Maintain an Active Lifestyle for Good Health

An active lifestyle is an essential ingredient in the recipe for life-long health.  It should come as no surprise that active seniors have better metabolism than those that are not active.  

A new study, published in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine (2008;101:713–21) found that older people are less likely to have the cluster of markers that indicate metabolic syndrome—excess abdominal body fat, poor blood sugar control, high triglyceride levels, and low HDL (”good”) cholesterol levels—as well as better insulin sensitivity when they maintain an active life.

Scientists think that the individual components of metabolic syndrome are likely to have a single cause: insulin resistance. In people with insulin resistance, insulin’s signal that blood sugar levels are high is not picked up by the cells.

Disruption in this critical feedback mechanism results in chronically elevated insulin levels (and sometimes high blood glucose levels), which then contribute to increased fat deposition in the abdomen, increased triglycerides, negative changes in blood lipids, and atherosclerosis. “Our study demonstrates that physical activity is inversely associated with insulin resistance and several related risk factors, and that low leisure-time activity is a predictor of metabolic syndrome in the elderly,” the study’s authors said in their conclusion.  

They added that preventing insulin resistance could lead to multiple simultaneous benefits for active seniors, including lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  

The Bottom Line…
Preventing metabolic syndrome requires both an active lifestyle and a healthy diet.  Some of the dietary habits that will help people of all ages avoid insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome include:  
• Eating lots of fruits and vegetables 
• Making fish like salmon, herring, and tuna part of your diet 1-2 times each week 
• Avoiding excessive animal fats and hydrogenated oils 
• Choosing high-fiber, whole-grain carbs like brown rice, barley, quinoa, and multigrain cereals.