to every resident.

So cons, maybe not so many.

Then why is it illegal?

Though it may be legal for medicinal use in Italy, Switzerland, Australia, Puerto Rico, Poland, Czech Republic, Canada, Croatia and decriminalized in Spain, Netherlands, Slovenia, Jamaica and Chile, and legal for medical and recreational use in 29 US states… maybe the UK is just slow on the uptake on the medical and economic benefits of marijuana?

Wrong. A new report from the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board has exposed that the UK is in fact the largest producer and exporter of cannabis in the world. This doesn’t seem to sit with the British government’s stance that “cannabis has no medical properties,” and its refusal to remove it from a Class B categorisation.

As to the actual why… well, we don’t really know. Dr Henry Fisher, policy director at drug policy think-tank Volteface, spoke to LADbible last year, and was posited this exact question.

“We’re left in this interesting situation, and there’s no other policy or criminal sense quite like it, where what the reality is and what the rhetoric is, is so different.

“If you read any drug related story in which there’s a statement from the Home Office it says the same thing ‘drugs are illegal and are bad for people in communities’ and that’s why they’re illegal.”

Is that a good enough reason?!

To sum it all up: pot facts about medical marijuana

1. It is impossible to overdose on THC from the cannabis plant, unless you can smoke 20,000 joints in 15 minutes
2. It is safer than synthetic versions
3. It can help with all sorts of ailments
4. The UK is the biggest exporter for medical marijuana in the world, yet it remains illegal here
5. Marijuana has been used medically for thousands of years. In 2700BC, the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was said to have discovered the healing properties of marijuana
6. In 1000BC in India marijuana was mixed with milk and used as an anaesthetic
7. It was also used in ancient Greece as a remedy for earache, oedema, and inflammation
8. Shakespeare used it, George Washington grew it and Queen Victoria used it for menstrual cramps
9. It was not considered bad until prohibition in the 1930s, with the real reasons for its denouncement being heavily tied up with racial tensions, fear of the paper industry from hemp and immigration (link).

Surely it’s time for a change

The stigma around marijuana being a “harmful drug” is tied up with control, fear, and who can be benefited economically (or perhaps who will lose money – pharma, I’m looking at you). The evidence is there, the pros (and cons) are clear.

If you think marijuana should be legal for medicinal use in the UK, you can write to your local MP, or sign this petition.

Still not sure? Have a look at this guy with Parkinson’s taking a small dose of cannabis oil

HAVE YOUR SAY

Should cannabis be decriminalized for medical use? Is keeping it illegal a nonsense? Or should we still be keeping this controlled substance safe in case drug use gets out of hand? Comment below, and let us know your thoughts…

Lilly Subbotin

The post Isn’t it time to say yes to medical marijuana? appeared first on Silver Magazine.

It seems cruel to us as humans that something as precious as life can be taken away so suddenly and often without good cause or reason. This has led to people dedicating their lives to discovering a way to, if not avoid death, have a chance to be resurrected in the future.

A chance to try again.

So, what exactly is cryonics?

Cryonics is the process of deep-freezing the body of a person who has just died, with the hope that they’ll be able to be successfully revived sometime in the future.

Using temperatures below -130 degrees, cryonics attempts to preserve sufficient brain information through either cryopreservation (freezing with a cryoprotectant), or by vitrification, in order to avoid ice damage.

Is it actually possible?

As it stands, scientists have insufficient technology to repair or regenerate the tissues that will have been damaged from the cryopreservation process. The brain especially would need molecular analysis that we simply cannot carry out at this present time, or even in the near future.

For revival to be successful, scientists would need to be able to repair damage from lack of oxygen, cryoprotectant toxicity and thermal stress; not to mention that they would need to reverse whatever had caused the individual to die in the first place!

Are we messing with the natural lifespan too much?

Some scientists believe that head preservation is the most viable and cost-efficient option for those wanting to live on after death. A controversial procedure, there are only three facilities in the world that offer to freeze your brain for you. Russian company KrioRus are the cheapest (although you may not want to cut costs for this one!), offering ‘neuropreservation’ at a bargain price of £10,000.

So, let’s say for argument’s sake that this could actually work. Your body has ceased to be, but your head, your brain and your memories have been saved. Where would your physical head go? Would you trust a future generation not to take advantage of your lack of a body?

It’s not outside the realms of possibility to assume that only the ultra-rich would have sufficient funds to pay for the technology needed to revive your head. And what about your actual memories? If science has yet to develop the technology to sustain your physical head, it’s likely that your actual memories will have been downloaded onto a computer.

Think Black Mirror’s ‘Black Museum’ episode. If you haven’t seen it, in a nutshell, it shows the dangers of having your mind downloaded by a third party. And this of courses raises more questions: again, would you trust a future generation to act morally and have your best interests at heart?

Why do we fear death and seek immortality so readily?

Fear of death largely stems from fear of the unknown. What happens next? Where do we go? Surely this cannot be it? We’re born, we live, we die? There must be more to it than that.

It’s the one thing in life that we can be certain of happening to each and every one of us, yet we don’t really know what happens. This can be a terrifying thought for some, and leads to the relentless desire to find an alternative.

However, what is the future if not the unknown?

We cannot even begin to imagine what the world around us will be like in fifty years’ time, let alone in another century or two. From the way society is heading now, it’s not inconceivable to expect a dystopian future where the world is overpopulated, and resources are sparse.

There’s no way of knowing when you would be woken up; what year, decade, or even what century. Would you be able to cope with that? Isn’t it better to just prepare for your natural end?

A world and life with none of your family and friends; all that you once held dear to you would be a distant memory. Unless you’ve chosen to have your whole family frozen, but even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be revived together, or that each person’s resurrection would be a success.

On a more positive note…

It’s fair to say that modern medical procedures and advancements would seem incredulous, and, in some cases, terrifying to someone whose life was coming to an end 100 years ago. Mouth to mouth resuscitation, a common practice now, was invented a mere 62 years ago; but before then, this simple life-saving procedure was completely unheard of.

Can you imagine what your grandparents would have said if you told them that, in the near future, someone could successfully have a double hand transplant? (This was first achieved in 2004, by the way). I’m guessing that they would have laughed their heads off at you (pun intended).

It’s entirely possible that, in the future, you could be placed in a body that’s superior to your current one; immune to disease, free from sickness, stronger. We can’t say for certain what will be possible in the future.

What we can be sure about is the here and now. Without sounding like a walking cliché, perhaps it’s better to embrace the life we have now, live each day to the full, cherish each moment with our loved ones, and make each day count. For what is the alternative? An uncertain future based on a series of unproven theories.

And if you’re still unsure, you should know that Simon Cowell is planning to have his body frozen. Do you really have much faith in anything this man believes in?

What do you think? Would you want to be frozen after death and brought back to life in the future? Join the debate #Cryonics #FrozenInTime #Life #Death

For more information check out the Institute, or Alcor

Tabatha Fabray

The post Cryonics: Can you really cheat death, and would you want to? appeared first on Silver Magazine.