Combating the Negative Effects of Aging with Health Optimization

Health optimization is a long game, and none of us are getting any younger. As you head into your 30s and 40s, you may wonder how to ensure you remain healthy and strong as you age. While it’s impossible to halt the process of aging entirely, there are many ways to combat its adverse effects by optimizing your health. 

Keep reading to learn our top strategies for combating the negative effects of aging with health optimization.

Is Health Optimization for Aging Possible?

In short, yes. While some factors determining your health status as you age are genetic, most factors contributing to quality of life are your physical and social environments and lifelong health behavior. 

Behaviors like exercise, healthy eating, NOT smoking, and regular health maintenance appointments with your medical provider can all have long-term positive effects on how your body ages. 

Maintaining healthy behaviors throughout life can reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases, improve physical and mental capacity, and even eliminate or delay the need for dependent care as you age. 

In addition to these basics, comprehensive health diagnostic tests can help you gauge your baseline levels so you can adjust accordingly and optimize your health both now and in the future. 

The most common health issues associated with aging

Beyond the normal wrinkles and gray hair, getting older can come with health issues. Biologically, the inevitable molecular and cellular damage that happens in your body over your lifetime can lead to gradual physical and mental deterioration, increasing your risk of disease.

Heart Health

Heart health issues are some of the most common health-related problems that people experience as they age. Aging can cause increased stiffness of the arteries and blood vessels, which forces the heart to work harder and puts you at greater risk for high blood pressure and its negative impact.

People over the age of 65 are significantly more likely to have a heart attack, experience a stroke, or develop heart disease and heart failure. Age can also lead to arrhythmias and the need for a pacemaker.

Health Optimization for Heart Health

While your family history can increase your risk of heart disease, a heart-healthy lifestyle can help you avoid or at least delay these serious health concerns. Consistent physical exercise, a healthy diet, and reducing stress as a young and middle-aged adult can slow the negative impact of aging. 

Beyond these common healthy behaviors, diagnostic labs that test your hormonal function, metabolic health, lipids, and organ health are essential for determining your risk factors for heart issues later in life. With baseline results, you’ll have a clearer picture of the healthy behaviors, supplements, and nutrients you can add to your daily regimen to reduce your risk of health issues as you age. 

Memory and cognitive skills

As with most other areas of the body, your brain changes as you age, which can result in typical age-related memory issues. Even the healthiest older people may forget information or misplace items more than they did in their younger years.

However, age-related forgetfulness doesn’t always equate to a serious memory problem like dementia or Alzheimer’s. Memory issues can also stem from unrelated conditions like head injuries, blood clots or tumors, thyroid, kidney, or liver problems, and low levels of essential nutrients.

Ways to Optimize Your Memory 

Low levels of essential nutrients like vitamin B12 can lead to memory issues. We recommend regular vitamin testing to ensure you get adequate levels of all necessary vitamins. If you’re deficient, adding foods rich in vitamin B12 and taking supplements under the guidance of a healthcare professional are two simple ways to reduce your risk. 

Comprehensive diagnostic labs that test for clotting factors, oxidative stress, tumor markers, and organ function are a great first step in determining if you’re at risk for unrelated conditions that could affect your memory in the future. 

Weight 

As we age, metabolism can change and make it difficult to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Staying at a healthy weight as you age is essential because a high body fat percentage can increase your risk of health issues like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. 

On the other hand, being underweight or having low muscle mass as you age puts you at a higher risk of osteoporosis and anemia. 

Optimizing for weight loss

Whether you hope to gain weight or lose it, we recommend diagnostic labs that test for thyroid function, insulin levels, and hormone function. Working with a health coach can help you understand the interplay of your metabolic rates, hormones, and overall health factors to better strategize a personalized plan to help you reach and maintain your optimal weight.

Bone Loss and Aging

Bone loss naturally accelerates in midlife because bone breakdown begins to outpace bone formation. After age 50, the risk of osteoporosis increases dramatically as this bone breakdown weakens bone density. As bones weaken with age, people are significantly more susceptible to experiencing severe bone fractures, particularly of the wrist, hip, and spine.

A variety of medical conditions and medication side effects can put you at higher risk of low bone density and osteoporosis. Lung disease, cancer, and endometriosis can reduce bone density. Low calcium, vitamin D, potassium, or protein can significantly increase your risk of low bone density.

Safeguarding your bones

One of the best ways to combat the adverse effects of aging on your bones is to hit your daily calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and protein intake quotas. While calcium is the most essential nutrient for maintaining bone mineral density, vitamin D, potassium, and protein play essential roles in bone health.

We recommend regular vitamin testing, and Adjusting your supplements and diet under healthcare guidance as you age to optimize your bone health.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

Everyone wants to live a long, healthy life, and the best way to do that is to take care of your physical, mental, and cognitive health throughout your life. As with many health issues, aging-related health concerns are best treated with prevention. 

Start by checking your current health levels with Marek Health to learn where you could use some improvements and where you might be at risk. Then, book your free discovery call with a Marek professional to craft your plan for a long, healthy future.

Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your wellness routine.