A Yearly Birthday Health Assessment is Good!

Every year when my July birthday swings around, I take the time for a bit of life assessment. And part of that evaluation is to be certain that I am taking care of yearly health tests and evaluations, and hopefully doing well with lifestyle habits. A recent study conducted by researchers at Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago reinforces the importance of health habits and reduced risk of dementia in later years. Here is more from this study published online in The British Medical Journal.

The study included data on 2,440 adults, aged 65 years and older. They were assessed for Alzheimer dementia, as well as their engagement in five lifestyle habits:

• Eating a brain-healthy diet
• Late-life cognitive activities
• Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
• No smoking
• Light-to-moderate alcohol

For those adults who were engaged in four to five healthy habits, their life expectancy beyond 65 years was 24.4 years. They lived three years longer than those adults with zero to one healthy lifestyle habit. And, they spent fewer years with Alzheimer dementia.

There are no promises of good health as we age, but we can certainly move the needle in our favor with the lifestyle habits that we choose to be engaged in. And so much of the damage to organs happens without our knowledge. We don't feel high blood pressure causing wear-and-tear on the artery walls, making them more receptive to plaque build-up. We do not feel inflammation in the body and brain arteries. When we skip a day or two of activity we don't feel a blood pressure or glucose rise.

When it is your birth month, take a few minutes to assess your lifestyle habits. Like me, you probably want to be able to do all that you hope to do in your later years with brain function intact! That means:

• Daily exercise.
• Healthy food choices with an emphasis on plant foods.
• Social and mental engagement to use that brain power.
• No smoking.
• Light on the alcohol.

And of course, be sure to:

• Go to your scheduled health care provider appointments.
• Have the recommended tests and assessments (colonoscopy, mammogram, etc..
• Take any medications that have been prescribed.
• Get a good night of restful sleep. 

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About the Author

Rita Smith is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She's been working in the field of nutrition and disease prevention for more than 35 years and currently works at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Va. Each week, Rita provides nutrition counseling to clients who have a variety of disorders or diseases including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroparesis and weight management. For these clients, food choices can help them manage their health problems.