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“Well Mrs. Foster, you can’t keep doing what you’ve been doing. There are going to be some changes you need to make, since your body is changing as well.”

The words of my mother’s doctor didn’t quite make sense to me at the time, but little did I know the changes he meant were going to affect our entire family. She had just turned 50, and didn’t find anything wrong with her current routine, but his suggestions were ones that were looking long term, towards a happy, healthy life.

Many women find that their lifestyle habits that worked well in their 20s and 30s don’t always result in the same outcomes as years continue to pass. Between hormones and hot flashes, there is lot that changes in these years that can increase risk for heart disease and stroke. But the following tips are designed to help maintain your weight, keep a healthy heart, and a strong and happy life!

Consider B12

B12 is a vitamin needed to support healthy blood and nerve cells
As we age, it becomes more difficult to absorb certain nutrients, including B12
Try to get your daily dose from fish and other lean meats or a supplement if vegan or vegetarian

Be Salt Savvy

About 72% of salt in the American diet comes from processed foods
Diet plus age puts us at increased risk for hypertension and heart disease
Aim for about 1500 mg or less of salt per day
Try switching salt for some flavorful herbs and new recipes
Reducing processed foods also means more whole foods, helping you to stay fuller longer

Watch Iron Intake

The average woman begins experiencing menopause around age 50
This means the body’s iron needs are significantly decreased
Check your multivitamin for iron, and ask your doctor if the levels are too high
While the body needs iron, too much can cause liver and heart damage

Calcium is Your Friend

Vitamin D and calcium in the body begin to decline around age 40
More post-menopausal women are at risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures
It’s never too late to start adding rich sources of calcium into your diet:

 Spinach
 Broccoli
 Kale
 Low Fat/Fat Free milk and yogurt

Go Mediterranean!

As we age, our blood vessels become less elastic
This means women in or beyond menopause are at an increased risk of heart disease
Studies have shown that adding Mediterranean eating habits into one’s diet can be especially helpful in prevention and associated with longer survival without disease
This includes a large consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and moderate wine

Of course, you don’t have to be 50 to use these tips for yourself and your family member, you can start today! It’s never too late to adopt some of these practices. While it would be a great stress relief to go on a cruise to the Mediterranean, it’s an even bigger one to know that your habits now will help your heart down the line.

Multiple Sclerosis: Facts and Findings

Roughly 2.5 million people in the world have Multiple Sclerosis (MS), according to the World Health Organization. As stated in the Harvard Gazette, MS is a central nervous system disease, which can wreak havoc on an individual’s:

muscle control
strength
vision
balance
feeling
thinking

According to the National MS Society, a neurologist is usually the leading doctor who makes the diagnosis of MS and leads or refers other healthcare professionals in the effort to provide comfort, function, independence, health, and wellness to the patient.

MS works as an autoimmune disease

The immune system normally uses inflammatory cells to protect people from bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections. But, in the case of autoimmune diseases, instead of protecting, they attack healthy tissue.

Scientists and researchers are continuously seeking connections between genetic and environmental factors and the risks of developing MS. Environmental research often seeks what factors may cause an increase or decline of symptoms.

Two interesting studies were completed on the effects of high salt intake and vitamin D deficiency.

Of Mice and Men

A study was performed by Dr. David Hafler, a professor of neurology and immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine, which reflected that giving mice a high-salt diet caused the rodents to produce a type of infection-fighting cell that is closely associated with autoimmune diseases. The mice on salt diets developed a severe form of multiple sclerosis, called autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Hafler’s study help explain how “helper” T-cells can drive autoimmune diseases by creating inflammation. Salt seems to cause enzymes to stimulate the creation of the helper T-cells, escalating the immune response, as reported in Health Day 03-06-2013. as reported in Health Day 03-06-2013.

But can we translate these findings to be true of men? Stay tuned…

According to Reuters, Hafler now has permission to test this on humans with MS by reducing their salt intake. Although it may be years before anything is proven, Hafler said, “If I had MS, I would think very much about not eating processed foods and really cutting down my salt intake.”

The “Sunshine Vitamin” In our ever-increasing controlled temperature environments and heavy use of sunscreen, when we do venture outdoors, our modern population is strikingly Vitamin D deficient.

According to the Harvard Gazette, January 2014, researchers analyzed data from 465 MS patients from 18 European countries, Israel, and Canada who, in 2002 and 2003, enrolled in the BENEFIT (Betaseron in Newly Emerging Multiple Sclerosis for Initial Treatment) trial in which they found the benefits of adequate vitamin D levels in early stage MS patients to patients who were Vitamin D deficient included:

57 percent lower rate of new brain lesions
57 percent lower relapse rate
25 percent lower yearly increase in lesion volume
Lower loss in brain volume

The results suggest that vitamin D has a strong protective effect on the disease process underlying MS, the researchers said.

In support of these findings, the National MS Society reports that MS is known to occur more frequently in areas that are farther from the equator.

Sources:

Harvard Gazette January 20, 2014

Health Day 03-06-2013

http://www.nationalmssociety.org

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/06/us-salt-disease

Fit, 50+ and Fabulous

Multiple Sclerosis: Facts and Findings

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