A study was done to measure the relative effects of diet and exercise for weight loss in adults aged 60 to 75 years old. The physiologist doing the study had groups that dieted, exercised, did both and compared the results. Surprise! The exercise and diet group did the best. The important finding was the diet only group lost a lot of muscle mass, not just fat. That’s a worrisome fact for a group that is losing muscle mass already as the lean , water based tissue diminishes with normal aging.
Oddly a different study of sleep apnea, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death has a benefit in some forms. Older adults with a mild case of sleep apnea seem to trigger some protective metabolic strategy that reduces their risk of death instead of increasing it. That doesn’t mean to go out and acquire sleep apnea, but if your spouse is a snorer, and they get checked out, it may be a little good news can be teased out of the diagnosis.
The last thing I want to highlight this week is a study of older adults who ask casinos to bar them from playing. The risk for suicide is much higher for the older players than for adults who try to quit betting. There are other differences, games played, onset of gambling to name a couple. The important thing to note is that on older adult who gets into trouble is less likely to ask for treatment, or to get sent, than a younger adult. Desperation leads to suicidal thoughts. Again, the lesson is treat older adults with treatments that work!