1.  Vitamin D  – check your blood levels regularly to make sure you are within the optimal range.  You obtain vitamin D from exposure to natural sunlight and if necessary from an oral vitamin D supplement.  The best dietary source is fortified milk, not available at supermarkets in South Africa at this point. 2.  Vitamin K  – make sure you are getting sufficient daily intake of vitamin K from leafy green vegetables and fermented foods like homemade sauerkraut.  Grass fed organic dairy, eggs and butter; and cheeses like Gouda and Brie also have good levels of vitamin K.  It is not easy to assess if you have sufficient vitamin K, otherwise consider taking a supplement, especially if you are already supplementing with vitamin

Menopause is nature’s way of signaling the end of child bearing years.  There is a gradual decrease in the level of estrogen and progesterone, usually around the age of 50, and this leads to your periods becoming erratic and finally ceasing.  Menopause can occur before the age of 50 and it can also be surgically induced by removal of ovaries and uterus, which will result in immediate full blown menopause. Menopause is the period in a women’s life when she experiences hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings and memory changes with often weight gain.  Measuring your FSH blood level is an accurate indicator – the higher the level, the more likely you are in menopause.  Peri-menopause is the few years

Introduction There is a lot more involved in aging than just grey hair, wrinkles or becoming a little shorter! Aging, like death, is an unfortunate certainty. However, individuals age at different rates, mostly due to physiological differences. Gerontologists (scientists who study aging) are of the opinion that aging results from the interaction of many lifelong influences, such as heredity factors, the environment, culture, diet, exercise, leisure, past illnesses, and many more. Changes due to aging take place in all of the body’s cells, tissues and organs. These changes affect the functioning of all body systems. The human body is made up of trillions of different types of cells, all with the same basic structure. Tissues are layers of similar cells

There is actually a lot of truth in the saying “you are as old as you feel.”  Studies have shown if you feel younger than your actual age, chances are good that you will live longer. It gets worse if you feel older than your actual age – you may well die earlier. Research in England amongst older people has found that those who felt three or more years younger than their actual age, had a lower death rate than people who felt their own age.  People who felt older than their own age had an even higher mortality rate. The findings indicated a correlation between self-perceived age and cardiovascular death, but no correlation with cancer.  Researchers suggest that people

Growing old gracefully is not for the faint hearted, the brittle boned or the weak. Brittle bones due to osteoporosis, in combination with muscle loss (sarcopenia), can result in falls and broken bones. Muscle mass and strength, in particular, are very important to the elderly, as they need muscle strength for mobility and balance. Aging-related muscle atrophy (loss of muscle tissue) is the most common type of muscle atrophy and is linked to significant impairment of muscle function, such as muscle weakness and slowing of movement. This probably represents the most dramatic and significant of all the changes that are experienced during the aging process, and is referred to as sarcopenia. What is sarcopenia? Sarcopenia refers to the aging related

Aging, like death, is an unfortunate certainty! There are much more involved in aging than just grey hair or wrinkles.  Gerontologists (scientists who study aging) are of the opinion that aging and the rate of aging (individuals age at different rates) result from the interaction of many lifelong influences, such as heredity factors, the environment, culture, diet, exercise, leisure, past illnesses, and more.  Changes due to aging take place in the body’s cells, tissues, and organs. These changes affect the functioning of systems in the body. The human body is made up of trillions of different types of cells, all with the same basic structure. Tissues are layers of similar cells that perform a specific function. Different types of tissue

Mention the word “menopause” and the first thing that comes to mind is the dreaded hot flushes that women experience during midlife, along with mood swings and various bodily changes.  The word “hormones” is also bandied about at this stage in life.  But what exactly is menopause and is it an illness?        What is menopause? Menopause is not an illness but a transition into a new phase of life.  A woman’s reproductive years start at puberty and ends when her monthly menstrual cycle stops during midlife.  The point in time when the menstrual cycles have permanently ceased for a period of 12 months is defined as menopause.  This marks the permanent end of fertility.   Menopause is characterized by three

People 70 years of age and older is the segment of the population that has the highest risk for developing cancer.  While there is no wonder cure for cancer, the findings of a recent study bring hope for this age group.  By taking two specific supplements, along with an exercise program, the risk for developing cancer can be significantly reduced. The study: The study ( Bischoff-Ferrari et al., 2022) was conducted over three years with 2 157 generally healthy and active men and women at their peak of age-related cancer risk, namely 70-years and older, in seven cities in five European countries – Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Portugal. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect that