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AGING WELL

Making nutrition a core part of a healthy aging plan can help adults live healthy, active lives.

HEALTHY LIVING

6 Ways to Maximize Nutrition

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6 Ways to Maximize Nutrition

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Nutrition and health go together. After all, it's food that fuels every cell in your body and supports your muscles for strength. Optimizing your diet to maximize your health doesn’t have to be difficult. By focusing on a variety of foods and nutrients, you can help support your strength, and energy.

Here are six strategies to improve your nutrition decisions. 

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Rejuvenate Muscle Health 4 Things You Didn't Know About Muscles

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Rejuvenate Muscle Health: 4 Things You Didn't Know About Your Muscles

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They get you out of bed each morning, power playtime with your kids and carry you across race-day finish lines. But as much as you use your muscles, there's a lot about them that you probably don't know — yet.

Here's a look at four surprising, obscure and cool things to know and love about your muscles, as well as guidance around harnessing your newfound knowledge to rejuvenate muscle health from head to toe. 

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Minding Our Muscles for Immune Health

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Minding Our Muscles for Immune Health    

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Our immune system is always at work, protecting against unwanted microbes or infections. And while our immune system is always operating, it is not usually top of mind unless one is sick or trying to avoid a virus. Following good-health guidelines – like eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly and getting adequate sleep – are natural ways to keep the immune system strong and healthy. But should we also be considering our muscle health when thinking about our immunity?

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Benefits of Protein for Older Adults in Preventing Falls and Fragility

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The Benefits of Protein for Older Adults in Preventing Falls and Fragility

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If you're an older adult, the occasional fall may not seem that serious. However, you might be surprised to learn that falls are the leading cause of injury and injury-related death among older adults in the United States. Considering that more than one in four older Americans experience at least one fall every year, according to an Abbott study published in OBM Geriatrics, it's crucial to take steps to protect yourself as you age.

While changes in vision, balance and reflexes can increase your odds of experiencing a fall, you might be able to reduce the risk of falling by harnessing the benefits of protein. Health experts are now finding that consuming adequate protein might help protect older adults from recurring falls, fragility and other effects of aging.

Here's what you need to know about this research and the advantages that protein offers aging adults. 

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8 Ways Muscle Loss Impacts Health | Abbott Nutrition

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8 Ways Muscle Loss May Impact Your Health

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Are you tired by the time you reach the top of the stairs? Have you been ill or hospitalized and lost weight recently? Are you walking slower than normal? These can all be signs of muscle loss, and it's more common than you might think.

Advanced muscle loss, or sarcopenia, affects one in three adults ages 50 and older, according to Age and Ageing review.

"You have more than 600 muscles in your body, which account for up to 40 percent of your body weight — that's almost half of you," explains Suzette Pereira, Ph.D., a researcher specializing in muscle health at Abbott. "While aging is natural, losing too much muscle is not and can directly impact your mobility, strength and energy levels, immune system, and even organ function."

Because muscles are intrinsically linked to so many systems, research published in The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine argues that a person's muscle mass is a far better predictor of health than BMI, orbody mass index.

What are the risks of losing too much muscle? Read on to learn about the impacts and then check out “5 Ways to Age-Proof Your Muscles” for simple diet and exercise strategies to stay active and strong – so you can do the things you love. 

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Five Ways To Preserve Muscles As You Age

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5 Ways to Age-Proof Your Muscles

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Did you know that people over the age of 40 may lose up to 8 percent of their muscle mass per decade? And the rate of decline may double after the age of 70.

Advanced muscle loss, or sarcopenia, affects nearly 1 in 3 people over the age 50. Not only are muscles important for everyday physical tasks like picking things up, reaching for something, opening a jar or getting up off a chair, but healthy muscles are essential for organ function, skin health, immunity and your metabolism. In other words, maintaining muscle mass as you age is essential for prolonging a happy and healthy life.

"Muscle loss is the aging factor that's rarely discussed and people accept its signs, such as loss of strength and energy, as a natural part of aging," explains Suzette Pereira, Ph.D., a researcher specializing in muscle health with Abbott. "But muscle health can often tell us how we are going to age, and stay active and independent."

The good news is that with the right steps you can help prevent or slow any muscle loss. While aging is natural, muscle loss doesn't have to be inevitable.

To stay strong as you age, start following the tips below to fuel and keep muscles fit for years to come!

Stay Strong as You Age 

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What is HMB and Why Could it be Important for Aging Muscles?

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Why HMB is Important for Aging Muscles

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When it comes to keeping your muscles strong and healthy, you probably know that protein and exercise are important—especially as we age and in times of illness or recovery. But research shows that a little-known compound, HMB, is beneficial to muscle health too. 

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Get a Grip on Sarcopenia and Aging

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Get A Grip On Aging

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We've all battled with a jar lid that just won't budge. Maybe we tried banging it on the counter or holding it under hot water, and if all else failed, we probably asked someone for help. When they opened it on the first try, we joked that we loosened it for them.

Over the years, it might start to feel like these stubborn lids are getting stronger — and more common — but for many people, the problem is that their hands and bodies are simply getting weaker. 

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8 Protein-Rich Foods to Add to Your Diet

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8 Protein-Inspired Breakfast and Snack Ideas

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Getting the right amount of protein in your diet is important for healthy living. Protein is in every cell in the body from our muscles, to our organs, skin and even our hormones. It helps with muscle building, strength and energy and eating enough is important to keeping your body running smoothly.

However, recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from researchers at Abbott and the Ohio State University found that more than 1 in 3 of adults over 50 years old are not getting the daily recommended amount of protein they need. And because we may begin to naturally lose muscle after we turn 40 — as much as 8 percent of overall muscle mass every decade — getting enough protein as we age is even more important. 

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Are You Eating Enough Protein Every Day?

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Study: U.S. Adults Over Age 50 Not Eating Enough Protein

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We all know that muscles look good, but did you know they help keep us healthy, active and energized? And the best way to keep them in shape are regular exercise and sufficient protein intake.

But recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from researchers at Abbott and the Ohio State University found that more than 1 in 3 of adults over 50 years old are not getting the daily recommended amount of protein they need. 

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NUTRITION IS THE FOUNDATION FOR LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE. THAT’S WHY WE WORK HARD TO ADVANCE AND SHARE THE LATEST SCIENCE AND CREATE BETTER WAYS TO NOURISH YOUR BODY AT EVERY STAGE OF LIFE.

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