New JAMA Study Highlights Mobility Limitation as Key to Healthy Aging
Wyckoff, NJ (PRWEB) September 26, 2013 -- A clinical review from geriatricians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggests that mobility limitations are a litmus test for healthy aging and urges primary care physicians to take a more aggressive role in ascertaining the mobility of their older patients. The study, authored by Cynthia Brown, M.D. et al., was published Sept. 18, 2013, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Brown* said mobility limitations are often an early sign of impending functional decline in seniors, and that recognizing an increase in those limitations at an early stage creates the opportunity for successful interventions aimed at warding off functional decline and keeping seniors living independently for as long as possible.
“Mobility limitations are the edge of that slippery slope that leads to loss of function,” said Brown. “A decline in mobility seems to quickly lead to an across-the-board decline, including the routine activities of daily living. Mobility is a sort of barometer for how well an older person ages.” Brown recommends that primary care physicians ask all senior patients two questions: (1) For health or physical reasons, do you have difficulty climbing up 10 steps or walking a quarter of a mile?; and (2) Because of underlying health or physical reasons, have you modified the way you climb 10 steps or walk a quarter of a mile? A positive answer to either of the two questions should lead the primary care provider to dig deeper and identify the physical, social or environmental components leading to the limitations.
Brown states that “Mobility is one of the cornerstones of healthy aging. With an increasingly older population in the United States, it is incumbent on us to find ways to help older Americans continue to live well and independently. The major barriers – lack of physical activity, obesity and smoking – are all risk factors that can be successfully overcome with appropriate treatment and assistance.”
“Two of the primary biological reasons why older individuals experience mobility limitations are a gradual decline in neuromuscular function and degenerative joint disease,” stated Gerald Bruno, Ph.D., CEO and Senior Scientist at Ethical Alternative Products. “Oxidative stress, which is implicated in many chronic diseases associated with aging, is believed to be the primary cause of degeneration in the neuromuscular junction, and the associated loss of muscular function. This degeneration of the neuromuscular junction can be reduced by physical activity and a diet rich in anti-oxidants,” stated Bruno.
Ethical Alternative Products offers products that supplement a healthy and active lifestyle by reducing oxidative stress and restoring healthy joint function. A complementary trial bottle of the premier anti-oxidant alpha lipoic acid in the unique solubilized high-bioavailability formulation can be obtained at http://www.thiogel.com. A complementary bottle of the OmniFlex multi-nutrient joint health supplement can be obtained at http://www.getomniflex.com.
About Ethical Alternative Products
Ethical Alternative Products is a dietary supplement supplier that is focused on the research and manufacturing of a select group of scientifically sound, broad-use supplement products. The company mission is to develop and produce high-value supplements, employing innovative formulations and highest quality raw materials. Products produced by Ethical Alternative Products include ThioGel, ThioGel-L triple antioxidant liver formulation, OmniFlex multi-nutrient joint health product and Tendonex topical pain reliever.
*UAB paper suggests mobility is key to healthy aging
http://www.uab.edu/news/latest/item/3759-uab-paper-suggests-mobility-is-key-to-healthy-aging
Monica Adametz, Ethical Alternative Products, 201-251-7771, [email protected]
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