Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Fitness levels rapidly diminish when people abruptly stop workouts. Cardiovascular fitness declines within weeks, while muscle strength deteriorates after about two months. The longer a person hasn’t exercised, the longer it will take to regain prior fitness levels. To restart exercise, people should seek their doctor’s approval, especially if they have chronic conditions; build up exercise levels slowly; do the same types of exercises they once enjoyed; find an exercise partner; and track progress with wearable devices or by keeping a paper log.

Memory loss is a pervasive worry. Dementia will affect an estimated nine million Americans by 2030 and 12 million by 2040. A 2023 study suggests six healthy lifestyle factors can significantly slow memory decline: eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, not drinking alcohol, being socially active, and engaging in brain-challenging activities. Another 2023 study suggests regular Internet use may be linked to a lower risk of dementia.

Getting regular exercise can help fend off diabetes, even in people with a genetic propensity for the disease, according to a 2023 study.

Research has found that people with more positive attitudes about growing old tend to live longer than those with negative thoughts about aging. They also have a lower risk for diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease and better cognitive functioning. People can maintain a healthy mindset about aging by adopting certain lifestyle habits, such as reducing anxiety, finding purpose in life, seeking challenges, socializing more, and rejecting negative stereotypes about aging.

People with esophagitis (esophageal inflammation) can use proton-pump inhibitors to manage their acid reflux. This kind of medication can protect against scarring and narrowing of the lower esophagus.

Accelerated cognitive decline may be more common after a heart attack, probably because the same factors that lead to narrowed heart arteries (the root cause of most heart attacks) can also cause tiny, silent strokes. An accumulation of these strokes shows up as bright areas (called white matter lesions) on an MRI scan. These lesions are markers of typical cognitive changes that occur with age. But people who have heart attacks likely have more white matter lesions and experience even greater cognitive decline.

People with autoimmune diseases may be up to three times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without an autoimmune disease. Among the most common autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and lupus. Awareness of this elevated risk is especially important because autoimmune disease typically strikes when people are in their 20s or 30s. In turn, heart problems may develop up to a decade earlier than in people without an autoimmune disease. A calcium scan, which detects early signs of atherosclerosis, can help assess a person’s risk and guide treatment advice.

Following a vegetarian or vegan diet may help lower levels of total and LDL cholesterol, according to a 2023 review of studies published over four decades.

If people see evidence of plaque buildup inside their arteries, it may motivate them to take better care of their heart health, according to a 2023 study.

Pregnancy and reproductive complications, including high blood pressure, diabetes, pre-eclampsia, infertility, and stillbirth, are linked with higher cardiovascular risks in affected women many years later. Such complications affect 5% to 10% of pregnancies and are rising as obesity rates increase and more women postpone pregnancy. Ongoing preventive care and screenings are crucial for women who experienced pregnancy complications to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels and treat any irregularities aggressively.