Are you over 50 years old? There are 3 mistakes you should not make. If you avoid them you will live much better.
I will tell you about the best supplements and vitamins for this age, little-known but extremely important medical checkups to detect silent diseases, as well as some habits and natural remedies that will help you optimize your health. The first mistake is not knowing these 5 supplements and vitamins, such as magnesium. One in two people are deficient in this mineral and do not know it.
The most common symptoms are muscle cramps in the legs and feet, fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of memory and concentration, but it also causes insomnia, anxiety and dizziness. And the big problem here is that the blood tests that they are going to ask you for do not detect the deficiency of this mineral in your body. So, if you suffer from any of these symptoms and cannot find an explanation, you can try consuming magnesium supplements.
There is a lot of types. The one I recommend most is magnesium threonate, 200 to 300 milligrams, two to 3 times a day. And I recommend threonate because it acts best on your brain, while maintaining the other benefits.
But the other forms such as malate, gluconate or citrate are also very good. You have to see which one best suits your body. But be careful, be very careful if you already have advanced kidney problems, because this mineral could accumulate in your body.
The second is vitamin D. Look, almost 80% of people over 50 years of age have a lack of this vitamin without knowing it. Now did you know that this is actually a hormone?
Everyone believes that it only serves to strengthen bones and improve calcium absorption. This is a serious error. This substance acts by strengthening your immune system, protecting your heart, and improving kidney function.
And if that were not enough, it helps your brain function optimally, and can even improve memory, concentration and mental health problems. How do you take it? The dosage of the supplement varies between 800 and 1000 international units per day.
Some people need more, others a little less. Ideally, you should measure the levels of vitamin D in your blood to see if in the first weeks you need to replenish it in a more intensive way, remembering that it is also obtained naturally by exposing ourselves to the sun for 20 minutes a day and consuming fortified foods. The third supplement in vitamin B12.
After the age of 50, acid production in our stomach decreases. This affects the absorption of this vitamin. In addition, remedies that you may be taking such as metformin for diabetes also interfere with its absorption.
For these reasons, more than 30% of adults over 50 years of age may lack this vitamin and the problem is that they do not know it. Over time, this can lead to anemia, neuropathies. This causes a sensation of tingling and numbness in the hands and feet and even dementia in the most severe cases.
The dosage of the supplement varies between 250 and 1000 micrograms per day. Ideally, you should measure yourself at least once a year to see what dose is best for you. The fourth supplement is one of the most important, Omega 3.
Please pay attention here. This substance is an extremely healthy type of fat, very important for the health of your brain, your eyes, it reduces triglyceride levels, controls blood pressure and also helps prevent and combat the formation of calcium plaques in your arteries. But the most important thing is that it fights chronic inflammation in your body, a health problem that very few doctors know about and perhaps this is the disease that kills the most people in the world.
If you want to take supplements, make sure they contain between 1,000 and 2,000 milligrams of EPA and DHA combined, which are the types of fatty acids you need. You also get it naturally by consuming chia seeds, flaxseed, pumpkin, olive oil, extra virgin avocado, sea fish, nuts, egg yolk from pastured chickens. Try to vary and consume these foods at least 2 to 3 times a week.
And the fifth supplement is calcium. Now why do you have to take it after age 50? More than 50% of women and 20% of men after this age may have any complications in the bones due to lack of this mineral, such as osteoporosis, fractures.
But also, what many do not know is that calcium is also very important to improve the function of your muscles, strengthen your teeth and taking supplements in adequate doses can reduce the risk of heart problems, high blood pressure and some types of cancer. The recommended and safe dose is 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams per day. Now, close attention.
The second mistake that is made at this age is not having the necessary medical check-ups and your doctor may ask you for several things, but I want to talk to you about four that should not be missed. First, a urine test and creatinine levels in your blood, both are used to see how your kidneys are functioning and are capable of detecting kidney failure in its earliest stages. You know that I am a nephrologist and I confess that more than 80% of my patients who are on hemodialysis tell me that they did not know they had kidney problems until it was too late.
And I tell you more, most of the problems that cause kidney failure can be prevented, controlled and even reversed if they are detected in time. How to detect it in time? Doing these simple urine and blood tests at least once a year from that age and if possible, start even a little earlier.
The second checkup that should not be missed is a colonoscopy. Colon cancer arises from a small polyp in the wall of your intestine that can be there decades before you have any symptoms. And this malignant tumor is increasingly common and aggressive even before the age of 50.
The best way to detect it early is to have a colonoscopy, starting before age 50 if you have risk factors. For example, family history of this tumor. My recommendation is that if you are already 50 years old or older, do it even if you think you are healthy and repeat it every 5 years if they do not find anything, believe me this can save your life, because if they find a polyp they remove it in the same procedure .
The third medical checkup is hormonal tests, mainly thyroid. Look how curious, after the age of 50, more than 10% of people have a thyroid problem such as hypothyroidism and do not know it. But not only that, thyroid cancer is increasingly common and increases with age.
The symptoms of these problems can be very subtle such as unexplained weight gain or loss, fatigue, neck discomfort. Changes in mood and even intestinal or heart problems. That's why I recommend that you check your thyroid.
Most of these problems are easily detected with a physical exam, having a blood test or an ultrasound to see if you have any nodules in the neck. And the fourth checkup is something so important and so simple, but 90% of people ignore it. Measure your pressure.
Hypertension is one of the main causes of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and premature deaths. And do you know what the first symptom that hypertensive people appear is? None.
This is a silent disease. The best way to detect this early is to measure it at least once a year from this age onwards, if you can start a little earlier, even better. And I tell you more, in the early stages it can be completely reversed by changing our habits and using food as natural remedies.
In addition to these four medical checkups, of course there are others that are also very important and that help detect silent diseases. Measure your blood glucose to see if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, check how your liver is to see if you have fatty liver, cholesterol disorders. Do you want a video of this?
Tell me in the comments. Let's now look at the 3 most important habits and the mistakes that are made with them after the age of 50. The first is not drinking enough water.
This is one of the best natural remedies that exists and I give you two tips. First start the day by drinking at least 2 glasses of water on an empty stomach. This will activate and improve the function of your intestine, your kidneys, your brain.
You barely get up. If you want, add half a squeezed lemon, cinnamon, and rosemary. Or make some green juice with celery, spinach, ginger and a peeled red apple and all.
Drnk 1 to two glasses of this anti-inflammatory bomb or drink water any way you like, as soon as you wake up. The second piece of advice, how much water should you drink per day? Enough so that your urine is clear and your stools are soft.
Your body is what tells you how much you should drink. Generally this ranges from 2 to 3 liters per day. The second big mistake is underestimating the power of doing muscle strength exercises.
There is a disease that very few know about, but that more than 40% of people over 50 years of age suffer from it. It is called sarcopenia or loss of muscle mass. And it is directly related to chronic inflammation, heart attacks, premature deaths and fractures.
Muscles are not only used for strength. Its cells are connected to our entire body and produce hormones and anti-inflammatory substances that improve the function of various organs. Including brain, heart and bones.
I recommend that if you are over 50, 60, 70 years old, you start doing physical activity, including muscle strength exercises, lifting weights at least 3 times a week. This can delay your biological age of your metabolism and various organs by more than 10 years. Seek help from a trained fitness trainer to avoid injuries, obviously.
And the third mistake at this age that many ignore is not sleeping well. To achieve a restful sleep you need at least 6 to 7 hours at night. There are several natural remedies, such as aromatherapy with lavender or placing a few drops of its essential oil on your pillow before going to sleep.
But for those who have more sleep problems, I recommend 3 infusions. Try and see which of these natural remedies works best for you. Chamomile tea, valerian root tea, or Passionflower.
All of these have relaxing properties, have an anti-inflammatory effect and can even cure insomnia in many cases. In addition to this, avoid habits that prevent you from sleeping at night, such as screens with blue lights or foods and drinks with a stimulating effect such as coffee and mate.
