Longevity. We all want it, except why does aging have to go along with it?
As we age we increase our risk for developing conditions like heart problems, cardiovascular disease, and stroke; type 2 diabetes; high blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides; obesity; osteoporosis; and cancer.
Not to mention frailty, balance problems, osteoarthritis, erectile dysfunction, cognitive decline, dementia, loss of fertility, and insomnia. The rate of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and mood problems like depression and anxiety may also rise with age. For women, the transition into menopause can bring symptoms like hot flushes, mood swings, weight gain, hair loss, and changes in sex drive.
Luckily, geriatric medicine has made a lot of progress in understanding the aging process.
Even more, researchers continue to develop new tools to treat diseases – and to prevent them from occurring in the first place. While there is an undeniable genetic component in the risk of developing disease, there is also much you can do, through the lifestyle choices you make every day, to reduce your risk.
Eating a healthy diet, not smoking, drinking modest amounts of alcohol, and exercising regularly actually work to keep you feeling younger longer, and more and more evidence shows just how they work, on a molecular level. Here you’ll find basic information along with the latest developments and cutting edge research on aging, illness, and prevention.
Enjoy.
