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How long do people live? This seems to be a question without a definite answer, many people think that longevity is related to genetics, diet, and exercise, these are not wrong, but what really determines the length of life is often those health killers hidden in daily life.
I have worked in the hospital for many years, and I have seen too many patients, some of whom were once physically strong, but suddenly collapsed because of a disease; Some people have good living habits, but they have not survived their old age; There are also people who suffer from constant illness when they are young, but they live longer than those around them in old age.
This makes me have to think, after the age of 65, what is the key to a real person to live a long life? Is it a light diet? Is it a daily workout? These factors are certainly important, but they do not decisively send a person over 90 years old.
If the age of 65 is a cut-off point, then after this age, the most important thing is not how well you eat or how much you move, but whether you have some specific diseases.
Some diseases seem to be ordinary, and some people even think that they are "deserved" by geriatric diseases, but in fact, not everyone will get them, and not everyone will die prematurely because of them.
Without bone marrow decline, the body will be more resistant to aging
Many people think that the elderly become weak because of loose bones and muscle loss, but in fact, what really affects a person's body is the health of the bone marrow.
After the age of 65, if the bone marrow begins to decline, then the quality of the blood decreases, the immunity becomes weakened, and even wound healing becomes difficult.
In the hospital, I have seen many elderly patients who look like ordinary anemia, but after in-depth examination, it is found that their bone marrow has entered an irreversible state of degeneration.
At this time, it is difficult to completely reverse the situation with nutritional supplements, blood transfusions, and even drugs that stimulate hematopoiesis, which often do not make people fall ill immediately, but will slowly lose their resistance to the disease, and finally die due to infection, organ failure and other problems.
Some people still have sufficient qi and blood in old age, the wound heals quickly, and the resistance is strong, often because the bone marrow function has not declined prematurely.
They usually have one thing in common - healthy bones when they are young, and they are not deficient in trace elements such as iron, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin B12 when they are old, which are all key to maintaining the normal functioning of the hematopoietic system.
I once met a patient who did not eat meat, eggs, or animal food because of the pursuit of a so-called "pure diet" in his 60s, but when he reached the age of 70, his immunity plummeted, and a small cold could let him go to the hospital.
A blood test revealed that his erythropoiesis rate was alarmingly low, and the hematopoietic function of the bone marrow had weakened, which slowly accumulated and was often too late by the time the symptoms actually appeared.
To protect the health of the bone marrow, we must pay attention to balanced nutrition after the age of 65, especially the intake of protein, iron and B vitamins.
Without persistent hypoxia, the organ will be more durable
When some people get older, they always feel that they are easily tired, and they can't recover after sleeping, and they feel out of breath when they walk a few steps, and even if they exercise a little, the whole person seems to have collapsed.
In medicine, this phenomenon is often caused by "chronic hypoxia". Chronic hypoxia does not refer to a sudden lack of oxygen on a given day, but rather a long-term, recessive lack of oxygen supply, which leads to a decline in organ function throughout the body, making people more and more weak.
Chronic hypoxia exists in many elderly people, especially some people with long-term respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, people with long-term rhinitis, and some elderly people who snore severely at night, will have a brief apnea when sleeping, resulting in insufficient oxygen supply at night, and they will feel weak the next day.
There is an elderly patient, usually the body looks okay, but walking always wheezing, mental state is not very good, the family thought that he was just a decline in physical strength, the result of the examination found that his blood oxygen saturation is low all year round, when sleeping at night, the blood oxygen even dropped to below 80%, seriously affecting the heart function.
After the age of 65, if there are respiratory problems, such as chronic rhinitis, deviated septum, airway obstruction, etc., they should be treated as soon as possible to ensure that the airway is unobstructed.
If you live in a place with poor air circulation for a long time, or prefer to stay in a closed environment for a long time, you should also pay attention to increasing indoor ventilation to allow adequate oxygen supply to your lungs.
If chronic hypoxia can be avoided, the organs will be more vigorous, the body's repair ability will be stronger, and the life span will naturally be longer.
There is no irreversible hardening of the arteries
In fact, this condition may be related to the impaired microcirculation of the capillaries, the slowing of blood flow, and the reduction of the body's blood supply capacity.
After the age of 65, if the blood vessels can remain flexible, then the person's circulatory system will basically remain normal. There are many factors that affect the hardening of the arteries, but what many people don't know is that a long-term lack of specific fats will accelerate the aging of blood vessels.
Many elderly people are afraid of high cholesterol, so they dare not eat egg yolks, animal fats, and even nuts and olive oil, resulting in a decrease in the repair ability of the inner walls of blood vessels, which becomes more and more fragile.
I once met a patient, in his 70s, with severe hardening of the arteries, and felt weak when walking, and when I asked, I learned that he had not touched any food containing oil for more than ten years, and even did not eat fish, and as a result, the elasticity of blood vessels decreased much faster than his peers.
After the age of 65, many changes in the body are irreversible, but if you can avoid these key diseases, it is not difficult to live to the age of 90.
If the bone marrow does not decline, the blood quality is good, and the body's repair ability is strong; Without chronic hypoxia, the vitality of the organs will be better and the body will function more efficiently; Blood vessels remain flexible, the circulatory system is stable, and the body does not collapse quickly due to small changes.
The above content is for reference only, if you feel unwell, please consult a professional doctor in time
What are your thoughts on senior health? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!
Resources
[1] Yao Yifei. Analysis and Interpretation of the 2022 Global Cancer Statistical Report: A Comparison between China and the World, Chinese Journal of Basic and Clinical Cancer Studies, 2024-06-30