Researchers from the University of Granada’s Institute of Biotechnology say a study proves that melatonin, a substance naturally found in some foods, reduces oxidative stress on cells and slows the aging process.

Now, I am all for slowing the aging process - the slower the better. The good news is that melatonin can be found in foods easily incorporated into your diet, foods like onions, cherries and bananas, and in cereals like corn, oats and rice, and in red wine.

The researchers found that the first sign of aging, oxidative stress and illness from it, began at 5 months of age in the mice used in the study. That age relates to age 30 in humans! Imagine that you are old at 30; I thought we dispensed with idea from the sixties. In fact, didn’t I see a magazine article once touting that 50 is the new 30? Regardless, age 30 is when it all starts to go downhill apparently, but eating foods rich in melatonin staves off the processes of aging.

I have been keeping a short list of foods that researchers now say carry health benefits and the menu looks a lot more appealing than those boxes of fruit-flavored cardboard in the health food aisle.

How about dark chocolate, strawberry daquiris and red wine? Fresh blackberries on oatmeal? It looks like the food we always knew was good for us, really is. I think I can do this eating healthy thing.

A new study brings some depressing statistics. Baby Boomers report more health problems and more pain and difficulty in performing daily tasks than did their predecessors just 10 years ago.

Recent studies have shown the rate of disability among those 65 and older to be declining but these statistics suggest that in 10 years, boomers may not be enjoying the same rate of good health. Researchers compared self-reported health in three age groups - those born in 1936-41 (now ages 66 to 71), 1942-47 (now ages 60 to 65) and 1948-53 (now ages 54 to 59).

The study showed:

* The two younger groups were less likely than the oldest group to have said their health was “excellent or very good” at 51 to 56 years of age.
* The youngest group reported having more pain, chronic health conditions, and drinking and psychiatric problems than people who were the same age 12 years earlier.
* Compared with the oldest group, the youngest group was more likely to have reported difficulty in walking, climbing steps, getting up from a chair, kneeling or crouching, and doing other normal daily physical tasks.

So, what happened? Researchers suggest that it may be the rising incidence of obesity and obesity-related problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

I wonder if there isn’t a psychological aspect to these physiological findings. The oldest group, born during The Great Depression and World War II, experienced more hardship and had parents who experienced more hardship than did the subsequent generations. The boomer generation is the one that celebrated youth, the generation least comfortable with the idea of growing old, the generation that proclaimed distrust for anyone over 30. Boomers may the be generation most uncomfortable with the physical evidence of aging, and therefore take more notice of it.

Whatever the reason, the data suggest that the boomer generation may not reach retirement age as active individuals refusing to leave the work force but instead contribute to rising health care costs.

On February 15, the American Physical Therapy Association will sponsor national toll-free hotline to address back pain among baby boomers.

Back pain is common among boomers but they may be less likely to accept the changes that come with age; changes like chronic low back pain and osteoarthritis. The APTA believes that physical therapy intervention can identify pain-causing behaviors, such as poor posture or improper exercise techniques. Physical therapy can also improve the range of motion in aging joints, increase muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance while decreasing pain for boomers leading active lives.

Back pain among baby boomers will be the subject of the hotline with physical therapists on hand to answer questions about injury prevention, exercise and ways to prevent back pain.

The toll-free number is 1-877-NEED-A-PT (633-3278) and will be available on Thursday, February 15, from 9:00am until 5:00pm EST.

American Physical Therapy Association

If someone tells you they are having a handful of prunes for dessert, you might think they’re having trouble with “irregularity”. But the truth is, although prunes are usually associated with their laxative effect and the elderly, prunes are highly nutritious.

Prunes are rich in Vitamin A and potassium. They are high in beta-carotene which is a powerful antioxidant. They are also rich in fiber, of course, and promote regularity while their insoluble fiber provides fuel for the healthy bacteria in the large intestine and so aid in maintaining a healthy colon.

Florida State University Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi believes that prunes may also reverse bone loss in post-menopausal women. He is conducting a clinical trial in which postmenopausal women will eat either 9 to 10 prunes or the same amount of dried apples daily. Previous studies showed that prunes restored bone loss in animal models and he intends to find out if prunes are beneficial in preventing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

And prunes are getting a makeover too. Because most people associate them with their laxative effect and the elderly, producers of prunes are officially changing the name of the fruit to “dried plums”.

FSU study: Can prunes reverse bone loss after menopause?

What’s In a Name: How California Prunes Became Dried Plums