It s just a number

The doughty Reeva Forman, when interviewed by the FM recently on retirement, said: "That word doesn't exist for me. As far as I'm concerned, age is the last barrier of discrimination and we have to fight it."



Forman sums up the new attitude to ageing: though our grandparents and even our parents settled into complacent middle age at 40 and old age at 60, today's older generation aren't letting anything - least of all the numbers on a birth certificate - stop them doing what they want to do, from skinny-dipping in Barbados to getting a tattoo.

Now 60 is the new 40, and 30 the new 20.



Society will not stop you acting your age but your health or finances may. Which is why the baby boomers - convinced there are few things in life you cannot influence or control - are taking on the fight against age, ageing and ageism, using all possible tools to delay the inevitable. The advances made by science, psychology, conventional and alternative medicine and their own conviction that you only live once means they are reinventing the second half of life. In the US, an estimated $50bn/year is spent on anti-ageing.



In SA we have embraced the trend enthusiastically, with more people opting for treatments such as Botox and cosmetic surgery to undo what time, and perhaps neglect, have wrought. The resistance to these solutions and the stigma attached to them are waning, with more men willing to have injections into their face, or going under the surgeon's knife.



Though the precise effects of anti-ageing medicines may seem difficult to measure, the number of trials being conducted to prove their effectiveness is increasing, says Dr Craige Golding, an anti-ageing specialist at the Park Lane Clinic in Johannesburg.



The way to slow down ageing appears to be a combination of increasing the behaviours that promote health and extend your lifespan, and avoiding or restricting those that compromise health and accelerate ageing and death.



1. Nutrition. According to Heather Bird, chair of the Anti-Ageing Conference, held annually in London, and president of HB Health, a diet low in essential nutrients and high in modern processed foods reduces performance and increases stress levels. Most Westerners eat too much protein; you should limit portions to the size of your palm. Bird frowns on cutting out carbohydrates, advocating building meals around complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, whole-grain cereals, brown rice, pulses and fruit. Mono-unsaturated fats such as avocado and olive oil, and polyunsaturates such as sunflower oil and oily fish will help reduce cholesterol. Saturated fats, found especially in dairy products, should be limited to about 100 g/ day. Calorie restriction - while eating nutrient-dense foods - is central to life extension. Refer to the Life Extension Foundation website, www.lef.org.



2. Physical activity. No surprises here either; the more you move the younger you will be. Bird recommends especially aerobic exercise - swimming, jogging and walking - but fitness trainers advocate weight-bearing exercises and resistance training, too. Stretching keeps you supple: yoga teachers seem to live to extraordinary ages and be youthful and sprightly all through it. Exercise helps keep your brain sharp: University of Illinois researchers found that men who regularly worked out lost less brain tissue than men who didn't. Drs Robert Goldman, chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and Ronald Klatz, its co founder and president, cite a study published in 1995 which tracked 9 777 men aged 20-82 and found that physically unfit men who became fit had death rates 44% lower than those who remained unfit. "Physical exercise, in whatever form, increases the level of the male hormone, testosterone, within the body. Experts say that this hormone strengthens the muscles and bones of the human body."



3. Supplementation. The best way to find out which supplements you need is to consult a physician or dietician, who will pick up deficiencies through blood tests. Golding says resveratrol, found in grape skin and seed extracts, is becoming recognised as a miracle anti-ageing supplement. "Resveratrol does pretty much what a low-calorie diet does for you. Also, clinical trials are showing that it reduces inflammation, switches off cancer genes, and switches on longevity genes called sirtuin genes. Animal species studied so far show extension of life." The merits of royal jelly are often praised; the Banting Institute of Ontario, on analysing it, found it to be rich in proteins and vitamins of the B complex and especially in pantothenic acid, the vitamin B which has been associated with longevity and with restoring grey hair to its original colour. For over-the-counter remedies, try Solal Technologies products, starting with Solal 3-Per-Day, which provides micronutrients in optimal doses, working "on a cellular level to replace tissue, remove toxins and boost energy".



4. Keep stress levels down. "Stress-proof your life with nutrition and exercise; include periods of relaxation into your programme; keep a strong social support group," says Bird. Pursuing relaxing activities such as meditation, gardening and hobbies also helps with stressproofing.



5. Natural bio identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Goldman and Klatz claim BHRTs have the same chemical structure as their counterparts that occur naturally in the human body and are therefore able to replicate fully the original functions with little or no adverse side effects. They recommend a baseline level test first by a GP, and regular monitoring. Golding says testosterone treatment is indicated in male andropause, and in the prevention of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. He says he also prescribes applying dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a natural steroid prohormone, through tablet or cream form when it is deficient. "DHEA production begins declining in your late 20s," he says.

A precursor to other sex hormones like oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, DHEA decreases cholesterol and the formation of fatty deposits, helps prevent blood clots, increases bone growth, promotes weight loss, increases brain function, boosts a sense of wellbeing, helps you deal with stress, supports the immune system, helps your body repair itself and maintain tissues and decreases allergic reactions." DHEA, according to Dr Samuel Yen, reproductive endocrinologist and principal investigator of a DHEA study at the University of California at San Diego, is "a drug that may help people age more gracefully". When taking DHEA, 82% of women and 67% of men scored higher in tests rating their ability to cope with stress, their quality of sleep, and their basic well being. Women in menopause or perimenopause can try Solal's Hormone Balancing Natural HRT, as well as products containing phytooestrogens, black cohosh and dong quai, says clinical nutritionist Jean-Francois Sobiecki.



6. Get sufficient antioxidants in fruit and vegetables to fight damaging free radicals. For best results, Sobiecki recommends supplementing with 2 000 mg of vitamin C a day as well. Golding says: "The most popular theory of ageing is the free radical theory of ageing due to cell damage caused by free oxygen species radicals. This damage can be diminished through antioxidant use. To name a few: vitamins A and C; vitamin E full-spectrum tocopherols and tocotreinols; co-enzyme Q10; quercetin; lycopene and beta carotene." Solal says its Advanced Cellular Anti-Oxidant combines all the most important antioxidants, including grape seed extract and green tea extract "for complete free-radical protection".



7. Get up early in the morning. Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that early-morning light raised levels of luteinising hormone (LH) by 70%. LH is involved in the production of testosterone, a hormone that can help men build muscle, cut fat and raise mood.



8. Engage in early detection and regular screenings so as to identify, prevent and intervene effectively in disease, say Goldman and Klatz. Diseases whose impact can be better managed through early detection include Alzheimer's, stroke, Parkinson's, osteoporosis and cancers.



9. Limit or cut out toxins. These include smoking, alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the skin and cause damage to the liver. To counteract their effects, drink 1L of water a day. Solal's Curcumin is said to reduce tobacco's damaging effects on lungs, and Solal Silibinin protects the liver from alcohol.



10. Stay sexy. According to the A4M website, the benefits of having sex include an increase in the supply of oxygen to the cells, stimulating the activity of various organs and systems within the body, a reduction in bad cholesterol, pain relief, protection of the prostate gland, physical energy and hormonal increase. Needless to say, it enhances your relationship with your partner and improves mood, too.

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