Harvard Health Content API

The gut is home to trillions of microbes, collectively known as the gut microbiota, which help with digestion, manufacture certain nutrients, and release various substances that have wide-ranging health effects, including on cardiovascular health. As diet plays a significant role in the composition of the gut microbiota, people’s diet can indirectly affect heart health. Following a plant-based diet that emphasizes less red meat and more fiber can support the gut and its heart-healthy benefits.

Approximately one in three people ages 65 to 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. Getting a hearing test is recommended to identify any hearing loss before it worsens and prescribe a hearing aid if needed. While hearing aids are traditionally expensive, new over-the-counter devices can make them more affordable for people with mild or moderate hearing loss.

Some degree of anxiety is normal, but people who regularly struggle with anxiety may have an anxiety disorder. Symptoms can be linked with life changes, a medical condition, and specific situations, like a fear of heights, crowds, and social situations. Recognizing the symptoms can help people seek medical care to find the source of their anxiety and adopt appropriate treatment. Treatment might include medications, psychotherapy, or both.

A 2022 study led to questions regarding whether colonoscopy is the best strategy to reduce the risk of death from colon cancer. But overwhelming evidence supports the procedure for lowering the risk of colon cancer and related death, and experts continue to recommend people at average risk get at least one colonoscopy beginning at age 45.

Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass over their lifetimes, a natural process called sarcopenia. But no matter a man’s age, he can still build and maintain muscle with strength training. Strength training consists of upper- and lower-body exercises using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, or body weight. Hiring a personal trainer who can design an individual program and teach proper exercise techniques and form is an ideal first step for beginners and those returning to exercise.

A 2022 study found that taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction course and meditating daily was about as effective as taking medication for reducing symptoms of anxiety. Both strategies seemed to reduce anxiety by about 30% after eight weeks.

A 2022 study found that taking supplements for four weeks to treat “bad” LDL cholesterol was ineffective, compared with taking a statin drug for four weeks. Supplements studied included fish oil, cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, plant sterols, and red yeast rice.

In a large 2022 study, people with unhealthy sleep patterns (those who snored, experienced daytime sleepiness, had insomnia, slept less than seven hours per night, or slept more than nine hours per night) were more likely to develop glaucoma than people with healthy sleep patterns.

A number of strategies can help when back pain strikes suddenly. When driving, for example, a person can turn on heated seats if a vehicle has them, or use a lumbar pillow. Someone who has pain when sitting at a desk can get up, walk around, and do some stretches. If back pain lasts more than a week, the person should see a doctor for an evaluation. The first line of defense will most likely be exercise and strengthening regimens—two keys to staving off an aching back.

Keeping the brain as healthy as possible might help slow the fuzzy thinking that develops with age-related brain changes. The best way to stay sharp is by living a healthy lifestyle: exercising regularly (at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking), sleeping for seven to nine hours per night, eating a Mediterranean-style diet, managing stress, socializing, and learning new things. Doing crossword puzzles may also help sharpen cognition. So might treatment for underlying health conditions, such as depression or thyroid disease.