Let’s aim for a “young and energetic” New Year!
2019.01.01
Happy New Year! Thank you very much for your continuing support this year. What is your goal for the New Year? There may also be people saying “Stop aging!”, “Mental and physical rejuvenation!” I don’t know exactly what “age” or “youth” is, but one of the most important factors for staying young is the “blood vessels”. It is said that “people age with their blood vessels”. Blood vessels deliver nutrients and oxygen to the whole cell. Therefore, keeping blood vessels young is very important. It is also important to maintain “muscle”. Muscle mass is said to decrease by about 1% a year, with the peak at about 30 years of age. That means 10% less – 10% less than at age 20 years, a loss of 30% 30 years later, etc…. Depending upon research, there are reports that it may decrease by as much as 2-5% per year. If the muscle mass decreases, the appearance of advancing age will be exacerbated; it’s likely to cause falls and fractures, the body’s mobility declines, and there are also occurrences of atrophy and becoming bedridden ……
Blood vessels and muscles can both be rejuvenated
There is a common factor as regards the blood vessels, muscles and whole body involved with aging.
It is possible to rejuvenate at any age. First of all, muscles can be trained by using any number of exercises. It is often said that “squatting is important”, “walking is important” and so on. Ultimately, it’s important to move the body. Also, in MHLW’s “National Health and Nutrition Survey in Heisei 29 (2017)”, muscle mass of the limbs was reported to be significantly greater with a long period of manual labor. Also, diet is important for maintaining muscle. Indeed, in the national health and nutrition survey mentioned earlier, people who ingested more protein seemed to have greater muscle mass.
How do we keep our blood vessels young?
On the other hand, maybe you think that the blood vessels “rejuvenate”. But if you care about the life of the blood vessels, it’s not too late, even at any age. Since it is known that rising and falling blood pressure and blood glucose levels cause stress on the blood vessels, please refrain from eating a lot of salt and carbohydrates (carbohydrates and
sweets). Also, mental and physical stresses such as sleep deprivation and anxiety are a strain on blood vessels.
In addition, moderate exercise such as walking or stretching causes moderate friction to the cells inside the blood vessel (vascular endothelial cells), which releases beneficial substances such as nitric oxide (NO), and flexibly opens the blood vessels. Thus, retaining muscle mass, keeping blood vessels younger, moving the body, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep is a matter of habit. It may be a cliché to call it the secret of rejuvenation, but maintaining a healthy life is the secret to youth and energy.