How 'Healthy Aging' Starts at a Younger Age Than You Might Think

There are no meds that slow the aging process. It’s all about healthy choices. September is designated Healthy Aging Month to promote ways people can stay healthy as they get older. But healthy aging has no clear-cut starting age.

But even young adults in their 20s who are more likely to imbibe more often, whether it’s alcohol, fatty foods or more sedentary living, need to moderate or improve behavior sooner -- rather than later.

“There aren't any medications that slow down aging,” said Andrew Forster, M.D., internal medicine physician with Baptist Health Primary Care. “It's really about lifestyle. So, being active and eating a healthy diet are really the two big cornerstones for aging with good health.”

Dr. Forster, along with Natalia Miranda Cantellops, M.D., physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, are featured in a new Baptist HealthTalk Podcast: Healthy Aging: A How-To. Podcast host, Sandra Peebles, an Emmy award-winning journalist, asked Dr. Forster about a new study that found people age the most during two major bursts – around age 44 and age 60.

“No two people age the same way,” responded Dr. Forster. “So, that 44 probably comes from the fact that people in their 40s start to notice a little bit of trouble seeing with their vision and they have to get reading glasses. And to them that's getting old. But I don't know that there's a magic number at which people start to age. People probably have more arthritis as they get older and they think – ‘Now that I have arthritis, I'm old.’ But I everybody ages differently. I have plenty of old patients, meaning over 85, who are doing great and they feel young. A lot of it is attitude and how you feel.”

Ms. Peebles asked Dr. Miranda about young adults on social media “making jokes about being 35 or 40” and talking about back pain and cracking knees. “What are some of the ways that we can take care of our spine now so that we can be aging in a healthy way down the line?” asked Ms. Peebles.

“Definitely the biggest thing is going to be mobility,” explained Dr. Miranda. “Making sure you're getting your steps in and that you're not sedentary. A lot of times because of our work or nature of work, we are sitting down for long periods of time. We're used to taking the elevator. So, it’s anything that we can do to prevent being sedentary and really incorporating mobility into your daily life. For example, we should be walking around as much as we can -- like taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator.”

The American Heart Association’s "Life’s Essential 8" checklist refers to a scoring tool to measure heart health. The checklist covers healthy sleep, not smoking, regular physical activity, healthy diet, healthy body weight, and healthy readings of blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure.

Nonetheless, young and middled-aged adults tend to disregard the notion of healthy aging, as Ms. Peebles points out. Does unhealthy eating, too much drinking and not exercising affect our lives down the line, she asks?

“It definitely does,” responds Dr. Forster. “All that stuff is OK in moderation. Just don't overdo it. Just make healthy choices most of the time. Not smoking is always No. 1 -- always has been. I saw somebody this morning, 30-years-old, and he's smoking. In this day and age, when we know of all the health risks of smoking, people are still doing it. So, we still have a long way to go to get people to quit.”

Why Do More People in Global ‘Blue Zones’ Live to a 100

Another topic discussed was global “blue zones” – areas where people reach age 100 at a rate 10 times greater than in the United States. Blue zones have several factors in common. Two of the primary factors are a greater reliance on walking or cycling instead of depending on cars, and a bigger emphasize on plant-based diets.

Many of the blue zones follow the Mediterranean diet, which is highly rated by dietitians and focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes -- but makes allowances for lean proteins from fish and poultry. It strongly restricts red meat, overly processed meats and sugary drinks. The U.S. government’s dietary guidelines, also known as My Plate, focuses primarily on plant-based options.

“In blue zones there are a higher concentration of people who live happy lives well into a 100-years-old. What can we learn from this?” asked Ms. Peebles.

“The people in those blue zones -- the majority of them -- do not smoke,” responded Dr. Forster. “They eat a healthy plant-based diet, so very little meat. They have a good social network of family members and friends. So, you have people having communal meals. Nobody eats by themselves, and they are very active. Even in places like in Italy, you still see older people doing farm work and things like that. They're still very active, even if they're older.”

Added Dr. Miranda: “They're not driving an hour commute back and forth to work. They are walking to different places, and not just taking the car. And definitely the diet makes a difference. A lot of homemade things – and not eating out. Plant-based makes a big difference. We're so used to having that piece of meat … animal protein. And there's a lot of other proteins that don’t necessarily have to be animal-based.”