Metabolic Health
3 Prominent Metabolic Issues for Aging Population
Here’s how to prevent sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and visceral fat accumulation with healthy lifestyle choices and professional support.
Make Your Bones, Muscles, and Fats Healthier.
As we age, our cells experience notable changes that can contribute to higher disease risks with declining capacity and capability.
These modifications happen in cellular structures, like DNA and mitochondria, provoked by hormonal imbalance.
Our body composition comprises three anatomic structures: muscles, bones, and fats, allowing us to exist and move for survival. Problems with these physical components can threaten our survival and well-being.
The aging population is more prone to metabolic disorders. Genetic mutations, telomere shortening, and mitochondrial dysfunction might lead to insulin resistance and obesity, contributing to metabolic disorders.
Lifestyle and environmental factors can impact cellular, immune, metabolic, and hormonal health favorably or unfavorably.
National Council on Aging states, “80% of adults 65 and older have at least one chronic condition, while 68% have two or more.” So only 20% of our seniors in North America seem to have a healthy life.
Lifestyle factors are common risk factors for all diseases. As documented by the CDC, the most lifestyle risks are poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption.
This post aims to explain the mechanisms, root causes, symptoms, impact, and implications of sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and visceral fat accumulation by giving numerous practical steps and offering customizable tips.
I discuss the critical points using holistic and integrative health principles covering cellular, metabolic, immune, and endocrine health at a high level to depict the big picture for the health of our bones, muscles, and fats.
This post is structured into three parts covering each section's osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and visceral fat accumulation.
I aim to promote healthy lifestyle choices and empower my readers to have more meaningful conversations with their health consultants.
Part I: Prevent osteoporosis for bone health.
Osteoporosis refers to weakening bones that become prone to broken during an accident. Our bones might become more fragile due to various health conditions.
Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone density and an increased risk of fractures. The mechanisms behind osteoporosis include a decrease in bone formation and an increase in bone resorption, which can lead to a decrease in bone density over time.
Before osteoporosis happens in the body, we first face osteopenia. It refers to the gradual reduction in bone density but might not lead to osteoporosis if precautions can be taken.
As confirmed by NIH, “With millions of Americans at increased risk for bone fracture, it’s good to know that osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable disease.”
NHS informs that “the most common injuries in people with osteoporosis are broken wrists, spinal bones, and hip fractures. It might also happen in other bones, depending on the situation.”
The condition is only diagnosed when fractures happen unless bone density is checked. Therefore, we need to seek timely support from qualified healthcare professionals. Let’s keep in mind that osteoporosis is a treatable condition.
Even though osteoporosis does not show apparent symptoms, professionals might observe symptoms of bone disorders such as skeletal pain, joint pain, back pain, sprains, infections, decreased height, and overall weakness in the body.
Medical professionals can diagnose bone disorders by using observation and measurement tools. Some indications are a change in posture, movement imbalances, weakening muscles, loss of height, swelling, and redness.
Besides blood and urine tests, family doctors and specialists also request various bone tests such as x-rays, MRI scans, CAT scans, radionuclide bone scans, bone densitometry, and biopsy.
Besides genetics, the literature indicates that aging, nutritional deficiencies, lack of movement, side effects of medication, excessive toxins, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, metabolic disorders, hormonal imbalances, and autoimmune conditions cause bone disorders.
From a hormonal perspective, as informed by NIH, a condition known as hyperparathyroidism is well-documented yet underdiagnosed in patients. This condition is caused by an elevated parathyroid hormone concentration in the blood, weakening the bones through calcium loss.
The impact and implications of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis can significantly impact our quality of life. It can lead to increased pain, decreased mobility, and an increased risk of fractures.
The implications of osteoporosis include increased healthcare costs and an increased need for long-term care. Osteoporosis can also lead to decreased independence and an increased reliance on caregivers.
Bone disorders and osteoporotic fractures are widespread. For example, according to NIH, “each year, an estimated 1.5 million individuals suffer a fracture due to bone diseases.” The common culprit is falling and other accidents.
The NIH report highlights that “roughly one in four (24%) women age 50 or older fall each year, compared to nearly half (48%) of women age 85 or older; comparable figures for men are 16% and 35%.”
This Lancet report states, “Globally, in 2019, there were 178 million new fractures (33.4% increase), 455 million prevalent cases of acute or long-term symptoms of a fracture.”
The most affected groups are aged 50 or higher but especially females. In addition, according to NIH, “some children and teens develop a rare form of idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis. Doctors do not know the cause; however, most children recover without treatment.”
6 Practical Tips to Address Osteoporosis
1 — Consume nutrient-dense food and ensure essential minerals
Nutritional deficiencies can lead to hormonal imbalances and metabolic issues. Getting essential vitamins and minerals from whole foods is crucial for bone growth and maintenance.
Calcium, magnesium, zinc, boron, copper, and manganese are essential minerals for bone health, and vitamins D and K are necessary.
2 — Get sunlight or vitamin D from food or supplements.
Vitamin D is essential for calcium metabolism and bone health. Sunlight is the primary source of vitamin D. Some people can’t handle sunlight, so getting enough vitamin D from food or supplements and checking vitamin D levels regularly is essential.
3 — Consume adequate protein, collagen, and healthy fats.
Protein, collagen, and healthy fats are essential for bone health. Adequate protein intake can maintain bone mineral density. Collagen is necessary for bone strength. Healthy fats like omega-3s may improve bone health.
4 — Perform resistance training or weight lifting with some cardio.
Resistance training is ideal for bone health. They can increase bone mineral density and size and protect against bone loss.
Cardio and high-intensity exercises are helpful but should be done cautiously to prevent falls or accidents.
People with osteoporosis must avoid high-impact activities that may increase the risk of fractures. Consider yoga or Pilates to support flexibility and balance.
5 — Reduce stress with restorative sleep and rest.
Chronic and oxidative stress can lead to bone loss. Thus, it’s vital to reduce stress for good bone health. Getting adequate and restorative sleep and taking breaks to rest are critical factors in lowering stress.
6 — Avoid smoking, drug use, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Smoking is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. In addition, the NIH recommends not drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week. It is also important to avoid binge drinking.
Permanently quitting smoking, avoiding drugs, and lowering alcohol use can prevent osteoporosis and improve our health.
NIH informs that “certain medications, like for cancer and glucocorticoid steroids, may increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.”
Part II: Prevent sarcopenia for muscle health.
Sarcopenia refers to losing muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, which can lead to decreased mobility and functional limitations.
The mechanisms behind sarcopenia include a decrease in protein synthesis, an increase in protein breakdown, and a decrease in physical activity. This loss of muscle mass and strength can be exacerbated by chronic health conditions such as diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
Sarcopenia is primarily caused by aging and a decrease in physical activity. Other factors contributing to sarcopenia include chronic health conditions.
Symptoms of sarcopenia can include decreased muscle mass, strength, and mobility. Older adults with sarcopenia may also experience an increased risk of falls and functional limitations.
Even though this condition might happen at any age, it typically occurs in the aging population. There are several causes of sarcopenia. Most are related to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and sleep.
Muscle is both a mobility and longevity organ. Maintaining lean muscle mass is essential at any age but is more critical as we get older. Skeletal muscle is necessary for our posture to support daily activities.
Muscle growth and maintenance depend on three concepts. They are gaining anabolic sensitivity, activating mTOR, and balancing hormones.
Signals from exercise, proteins, growth factors, and hormones activate mTOR. Anabolic sensitivity refers to the timely response of muscle synthesis to stimuli from amino acids and resistance workouts. Its opposite state is anabolic resistance.
The most significant risk of sarcopenia for older adults is falling and leading bone structures, especially when these people also experience osteoporosis. Therefore sarcopenia and osteoporosis are closely related.
Impact and Implications
Sarcopenia can significantly impact patients’ quality of life, leading to decreased mobility, increased risk of falls and fractures, and decreased overall health status.
The implications of sarcopenia can include increased healthcare costs and a need for long-term care. It is because sarcopenia can also lead to decreased independence and an increased reliance on caregivers.
You can learn about the detailed implications of sarcopenia from this review paper published in the Journal of Obesity.
7 Practical Tips to Lower the Risks of Sarcopenia
This section provides seven practical approaches to address anabolic resistance and improve anabolic sensitivity.
I won't repeat the details here as you can read them from a story titled How an Elderly Couple Eliminated Anabolic Resistance and Lowered the Risk of Sarcopenia in 7 Steps.
1 — Increase bioavailable proteins
2 — Perform personalized resistance workouts
3 — Improve sleep quality and recover timely
4 — Optimize and balance hormones
5 — Leverage physiotherapy and other therapies
6 — Enhance emotional resilience with mindfulness
7 — Initiate self-healing mechanisms of the body diligently.
The items I mentioned in the osteoporosis section also apply here, as muscles and bones need similar maintenance regimens.
Part III:— Prevent visceral fat accumulation for metabolic health.
Body fat is essential. Besides serving as an energy source, our body needs fat under the skin for various reasons. For example, our organs need fat as padding to protect them from external pressure.
So subcutaneous fat under the skin serves this purpose. However, visceral fat is accumulated around the organs. So when visceral fat passes the threshold, our metabolic risks significantly increase.
Visceral fat gain increases the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Tapping into our belly fat can be challenging if we don’t meet the fat-burning requirements of the body. Abdominal fat is extra obstinate due to the hormonal effects of insulin and cortisol hormones coded in our survival system.
While some of us want to lose belly fat for aesthetic reasons, my goal is for health reasons. Many resources I reviewed point out that visceral fat, which significantly enlarges our waistline, can cause serious health issues.
However, with practical lifestyle adjustments, it is possible to melt visceral fat and prevent its accumulation.
Major risk factors for visceral fat are unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, excessive alcohol use, chronic stress, and chronic inflammation, as mentioned in this story with facts backed by World Health Organization.
Harvard Medical School informs that Visceral fat is more of a health concern than subcutaneous fat. Fat metabolism is a complex and comprehensive topic. It has an impact on our physical and mental health.
Besides genetic factors, root causes of visceral fat accumulation include changes in hormone levels, sedentary life, sleep disturbances causing chronic stress, and unhealthy diets with empty calories.
Visceral fat accumulation may not present with symptoms until people start experiencing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
Visceral fat accumulation can significantly impact our health, longevity, and quality of life. Obesity and other metabolic conditions are critical healthcare issues adversely affecting millions globally.
Besides the quality of life, the implications of visceral fat accumulation can include increased healthcare costs and the need for long-term care.
7 Practical Tips to Lower Visceral Fat
1 — Control your blood sugar and make the body insulin-sensitive and leptin receptive.
2 — Make your body fat adapted with time-restricted eating, occasional long-term fasting, ketogenic, or fast-mimicking diets.
3 — Combine aerobic and anaerobic exercises in the correct ratio for your needs. Initially, you might try brief fasted cardio like Eliza to mobilize fat if you don’t have underlying health issues.
4 — Customize your diet with professional support to ensure you consume adequate calories and nutrients from whole foods. Refrain from junk food with empty calories .
5 — Manage stress well to lower elevated cortisol levels. Restorative sleep, timely recovery, rest, and fun are essential to lower oxidative stress. You may try mindfulness practices like meditation and work in a flow state.
6 — Observe your thoughts and feelings and express your unpleasant emotions to prevent emotional stress and traumas. Improve your relationships and social connections to address mental issues.
7 — Avoid excessive alcohol consumption, as it can contribute to visceral fat accumulation. Fix digestive issues like a leaky gut.
Summary and Conclusions
Sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and visceral fat accumulation are significant and widespread health concerns primarily affecting the aging population, with changes in cells, DNA, mitochondria, and hormones.
As we age, cellular and hormonal modifications can lead to metabolic issues. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation can contribute to these issues. However, we can fight them and promote healthy aging by making helpful lifestyle choices.
To reduce the risk of age-related diseases, it is crucial to maintain healthy cellular function and hormonal balance through lifestyle interventions and healthy habits with professional support.
We also need to work out our brains and create cognitive reserves that can help us function as we get older and get cognitive decline and impairment like brain atrophy and neurodegenerative disorders like dementia.
By supporting healthy cellular function and optimized hormones, we can reduce the risk of developing age-related physical and mental diseases and enjoy a better quality of life as they age.
Let’s make healthy lifestyle choices and seek timely support from loved ones and caring healthcare providers to promote healthy aging, enrich overall well-being, and enhance our quality of life.
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