An article by Prof. Dámaso Crespo Santiago,
physician, psychologist, anthropologist, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the
Member of the board of directors of the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology ()
For popular knowledge, growing old is only a matter of time, but knowing how to grow old with optimal health conditions, both physical and mental, is something quite different. Aging represents the final stage of our life cycle as living beings. From the moment of fertilization, embryonic and fetal development, birth, childhood, adolescence and adulthood, a series of changes are taking place in our body that affect the development, maturation and start-up of the cells. physical and cognitive faculties that will determine, to a large extent, the quality of the years that comprise aging.
Now we are in a position to ensure that, although we are not very aware, various processes that occur in the aforementioned stages, prior to aging, will play a key role in its quality. For this reason we will divide two large sections the content of this article.
In the first place, we will pay attention to the FACTORS that ensure, during the stages prior to aging, appropriate functions, and later we will address what other FACTORS we can modify so that these functions are maintained in the aging process. best possible physiological statenot to lose faculties and if this process of loss occurs, keep it to a minimum and therefore its negative effects are not excessively evident.
Various processes that occur in the stages prior to aging play a key role in its quality.
During the stages prior to aging, a series of changes take place in our body that, as we have mentioned, will play essential functions in the quality and quantity of our longevity.
The FIRST FACTOR that plays a capital importance for our aging is the quality of our genetic load, that is to say the inheritance received from our parents by DNA. Currently it is known that certain genes play a protective role for our cells and therefore extend their longevity and functionality. There are numerous genes involved in these processes, but one of the most studied groups of genes are those that act on the lipid metabolism (fats). In fact, the appearance of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is correlated with genetic differences in the gene for the synthesis of lipoprotein A.
As we have commented, there is not (or we have not found) a single gene that determines human longevity, therefore, our longevity depends on the interaction of numerous genes. Population studies establish that genetics, that is, our DNA, determines, at best, 25% of the quality and quantity of our longevity. Since not all of us can have this great genetic quality, we must play with the remaining 75% and this is where we can act very actively.
The SECOND FACTOR, of which we are little aware since it occurs during our childhood and adolescence, is having a proper nutrition and schooling. It is known that an important factor when it comes to preventing diseases such as obesity, with its multiple harmful consequences for our future aging, is proper nutrition, which we are unfortunately abandoning, the so-called Mediterranean diet should be maintained throughout life.
we must also do adequate exercise to keep our musculoskeletal system in optimal conditions and thus prepare it for the aging phase. At this point it is important that women acquire a good store of calcium in their bones to alleviate the effects of loss of bone mass (osteoporosis) associated with menopause and thus avoid fractures that could be caused by a lack of bone mass.
As I have commented in this second factor I include the word schoolingbut we can replace it with mental training: learning new school subjects, reading, cognitive exercises, that is, everything that during these stages helps the development and enhancement of our brain activity, generating interneuronal synapses (connections) that facilitate learning and memory whose maintenance is so important during aging.
The THIRD FACTOR must be kept in mind because it already acts directly during aging, or retirement age. In these early phases we must have leisure and sports activities to help us maintain what has been achieved in the previous stages and if we had not acted previously now is the time to start these activities.
Must adjust the exercise to sample potentialitiesWe are no longer young and we should not push our chances too much, but we should get as close as possible. For those people who have led a more sedentary life, walking briskly at least three days a week for one hour will help them maintain their muscle function, avoid muscle atrophy (sacopenia) and oxygenate the brain.
In addition to physical exercise, we must perform brain exercise. Reading, doing crossword puzzles, word searches, Sudoku, etc., are very important activities to maintain neural connections and stimulate the synthesis of neurotransmitters that will help us in cognitive functions and the maintenance of learning capacity and reinforcement of the memory. Here physical and mental exercise come together, since physical exercise produces the synthesis and release by our neurons of stimulating molecules called endorphins and that help increase our mood.
The FOURTH FACTOR is the family-social environment. Today it is known that a welcoming and protective family-social environment for the elderly creates a very propitious climate for us to find ourselves in a organic state of well-being that helps in the quality of aging. Let’s try to maintain pleasant and enriching family and social relationships. The walks that we have suggested, if we do them accompanied by people we like and at the same time develop pleasant conversations, will play a very important role in our environment and in our own body. Visits, for example, to exhibitions and cultural centers accompanied by people we like are a highly recommended example of social interaction.
The FIFTH FACTOR is to maintain a methodical pace of life and adjusted to an established routine according to our needs. He break time should be appropriate, laziness and staying in bed should be eliminated. As we have mentioned, you must carry a healthy and balanced diet, following the Mediterranean diet is one of the most important factors for longevity. The amount of food, that is, the caloric intake, should not be high because, at this age, our body is not in the development phase and therefore a high intake is not necessary.
At this point I must highlight the importance of hydration. With the passage of time we lose the sensation of thirst and for this reason older people generally suffer from dehydration. We must get used to drinking water on a regular basis, if you can reach two liters throughout the day it would be ideal, but I understand that in the case of men who suffer from prostate and therefore have a high frequency of urination, this level of water intake is more compromised. But be that as it may, you should drink water, which I consider the best and most effective “medicine” against numerous diseases due to its detoxifying effects and elimination of toxins through urine.
The SIXTH FACTOR is related to the personal hygiene. Personal hygiene must be maintained to the highest of standards. The daily shower (sitting if you cannot do standing) represents a massage for our skin that facilitates circulation and has a relaxing effect. Frequent hand cleaning, short nails so that they do not accumulate dirt, oral hygiene to maintain the quality of the teeth and the saprophytic flora of the mouth, etc., are activities that should not be abandoned, everything Otherwise, we must be very active in personal hygiene. This COVID-19 pandemic that we are suffering is showing us the importance of hygiene.
The SEVENTH FACTOR is to never lose motivation to continue learning new tasks. The current pace of life means that for many people the continuous advance and development of the so-called new technologies: Internet, mobile telephony, etc., means that a large number of people are relegated in their activities. At present, almost all the activities and procedures are carried out electronically and I consider that here the authorities are abandoning the instruction of the elderly in these technologies.
For example, making an appointment at the health center represents a great obstacle for a huge sector of the population that is not active in these techniques or does not have the material means to approach them. Appropriate actions by the authorities in this sense are very necessary because it is a population in high risk of technological exclusion with the consequences that it determines.
The EIGHTH FACTOR for good aging is to ensure a appropriate economic level to be able to meet the needs of daily life: food, clothing, to be able to meet the cost of light water, etc. It is not the objective of this article to delve into the distribution system of social spending, nor is it our responsibility, but there is no doubt that The socio-economic level of people has a very important influence on their aging and its quality..
The NINTH FACTOR corresponds to ethical factors of each person. Various studies have shown that those people who carry out altruistic activities, such as helping third parties, forming support groups for the needy, deep-rooted ethical or religious beliefs, etc., are factors that help the quality of aging.
The TENTH FACTOR, and although it can be understood as something unscientific and serious, is very important for those who write this article, because if we have and comply with the nine factors mentioned above, this tenth factor, which is luckrepresents the icing on the cake of successful aging.
In this regard, I will tell you that I wish the students luck in life, because I know what knowledge and value they have for the development of their profession. Thus, in the end, a bit of luck in life is like the salt that we add to our stews to give them that exact point of flavor that flatters our sense of taste. in the same way that luck will flatter our aging process. But remember that the more we comply with the nine exposed factors, I am sure that the more we accumulate from the tenth factor.