Osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases: Susceptibility to these diseases increases from midlife. Luckily, you can counteract this with a few simple measures.
osteoporosis: Bones become brittle with age
It is normal for bone density to decrease with age. at osteoporosis (bone loss) this process is accelerated. Bone loss begins earlier in women than in men. Due to the hormonal changes during menopause, the estrogen level decreases. The sex hormone is an important bone protector. Bone resorption is therefore accelerated in women from the age of 50. Every third woman and every fifth man over the age of 50 suffers from osteoporosis.
Preventing osteoporosis: tips
You can help prevent osteoporosis or the progression of bone loss with a healthy lifestyle. Exercise regularly. the bone must be stressed so that the bone metabolism is active and bone-strengthening calcium can be built into the bones.
Structure of healthy bone (left) and bone breakdown in osteoporosis (middle and right) (Source: cosmin4000/Getty Images)
It is best to exercise outdoors. The body needs sunlight to be able to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D, on the other hand, is important for transporting calcium to the bones. With a calcium-rich diet you ensure the supply of minerals. Do not smoke. The toxins contained in cigarettes have a negative effect on bone metabolism.
Mellitus diabetes: Diabetes often comes after 45
This also increases with age Diabetes-Risk. With diabetes Mellitus diabetes In type 2 (adult-onset diabetes) there is a lack of insulin and the effect of insulin in the body’s cells is reduced (insulin resistance). According to the German Diabetes Foundation (DDS), the life expectancy of a 50-year-old man with diabetes is 5.8 years shorter than that of a man without diabetes.
For 50-year-old women it is 6.5 years. Risk factors for adult-onset diabetes that cannot be influenced include being over the age of 45 and genetic factors. But there are influences that can be controlled.
Prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus: tips
The major modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes include being overweight (obesity), lack of exercise, an unbalanced diet, high blood pressure and smoking. According to the DDS, a healthier lifestyle not only helps prevent diabetes, but can put existing diabetes into “a dormant state.” Experts recommend a healthy diet and sufficient exercise – at least 30 minutes of exercise a day – and not smoking.
Sugar, fat and soft drinks should only be consumed in moderation. However, being healthy fiber, such as those found in abundance in vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grain products. According to the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), dietary fiber from whole grain products in particular has a positive effect on the cholesterol concentration in the blood and “reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus with probable evidence”.
cardiovascular diseases: From the age of 50 the risk increases
The risk for cardiovascular diseases also increases with age. According to statistical surveys, the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases from the age of 45 Coronary heart disease (CHD) and Heart attack. Significant dangers for the heart are high blood pressure and deposits on the vessel walls (arteriosclerosis/ vascular calcification). The deposits (plaques) increase the risk of life-threatening blood clots and make the vessel walls rigid and rough.
You lose elasticity. Permanently high blood pressure values expose the blood vessels to high pressure and damage them in the long term. According to the German Hypertension League eV, fifty percent of heart attacks and strokes avoidable if timely something against a too high blood pressure would be made.
Preventing cardiovascular disease: tips
Sufficient physical activity and a balanced diet with plenty of fresh ingredients help to prevent high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Those who do not smoke also score points with extra vascular protection: According to the German Stroke Foundation, smokers have about twice the risk of a cerebral infarction and a two to four times higher risk of cerebral hemorrhage than non-smokers. The harmful substances in tobacco attack the blood vessels.
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