Category: health-letter

Ask the doctor: Vitamin B12 essential for thinking skills?

It’s unclear how much protein is essential as people get older. It’s best to follow the current Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein intake, which is 46 grams per day for women and 56 grams for men.

Cosmetic differences in generic drugs are common. However, changes may lead some people to stop taking their medications.

Keeping bones healthy in older age is crucial to protecting mobility. Tips include doing weight-bearing activity, meeting calcium and vitamin D requirements, and reducing risk factors for osteoporosis.

Treating allergies usually starts with over-the-counter products. If they’re not helpful, prescription medications and nasal sprays may do the job.

The FDA has proposed revising the Nutrition Facts label so it includes information about added sweeteners, potassium, and vitamin D; removes information about calories from fat.

Several steps can help someone cope with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). It’s helpful to stay physically and mentally active, to consider taking medication for MCI, and to make plans for the future before reasoning skills decline.

The average healthy person suffers no adverse health effects from eating an egg a day. People with diabetes or who already have heart disease probably should eat no more than three egg yolks per week.

Staying mentally active by reading books, participating in social activities, and doing computer activities at least three times per week helps to keep the aging brain sharp.

Routine colorectal cancer screening in older age is debated. Some guidelines suggest that people should not get screenings past age 75 or 80. However, some evidence shows the screenings are effective well into the 80s.