Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Randy
The elderly may be at a higher risk for certain medical issues such as Salmonella, chronic constipation, and insomnia. Alzheimer’s disease is also a major health concern for the elderly. For more on Alzheimer’s specifically, check out the Alzheimer’s disease topic.
Higher vegetable and fruit intake may lead to better immune function among the elderly, and legumes may be one of the most important predictors of survival in older people from around the globe. Sadly, the idea that improved nutrition may help cut the U.S. health bill has been challenged by those that assert healthier eating could result in greater costs due to the elderly living longer.
The information on this page has been compiled from the research presented in the videos listed. Sources for each video can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab.
Image Credit: Stannah-Stairlifts.com. This image has been modified.
Having hypertension in midlife (ages 40 through 60) is associated with elevated risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia later in life—even more so than having the so-called Alzheimer’s gene.
Eating seaweed salad may boost the efficacy of vaccinations and help treat cold sores, herpes, Epstein-Barr virus, and shingles.
Unlike most antiviral drugs, green tea appears to work by boosting the immune system to combat diseases such as genital warts (caused by HPV) and the flu (caused by the influenza virus).
A daily dose of 4,000 IU of vitamin D is recommended for elders at high risk for falling to improve muscle strength and balance, though there is something that works even better.
The aspirin compounds naturally found in plant foods may help explain the lower cancer rates among those eating plant-based diets.
The benefits of taking a daily aspirin must be weighed against the risk of internal bleeding.
Learn why I recommend 250mg a day of a pollutant-free source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
What is the optimal source and amount of protein for senior citizens?
Vegetables and fruit, such as dried plums, may help build stronger bones.
What happens when you take blood from people before and then again four hours after almond consumption, and drip that blood on bone cells?
If copper is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, what about healthy, whole plant food sources such as nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains?
What is the optimal daily dietary calcium intake and might benefits for your bones outweigh the risks to your heart from taking calcium supplements?
The unnaturally large, rapid, and sustained calcium levels in the blood caused by calcium supplements may explain why calcium from supplements, but not from food, appears to increase the risk of heart attacks.
Compared to bananas, does eating kiwifruit decrease the incidence and severity of upper respiratory tract infections?
What would happen if you centered your diet around vegetables, the most nutrient-dense food group?
Vegetables such as beets and arugula can improve athletic performance by improving oxygen delivery and utilization. But, what about for those who really need it—such as those with emphysema, high blood pressure, and peripheral artery disease?
Neurodegenerative brain changes begin by middle age, underscoring the need for lifelong preventive brain maintenance.
Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this new presentation based on the latest in cutting edge research exploring the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing some of our most feared causes of death and disability.
The first-line treatment for hypertension is lifestyle modification, which often includes the DASH diet. What is it and how can it be improved?
A quick, non-invasive, and inexpensive test for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is developed using only a ruler and some peanut butter.
How do canned versus germinated beans (such as sprouted lentils) compare when it comes to protecting brain cells and destroying melanoma, kidney, and breast cancer cells.
Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this new presentation based on the latest in cutting-edge research exploring the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing some of our leading causes of death and disability.
A study involving more than a million kids suggests the striking worldwide variation in childhood rates of allergies, asthma, and eczema is related to diet.
A bacteria discovered on Easter Island may hold the key to the proverbial fountain of youth by producing rapamycin, which inhibits the engine-of-aging enzyme TOR.
Freedom of Information Act documents reveal that the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned the egg industry that saying eggs are nutritious or safe may violate rules against false and misleading advertising.
Foster Farms chicken may have infected and sickened more than 10,000 people, due to contamination of the meat with fecal material.
The intake of legumes—beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils—may be the single most important dietary predictor of a long lifespan. But what about concerns about intestinal gas?
The melatonin content in certain plant foods such as almonds, raspberries, and goji berries may explain the improvement in sleep quality associated with tart cherry consumption.
Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition, and developed this brand-new live presentation on the latest in cutting-edge research on how a healthy diet can affect some of our most common medical conditions.
The story behind the first U.S. dietary recommendations report explains why, to this day, the decades of science supporting a more plant-based diet have yet to fully translate into public policy.
The average number of bowel movements a week is compared between those eating prunes, those taking a fiber supplement, and those eating a strictly plant-based diet.
Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) is a natural human growth hormone instrumental in normal growth during childhood, but in adulthood can promote abnormal growth—the proliferation, spread (metastasis), and invasion of cancer.
Inadequate fruit and vegetable intake may help explain the loss of immune function associated with aging that is linked to an increased risk of dying from pneumonia and influenza.
Who should get tested for vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency, and which is the best test to use: serum B12, methylmalonic acid (MMA), or holotranscobalamin levels?
Fortified foods, such as some breakfast cereals and types of nutritional yeast, can provide another cholesterol-free source of vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) supplementation can cost as little as $2 a year.
Since foods are effectively a package deal, what’s the best way to get vitamin B12 (cobalamin)?
