Interacting with more people is shown to keep older adults more active

IMAGE: Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that older adults who spend more time interacting with a wide range of people were more likely to be physically... view more 

Credit: University of Texas at Austin

It's been said that variety is the spice of life, and now scientists say variety in your social circle may help you live longer. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that older adults who spend more time interacting with a wide range of people were more likely to be physically active and had greater emotional well-being.
In a paper out Feb. 20 in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, researchers found that study participants who interacted more with family members and close friends, as well as acquaintances, casual friends, service providers and strangers were more likely to have higher levels of physical activity, less time spent sitting or lying around, greater positive moods and fewer negative feelings. It is the first study to link social engagement with physical activity throughout the day.
"Adults often grow less physically active and more sedentary as they age, and these behaviors pose a risk factor for disease and death," said Karen Fingerman, a professor of human development and family sciences at UT Austin and the director of the university's new Texas Aging & Longevity Center. "It is difficult to convince people to go to the gym or commit to work out on a regular basis. But they may be willing to reach out to acquaintances, attend an organized group event, or talk to the barrista who serves them at their favorite coffee shop. Socializing in these contexts also can increase physical activity and diverse behaviors in ways that benefit health without necessarily working up a sweat."
The researchers asked study participants about their activities and social encounters every three hours for about a week. Participants also wore electronic devices to monitor their physical activity. Fingerman and the team observed that during the three-hour periods when participants were engaging with a greater variety of social partners, they reported engaging in a greater variety of activities such as leaving the house, walking, talking with others, or shopping. They also engaged in more objectively measured physical activity, and less time being sedentary.
Previous studies have shown that close social ties, like family and close friends, can be beneficial to older adults by providing a buffer against stress and improving emotional well-being. Researchers had not examined physical activity or the benefits of more peripheral social ties.
This study showed those acquaintances or peripheral ties may encourage older adults to be more physically active, a key factor that has been shown to contribute to physical and emotional health, as well as cognitive ability.
"Older adults may be able to be more sedentary with their close friends and family -- sitting and watching TV or otherwise lounging at home," Fingerman said. "But to engage with acquaintances, older adults must leave the house, or at least get up out of their chair to answer the door."
The study included more than 300 adults over 65 years old who lived in the Austin metro area and controlled for factors such as age, race, gender, marital status, education and ethnicity.
"Prior research on aging has focused almost entirely on the benefits of social connection with close social ties such as a spouse or an adult child," said co-author Debra Umberson, sociology professor and director of UT Austin's Population Research Center. "This new research relies on truly novel data that capture both the amount and quality of contact with all types of people that the elderly encounter throughout the day -- and the results show us that these routine encounters have important benefits for activity levels and psychological well-being. This new information suggests the importance of policies and programs that support and promote routine and informal social participation."

Combining morning exercise with short walking breaks helps control blood pressure in older overweight/obese adults, especially in women

Thirty minutes of morning exercise lowers blood pressure for the rest of the day among older men and women who are overweight or obese. And women who take brief, frequent breaks from sitting throughout the day can enhance the blood pressure benefits of morning exercise even more, according to new research published in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.
In a study of men and women, age 55 to 80, all of whom were overweight or obese, researchers wanted to find out whether the beneficial effect of morning exercise on blood pressure was negated by long periods of sitting throughout the rest of the day. They also wanted to learn whether the benefit of morning exercise would be enhanced by taking frequent, short breaks from sitting.
"Traditionally, the health effects of exercise and sedentary behavior have been studied separately. We conducted this study because we wanted to know whether there is a combined effect of these behaviors on blood pressure," said Michael Wheeler, B.Sc., lead author of the study who is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Western Australia in Perth and works at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia.
To conduct the study, the researchers had 67 participants (35 of whom were women) take part in three different scenarios, in a random order, separated by at least 6 days:
uninterrupted sitting for 8 hours; one hour of sitting prior to 30 minutes of exercise, followed by 6.5 hours of prolonged sitting (exercise consisted of walking on a treadmill at moderate intensity); and one hour of sitting prior to 30 minutes of exercise, followed by sitting which was interrupted every 30 minutes with 3 minutes of light intensity walking for 6.5 hours. The study was conducted in a controlled laboratory environment, and the participants ate the same standardized meals the night before and during the study. Blood pressure and adrenaline levels were measured repeatedly during each 8-hour condition.
The researchers found that average blood pressure, especially systolic blood pressure, was reduced among both men and women who took part in morning exercise, compared to when they did not exercise. There was further benefit--a significant reduction in average systolic blood pressure - for women when they combined morning exercise with frequent breaks from sitting throughout the day. For men, there was no additional blood pressure benefit to taking frequent breaks from sitting.
Systolic blood pressure is the first of two numbers when blood pressure is taken. It measures pressure in blood vessels when your heart beats. Diastolic blood pressure is the second number, which measures pressure between beats. Wheeler says that over age 50, higher systolic blood pressure is more predictive of cardiovascular events than diastolic blood pressure.
The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology hypertension guidelines define high blood pressure as 130/80 and above.
"For both men and women, the magnitude of reduction in average systolic blood pressure following exercise and breaks in sitting, approached what might be expected from antihypertensive medication in this population to reduce the risk of death from heart disease and stroke. However, this reduction was greater for women." said Wheeler.
The researchers do not know why there was a gender difference, but think it may be a combination of factors, including varying adrenaline responses to exercise and the fact that all women in the study were post-menopausal - a time when women are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Breaks in sitting have been shown in other studies to have a greater beneficial effect on blood pressure among groups with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Wheeler.
The researchers conclude that the benefits of exercise on lowering blood pressure can be enhanced by avoiding prolonged periods of sitting and add that future studies should specifically test for gender differences in blood pressure with breaks in sitting alone.
"Having the study participants begin with exercise was intentional," according to Dr. Wheeler, "because we wanted to focus on the novel aspect of combining exercise with breaks in sitting. However, it means that we cannot say for sure that breaks in sitting alone had no blood pressure lowering effect in men, as any effect could have been masked by the preceding effect of exercise."
Future studies would be needed to see if the same benefits would apply to younger people and those who are not overweight. But, according to Wheeler, "As the proportion of those who are overweight with higher blood pressure increases with age, adopting a strategy of combining exercise with breaks in sitting may be important to control and prevent the development of high blood pressure."

Evening exercise will not ruin sleep and might even reduce appetite

Must cook dinner. Need to pick the kids up from school. Have to catch up on my favourite TV series. Live too far from the gym. Any of these sound familiar? With growing time demands, many middle-aged adults are finding time to engage in exercise increasingly difficult. For many, even the thought of fitting exercise in after a busy day at work can be as tiring as it is unappetising. The standing belief that high-intensity exercise should be avoided in the early evening due to its effect on sleep only serves to act as another barrier to exercise at this time.
However, encouraging new research published in Experimental Physiology has suggested that 30 minutes of high-intensity exercise performed in the early evening does not negatively affect subsequent sleep, and may also reduce feelings of hunger.
Researchers at Charles Sturt University in Australia recruited eleven middle-aged men to complete three experimental trials to investigate sleep and appetite responses to exercise performed in the morning (6 - 7 am), afternoon (2 - 4 pm) and evening (7 - 9 pm). Participants were required to perform high-intensity cycling involving six one-minute, maximal intensity sprints interspersed by four minutes of rest. Blood collections were taken prior to exercise and following exercise to examine appetite-related hormones, and multiple tests were performed during sleep to assess sleep stages.
The results not only showed that evening exercise did not have a detrimental impact on subsequent sleep, but also that afternoon and evening high-intensity exercise were associated with greater reductions of the hunger stimulating hormone, ghrelin. It is important to note that a single bout of exercise was not linked to reduced hunger, but nevertheless, the observations from this study support high-intensity exercise early in the evening as a viable time-of day for exercise.
As this study's sample size was relatively small, the findings extrapolated to other population groups beyond middle-aged men may be limited, given that sleep and appetite regulation are influenced by sex and age.
Penelope Larsen, lead author of the study, commented said:
"In the future, we hope to conduct similar studies recruiting women, to determine whether sleep and appetite responses may be different depending on sex. Also, this study only considered a single bout of exercise; therefore, it would be beneficial to investigate long-term sleep and appetite adaptations to high-intensity exercise training performed either in the morning, afternoon or evening."
Interestingly, power output during the sprint efforts was higher for the afternoon and evening trials compared to the morning trial, indicating that participants were able to perform better during latter parts of the day. Therefore, time-of-day may also need to be considered when planning training schedules."

Not enough protein

IMAGE: This infographic explains the amount of protein men and women need at different life stages. view more 

Credit: Abbott

• Research reveals more than 1 in 3 Americans 50+ aren't meeting the recommended protein intake and it's saying a lot about their diets and health
• Timing matters - eating protein evenly throughout the day, and even before bedtime, can support muscles for optimal health

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., February 20, 2019 -- Walk into any grocery store and you'll find high-protein products dominating shelf space throughout the aisles. The benefits of protein are well established, and it's widely recognized as a key nutrient to a healthy, active lifestyle. However, despite its popularity, a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, shows that more than 1 in 3 adults 50-plus are missing the mark on protein, and it's saying a lot about their overall diet and health.¹
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers from The Ohio State University and Abbott evaluated protein intake in relation to diet patterns and functional outcomes in 11,680 adults aged 51 and older. The analysis revealed that protein consumption is a strong indicator of adults' overall diet, nutrition and physical well-being:

• Shortcutting protein is hurting your diet: Adults who weren't getting enough protein had overall poorer quality diets - they ate less healthy foods like greens, beans, dairy and seafood, and weren't consuming enough of other important vitamins and minerals like choline, vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D.
• Meal skipping may be part of the problem: More than 40 percent of adults who did not meet the protein recommendation ate fewer than three meals per day.
• Adults are majorly missing the mark: Of those not meeting their protein intake, one third were up to 30 grams of protein short per day. For a 160-pound healthy adult, who needs at least 58 grams of protein a day, this is more than half of their daily needs.²
• Protein signals strength and energy: Those not meeting the protein recommendation were more likely to encounter physical limitations, such as sitting for long periods or getting into or out of bed.

''Despite the protein craze in America, the data shows there's still a big gap in adults' protein intake,'' said Christopher A. Taylor, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor at The Ohio State University and study author. ''Not only were they significantly lacking, but this research was looking at intake against current dietary recommendations, which don't take into consideration activity, age and illness, when adults may need even more protein.''
MAKING PROTEIN A PRIORITY Getting the right amount of protein daily is critical, but when and how often it's consumed also has a major impact on health. Research shows the benefits of spacing protein intake throughout the day. For example, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that spreading protein more evenly across three meals a day can help adults increase muscle strength.³ Studies also suggest that before bed snacking may not be a bad habit if it includes protein.⁴ A study published in the Journal of Nutrition concluded a pre-bedtime snack with 40 grams of protein had a positive effect on muscle health in older men.⁵
''The power of protein is sometimes underestimated,'' said Abby Sauer, M.P.H., R.D., registered dietitian at Abbott and healthy aging expert. ''As the building blocks of our muscles, protein plays a role in every aspect of our lives - from providing energy to run 5 km, to giving us strength to get out of a hospital bed. There are simple steps adults can take - like including protein at each meal - that will have a long-lasting impact on overall health.''
Luckily, eating enough protein at the right times and getting regular exercise, can help preserve muscle strength and function.³ While experts agree that adults need more protein as they age⁶, upping your protein doesn't have to be hard:

• Add protein-toppers to meals: Spread hummus on your turkey sandwich, add diced chicken to your pasta or toss beans into your salad.
• Snack on protein: Instead of reaching for a handful of pretzels, opt for a protein option like nuts, Greek yogurt or string cheese.
• Scrutinize your plate: Make sure you are including protein foods, like chicken, seafood, eggs, nuts, beans or dairy, and aim for about 25-30 grams per meal. For example, 30 grams of protein equals a cup of turkey chili topped with shredded cheese and a whole wheat roll.
• Incorporate nutrition drinks: Protein shakes, such as Abbott's Ensure Max Protein, are a great option for adults who aren't able to get enough protein through food or need an easy, on-the-go option.
• Amp up intake if you're 65+: Some adults may need up to two times more protein than younger adults,⁴ so add in protein snacks, like one before bed or supplement your diet if needed.

Keeping active in middle age may be tied to lower risk of dementia

Keeping physically and mentally active in middle age may be tied to a lower risk of developing dementia decades later, according to a study published in the February 20, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Mental activities included reading, playing instruments, singing in a choir, visiting concerts, gardening, doing needlework or attending religious services.
"These results indicate that these activities in middle age may play a role in preventing dementia in old age and preserving cognitive health," said study author Jenna Najar, MD, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. "It's exciting as these are activities that people can incorporate into their lives pretty easily and without a lot of expense."
The study involved 800 Swedish women with an average age of 47 who were followed for 44 years. At the beginning of the study, participants were asked about their mental and physical activities. Mental activities included intellectual activities, such as reading and writing; artistic activities, such as going to a concert or singing in a choir; manual activities, such as needlework or gardening; club activities; and religious activity.
Participants were given scores in each of the five areas based on how often they participated in mental activities, with a score of zero for no or low activity, one for moderate activity and two for high activity. For example, moderate artistic activity was defined as attending a concert, play or art exhibit during the last six months, while high artistic activity was defined as more frequent visits, playing an instrument, singing in a choir or painting. The total score possible was 10.
Participants were divided into two groups. The low group, with 44 percent of participants, had scores of zero to two and the high group, with 56 percent of participants, had scores of three to 10.
For physical activity, participants were divided into two groups, active and inactive. The active group ranged from light physical activity such as walking, gardening, bowling or biking for a minimum of four hours per week to regular intense exercise such as running or swimming several times a week or engaging in competitive sports. A total of 17 percent of the participants were in the inactive group and 82 percent were in the active group.
During the study, 194 women developed dementia. Of those, 102 had Alzheimer's disease, 27 had vascular dementia and 41 had mixed dementia, which is when more than one type of dementia is present, such as the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer's disease along with the blood vessel changes seen in vascular dementia.
The study found that women with a high level of mental activities were 46 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and 34 percent less likely to develop dementia overall than the women with the low level of mental activities. The women who were physically active were 52 percent less likely to develop dementia with cerebrovascular disease and 56 percent less likely to develop mixed dementia than the women who were inactive.
The researchers took into account other factors that could affect the risk of dementia, such as high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes. They also ran the results again after excluding women who developed dementia about halfway through the study to rule out the possibility that those women may have been in the prodromal stage of dementia, with less participation in the activities as an early symptom. The results were similar, except that physical activity was then associated with a 34-percent reduced risk of dementia overall.
Of the 438 women with the high level of mental activity, 104 developed dementia, compared to 90 of the 347 women with the low level of activity. Of the 648 women with the high level of physical activity, 159 developed dementia, compared to 35 of the 137 women who were inactive.
Limitations of the study are that mental and physical activity were assessed only at the beginning of the study and that all of the participants were white Swedish women, so the results may not be representative of the general population worldwide.

Routine dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids may be beneficial for hypertension control in healthy individuals, but may increase risk of hypertension in patients with diabetes Kanazawa University

IMAGE: Participant characteristics in different blood pressure groups. Continuous variables are presented as mean (standard deviation). For continuous variables, we used Student's t-test to examine sex differences; for categorical variables, we... view more 

Credit: Kanazawa University

Kanazawa, Japan - Hypertension is an important public health problem that can lead to life-threatening cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke. Many studies have attempted to understand the complex relationship between dietary factors and hypertension; none have provided a clear explanation of the interaction between hypertension and dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids (a building block of fat), until now.
In a new study published in Nutrients, a research team from Kanazawa University investigated the relationship between dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids and hypertension, using blood pressure measurement and a diet history questionnaire, and found that the relationship between dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids and hypertension was influenced by diabetes status.
"There have been conflicting reports of the relationship between dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids and risk of hypertension," says Hiroyuki Nakamura, corresponding author on the study. "Metabolites of n-6 fatty acids can lower blood pressure in a manner influenced by blood glucose levels. Therefore, we suspected that the relationship between dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids and risk of hypertension might be affected by glucose tolerance, which is impaired in patients with diabetes."


In the study, the researchers found that the relationship between dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids and hypertension differed according to whether subjects had diabetes; in healthy subjects, high intake of n-6 fatty acids was significantly associated with hypertension, whereas high intake of n-6 fatty acids was inversely associated with hypertension in subjects with diabetes.

"Our analyses revealed a relationship between dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids and glycated hemoglobin in the blood (our definition of diabetes), which has not been previously established," says Haruki Nakamura, lead author on the study. "A previous meta-analysis showed that higher intake of a diet rich in linoleic acid (the main fatty acid in the n-6 fatty acids class) was significantly associated with higher risks of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and coronary heart disease in subjects with cardiovascular disease. Therefore, our results indicate that n-6 fatty acid intake may have no cardiovascular benefit in subjects who are at risk for cardiovascular disease or diabetes."
In addition to the reduction of hypertension associated with increased dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids by healthy individuals, the researchers showed no benefit, and possible hypertension-related harm, from increased dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids by patients with diabetes.
Hypertension is an important risk factor for a variety of destructive cardiovascular injuries. This study showed that increased dietary intake of n-6 fatty acids could positively impact the risk of hypertension, but that this benefit is limited to individuals who do not have impaired glucose tolerance.

Best Choices for Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids (Linoleic Acid)

• Flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed meal.
• Hempseed oil, hempseeds.
• Grapeseed oil.
• Seeds such pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds.
• Nuts, including pignolia (pine) nuts and pistachios.
• Borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant see oil.
• Acai.

Women with a strong social support network may be at lower risk for heart disease

Having good friends can save your life, as a study based on data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) demonstrates how strong social support may reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in postmenopausal women. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Although rates of CVD morbidity and mortality have declined in recent decades, CVD remains a primary cause of death in Americans. Traditionally thought of as primarily a man's disease, women's rates of CVD have nearly caught up to men's rates (35.9% of American women have CVD vs 37.4% of men).
With so many people affected by CVD, there has been tremendous research on its various risk factors (although much of the focus to date has been on traditional risk factors such as smoking and hypertension). A few studies have focused on the effect of social support, but this recent study is the largest to date to evaluate the effect of social support on CVD and all-cause mortality in women.
After nearly 11 years of follow-up with participants in the WHI, researchers concluded that in women free of CVD at baseline, perceived social support is associated with a slightly lower risk of all-cause mortality. Although the association is described as modest, it remains significant. No major association was observed in women with a history of CVD. The researchers hypothesized that these results demonstrate the benefits of social support in either promoting stress relief or helping to buffer stressful life events. However, they have indicated that further clarification and investigation are necessary.
Study results appear in the article "Perceived social support and the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study."
"This study found a small but significant association between perceived social support and mortality in women without prior cardiovascular disease," says Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, NAMS executive director. "If psychological or social support can help prevent heart disease in women, we need further studies to determine what support would be most helpful."