A Simple Boost for Healthy Aging 👉

🧐 Check this out ➡️ The first study to look at the long-term effects of protein consumption during midlife!!

Protein is essential for bone and muscle health, both of which can decline with age.

But the results of this study say that “protein intake was significantly associated with higher odds of healthy aging.”

🙌🙌🙌

Plant-based protein was also associated with good mental health status and a lower risk of limitations in physical function.

This was based on data from 48,762 women younger than age 60 who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study.

Want some simple ways to boost protein intake?

🔹 Grab nuts instead of chips.

🔹 Toss chickpeas on your salad.

🔹 Add a high-quality protein powder to your smoothie.

🔹 Spread nut butter on fruit

If you want to see more posts like this on research-backed ways to optimize your health,

Like this post ❤️ and be sure to tap FOLLOW!

Reference

Ardisson Korat AV, Shea MK, Jacques PF, et al. Dietary protein intake in midlife in relation to healthy aging – results from the prospective Nurses’ Health Study cohort. Am J Clin Nut. 2024. Published 2024 Jan 17. [link]

How to Combat the Aging Brain [New Study] 🧠

This one is for anyone who cares about their memory as they age 🧠

🗞️ The just-released COSMOS-Web Study asked this question: Can flavanol supplements benefit the aging brain?

Flavanols are naturally occurring compounds in plant foods that have antioxidant and health-promoting properties, but not everyone eats enough 🍎🍇🍫

Building on over 15 years of research, the current study assigned 3500 healthy older adults to take a daily flavanol supplement (or placebo) for 3 years. The supplement contained 500 mg of flavanols, including 80 mg of epicatechins.

The results?

✅ Memory scores improved slightly for everyone taking the daily flavanol supplement.

✅ Memory scores improved most significantly (by 16%) in those who were consuming a poorer diet and had lower baseline levels of flavanols.

✅ Even more importantly, memory improvement was sustained for at least two more years

Think of it like this:

Just like the developing brain of newborns and small children requires specific nutrients for proper development, so too does the aging brain require specific nutrients for optimal health.

Now we know flavanols are some of those key brain nutrients.

Reference

Brickman AM, Yeung LK, Alschuler DM, et al. Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and lower habitual flavanol consumption. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023;120(23):e2216932120. [link]

Sleeping Less than 5 Hours Per Night? Read This.

💤 Sleeping 5 hours or less per night? 

New research on the health of 70,000 men and women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, showed a link between 5 hours or less per night and disease risk. 

Compared with those who slept 7 hours per night, those who slept only 5:

⬆️ were 20% more likely to be diagnosed with a chronic disease at age 50

⬆️ were 40% more likely to be diagnosed with 2 or more chronic diseases over 25 years

⬆️ had a 25% increased risk of death over 25 years

The study was published in PLOS Medicine. It relates to the series we’re doing this month on circadian rhythms and is a good reminder of how important it is to get a good night’s sleep!

If you need help with sleep, please book an appointment so we can help!

Reference

Séverine Sabia, Aline Dugravot, Damien Léger, et al. Association of sleep duration at age 50, 60, and 70 years with risk of multimorbidity in the UK: 25-year follow-up of the Whitehall II cohort study. PLOS Medicine, 2022; 19 (10): e1004109. [link]

The Scoop On Collagen Supplements

Collagen supplements are becoming more and more popular, but do you know which type is best to take?

Collagen is a protein found in the connective tissue of the body—including the skin, hair, nails, bones, muscles, and joints. It’s naturally produced in the body, but collagen production slows with age. 

That’s why people are turning to collagen supplements to support their skin, hair, joints, and bones as they get older. 

Let’s look at 5 forms of collagen supplements

1️⃣ Type I Collagen

Type I collagen is the most abundant protein found in humans and an essential building block of skin💋 

2️⃣ Type II Collagen 

Type II collagen is the main type found in cartiliage, making it necessary for joint health🏃 

3️⃣ Type III Collagen

Type III collagen works synergistically with type I to support skin health and is also needed to strengthen bones🦴  

4️⃣ Type V Collagen

Type V collagen works synergistically with type II to support joints and is also concentrated in the hair👩‍🦰 

5️⃣ Collagen Peptides (Hydrolyzed)

When a collagen product says it’s hydrolyzed, that means the protein has been broken down into smaller peptides for better digestive absorption. This also makes them easy to dissolve in liquids☕ 

So, the best type of collagen for you depends on your health goals. Plus, many products come as a mixture of collagen types. 

💊 Collagen supplements can be taken as powders, capsules, or liquids. You can dissolve collagen powder in cold or hot beverages (even your morning coffee) or mix it into foods like yogurt or oatmeal. 

Drop me a comment if you’re already taking it! ⤵️ 

Understanding Risk Factors for Dementia

🧠 Dementia. 

It’s one of the most tragic and terrifying things to witness in others and something nobody ever wishes to face themselves. 

While there are some risk factors we cannot control (like age and genetics), there are others that we CAN. 

📋 Now we have a new study showing that dementia risk increases from eating a diet high in processed foods.

Let’s look at the details. 

The study looked at data from more than 72,000 adults over the age of 55 in the United Kingdom. None had dementia at the start of the study, and they were followed for 10 years. 

🔹 Ultra-processed foods made up 9% of the diet in the lowest group and 28% of the diet in the highest group. 

🔹 For every 10% increase in daily intake of processed foods, there was a 25% higher risk of dementia.

🔹 Replacing 50 grams of processed foods with 50 grams of unprocessed foods (like an apple or a serving of corn) reduced dementia risk by 3%.

This was an observational study, which means it does not prove that processed foods cause dementia. It only shows there is an association between the two. 

Still. 

🍎 What do you have to lose by replacing a can of soda with a piece of fresh fruit?