Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. If you've had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body and can reactivate later in life as shingles at any age, though most commonly after 50. While caused by the same virus, shingles and chickenpox are not the same illness. They present differently because, while chickenpox is the initial infection, if and when the virus reactivates, it travels along nerve pathways to the skin, producing shingles.
As we age, several things happen simultaneously in our skin. Antioxidant defenses in the skin decline, the composition of our sebum changes, and our cumulative UV exposure and environmental stress increase oxidative damage in the skin. As these things are weakening the skin, 2-nonenal has an opportunity to make its presence known.
Loneliness is more common among older adults because they're often not in contact with people through routine activities like work. Isolation is associated with increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke, depression and premature death.
Researchers administered one of four doses of stem cells to 118 people between 70 and 85 years old, all of whom had frailty. In a timed walking test nine months after treatment, those who had received the highest dose could walk about 60 metres farther, on average, than they could before treatment.
As you age, your body gets less efficient at repair and recovery, as your: Immune system gradually loses some of its resilience Digestion slows Chances of chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis increase Retirement can also impact your health in complex ways. While stepping away from work often reduces stress, it may lead to less physical activity and fewer social interactions-both of which can raise your health risks.
It got me thinking. While everyone's obsessing over the latest fitness trends and biohacking protocols, these folks have been consistently moving their bodies for decades. No fancy equipment, no Instagram-worthy routines, just simple habits they picked up long before movement became a multibillion-dollar industry. So I started asking around, digging into research, and talking to people who've stayed active well into their golden years. What I found wasn't revolutionary or complicated. It was refreshingly simple.
Remember when you first noticed your parents' hands trembling slightly as they poured coffee or signed a check? I started paying attention after my mother mentioned it during one of our Sunday calls, brushing it off as "just getting older." But that conversation sent me down a research rabbit hole that revealed something fascinating: those tiny tremors that appear after 60 aren't always what they seem, and knowing the difference between normal aging and something more serious could change everything.
Most people think walking faster and taking longer strides equals better exercise. After all, covering more ground should mean burning more calories and getting fitter, right? But here's what I've learned after interviewing physical therapists and orthopedic specialists over the years: that aggressive, overextended walking style is actually one of the worst things you can do to your knees, especially after 50.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to exercise - doing a variety of different physical activities every week is the key to boosting your health and living longer, a study suggests. After tracking the weekly exercise habits of 110,000 men and women in the US for 30 years, researchers found active people who did the greatest variety of exercise were 19% less likely to die during that time than those who focused on one activity. That effect was greater than for individual sports like walking, tennis, rowing and jogging. The total amount of exercise you do is still key, experts say, but doing a range of activities you enjoy can bring lots of benefits.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dorenne Simonson, 66, who is her granddaughter's kinship care provider in New Jersey. Simonson has parented her since she was two months old. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I've always been in a situation where I had to spend whatever I made. There's no retirement account when you're single and raise five kids by yourself.
Sometimes it's a fall that brings a broken hip and a loss of mobility. Or memory problems that bubble into danger. Or the death of the partner who was relied upon for care.The need to move to a nursing home, assisted living facility or another type of care setting often comes suddenly, setting off an abrupt, daunting search. It's likely something no one ever wanted, but knowing what to look for and what to ask can make a big difference.
Let's talk about something nobody warned us about: watching our mothers navigate their sixties with medicine cabinets that look like small pharmacies. Mine started complaining about joint pain last year, then fatigue, then that her doctor kept mentioning bone density. Every visit seemed to add another supplement to her routine, but half the time she wasn't sure if they were actually helping or just expensive placebos.
"As we get older, the immune system is shifting away from good inflammation," which is the body's short-term, acute response to fend off injury or infection and promote healing, explains Dr. Thomas Marron, one of the researchers leading the new study. Marron directs early phase clinical trials at The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
