H E A LT H & M E D I C A L
YOUR BODY WILL
CHANGE AS YOU AGE
Building Strength and Longevity After Forty
By Robert Drapkin, MD FACP
Robert Drapkin, MD FACP
and organs. the testes, ovaries, kidneys
and liver lose cell numbers relatively
early during the aging process; and
your muscles, soft tissues and bones
are among the first parts of your body
to show measurable changes. Distinct
muscle changes begin to occur in humans
once we turn forty. We lose skeletal
muscle mass as we age and become
weaker. older muscle is also less efficient
at protein synthesis than the younger
muscle of the same size and weight. this
decrease in muscle mass and strength
as we grow older leads to decreased
activity and a more sedentary lifestyle.
this age related change in muscle mass
and strength leads to a less active
lifestyle and a concomitant increase in
body fat in a vicious cycle.
Body fat also measurably increases
as we grow older. there are only three
variables that we can control with regard
to a healthy life – diet/food; activity/
exercise; and supplements/medicines.
However, there are many things that
can be done to alter this situation. i
have been researching these matters
for 17 years and can summarize the
cycle easily as shown in the graph on
the opposite page.
Most of us think about food based
upon what we were taught early on in
our lives and then from the media.
Marketing companies spend billions of
dollars in an attempt to alter our eating
habits. We all assume we know what is
healthy to eat. However, due to the fact
that most people have no idea of what
foods are really healthy, insulin-resistant
diabetes, heart disease, and obesity
have become major health problems.
Since there is no diet that fits everyone
equally, it is necessary that your food
choices become part of your lifestyle so
that you can achieve your health goals
that will last you a lifetime. Your diet
is the pathway to good health throughout
your life. therefore, your diet
should not be designed as a race to lose
weight; since, if it were a race, it would
be won by the turtle and not the hare.
You must think of your diet as small
We Are Born, We DeveloP,
we decline, and we die. the
purpose of my writing is to
help you prolong the “develop” and
delay the “decline” by building muscle
through exercise, diet, and beginning to
understand how your body works.
the most important aspect of good
health and longevity is knowledge. We
inherit the genes of our parents and are
conditioned by them what to eat, as we
mimic their lifestyle, at least in our early
years. to improve ourselves, we need
to learn from their mistakes and apply
the new knowledge that is available
today. now, there is an epidemic of
obesity leading to an epidemic of metabolic
diseases. All of these problems
can be prevented or lessened with the
new findings that have been published
in scientific journals around the world.
Modern medicine prefers to palliate
metabolic syndrome, hypertension,
insulin resistant diabetes, and hyperlipidemia
with simple medications.
However, many of these problems can
be eliminated by lifestyle changes if
you are motivated and understand
how your body works.
An aging cell loses the ability to divide
and dies. this is important because
cells collectively make up your tissues
WIN WOLLOFF
90 tAMPA BAY MAgAzine MAY/JUne 2015