Ageless Body

Aging is a fact of life. But who doesn't remember that special person who seemed to never grow old? Why do some people make it to 80, even 90, with vim and vigor, while others seem to lose their zip at 50 or 60?

While we can't turn back the clock, we can do our best to slow the relentless tick, tick, tick of the passing years. Many factors influence lifelong health. We can't do much about some of them, like choosing to be born to parents with longevity genes, but most aging problems probably are preventable. Here are a few of them.

Diet. Women who eat between four and ten servings of fruits and vegetables per day reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by between 20-30%. Women without any cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes or hypertension, fared even better. It's probable that this, in addition to the antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and plant hormones found in food plants, other enzymes and hormones that protect the plant from fungus or help to pollinate it, can help prevent disease in humans.

Stress management. The body responds to threats by producing hormones that change the physiological reactions - the famous "fight or flight" response. This response, which includes profound stimulation of the adrenal glands and sympathetic nervous system, also causes increased respiration, blood pressure, blood sugar and heart rate. If the stressful environment is prolonged the effects of the body's powerful stress hormones can be damaging, promoting conditions such as elevated cholesterol, ulcers and diabetes.

Sleep. Toss and turn all night? Changing sleep patterns in midlife could be costing you as much as 75% of a hormone known to prevent aging, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Anything that you can do to improve the quantity and quality of your sleep will stand you in good stead for a lifetime.

Exercise. Don't take brain function decline lying down. Get up and exercise. Duke University researchers maintain that aerobic workouts can improve high-level brain functions in those over 50.

Aerobic exercise has been demonstrated to be as effective as medication in treating major depression, as well as improves memory and the ability to plan, organize and juggle different intellectual tasks. Scientists speculate that better flow of oxygen-rich blood to specific regions of the brain might be responsible. They are optimistic that exercise could help slow the brain's aging process.

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