Gerontologists have been scrutinizing a wide range of nutrients with an eye toward their role in aging processes. Calcium and vitamin D, for example, help reduce the thinning of bones that accompanies aging in almost everyone but particularly in older women, many of whom are at high risk for osteoporosis. Another nutrient, vitamin E, may be critical to the immune system, while beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E appear to fight oxidative damage. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging found deficiencies among elderly people in calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, vitamins B6, B12, D, and E, and folic acid, a finding confirmed at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. Nutritionists point out that precisely what the RDAs should be for older people is not clear.
Exercise is a powerful health promoter at any time of life.
These residents increased their leg muscle strength by 174 percent and their muscle size by 9 percent after only 8 weeks of weight-lifting exercise. More importantly, as we have expanded this research to a much larger group of volunteers through the support of grants from the National Institute on Aging and others, it is clear that such training can improve walking speeds, mobility, independence in daily activities, and reduce dependence on canes, walkers, and wheelchairs in some individuals. At a cellular level, we now have preliminary evidence that this increased muscle function is accompanied by the actual growth of new muscle fibers, a finding never before demonstrated after strength training. After the test was over I was able to walk around the center without any assistance, and it made me feel very proud that I could do that. It made me feel younger and gayer.