Staying Healthy Archive

Tooth decay and gum disease can lead to serious health problems, including brain or heart infections.

A growing number of older adults have something to smile about: research shows they're keeping their teeth longer. While that makes chewing and talking easier and staves off malnutrition and the discomfort of dentures or missing teeth, it also means you need to be more vigilant than ever about preventing dental problems — including some that can have life-threatening complications.

Tooth decay

One in five adults ages 65 or older has untreated tooth decay (a cavity). This develops when food and bacteria form plaque that sticks to teeth and produces toxins that break down a tooth's outer layer (enamel).

Ask the doctor

Q. Just before the holidays, I heard that a study said it was okay to eat red meat. Previously, you've said just the opposite. Help!

A. We got lots of letters like yours. The bottom line is that we stick by our longstanding advice: avoid frequent meals of red meat, and especially processed meat.

They often lead to follow-up appointments and more testing.

Modern medical imaging saves lives: it can find a blocked artery, a bulging blood vessel, or a suspicious mass. But many times, an x-ray, CT scan, MRI scan, or ultrasound exam looking for one kind of problem can reveal an anomaly that's unrelated and unexpected. Such incidental findings can lead to more testing, more medical bills, and a great deal of anxiety.

"Frequently radiologists will point out something and say it's probably benign, but recommend an MRI. Once you've been told something might be abnormal, you might feel nervous until you know what it is," says Dr. Suzanne Salamon, associate chief of gerontology at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

You've tried nearly everything for your worn-out knee. But the remaining possibilities may include some risky options.

Knee osteoarthritis affects about half of us in older age. The cartilage that acts as a cushion between the bones wears away, and it hurts when the bones grind against each other. In many people, arthritis can become severe enough that they consider a knee replacement. Since surgery is an expensive and complicated option, you may wonder what else you can do to reduce knee pain. Beware: some treatments are bogus and even dangerous.

Stay away from these

The first sign that a knee pain treatment isn't the best choice: an ad promising that it's the surefire solution.

Report new symptoms immediately if you take one of these.

Taking blood thinners and prescription painkillers such as opioids can have potentially life-threatening complications. But many medications — even over-the-counter drugs — have the potential for dangerous side effects. "In most cases, the risk of serious side effects is very rare — much less than 1% of the time," says Dr. Joshua Gagne, a pharmacist and epidemiologist with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

If you're taking any of the following drugs, learn the rare risks.

Research we're watching

Replacing just one sugary drink each day with water may reduce your risk of developing diabetes, according to a study published online Oct. 3, 2019, by Diabetes Care. Researchers from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked at more than two decades' worth of data collected in three long-term studies, involving more than 192,000 adults. By tracking beverage intake over time, they found that people who increased their consumption of sugary drinks (including 100% fruit juice) by more than 4 ounces a day over four years had a 16% increase in diabetes risk over the next four years. Turning to "diet" versions might not help, either: an 18% jump in diabetes risk occurred in people who increased their intake of artificially sweetened drinks by more than 4 ounces a day over the same period, although some of that risk could have reflected other factors, said researchers.

The bottom line: If you want to reduce diabetes risk, it's better to skip sweet drinks and stick to unsweetened tea, coffee, or water. When people drank one of those beverages once a day instead of a sweetened drink, diabetes risk dropped by 2% to 10%.

The once-a-year appointment can reveal vital health information for both you and your doctor.

It's usually covered by your health insurance, it doesn't take much time, and it's a great way to learn about your present and future health.

While men often call it the yearly physical, the annual ritual is better named a wellness visit or preventive health appointment. Whatever you call it, men should still have one every year as it remains an important part of primary care, according to Dr. Asaf Bitton, executive director of Ariadne Labs and primary care physician at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

On call

Q. How does a cold virus spread from one person to the next? And what can I do to protect myself?

A. The common cold is most often spread by direct contact with the respiratory secretions of someone who is infected, typically through hand-to-hand contact. Here is how it happens: The person with a cold touches his or her mouth or nose (we do this all day without thinking). The cold viruses are now on the person's hands. The person then touches you, such as by shaking hands. You rub your eyes, nose, or mouth, and the viruses enter your body, and so it goes.

Maintaining proper balance as you age requires attention, strength, and flexibility.

One skill that can sharply decline with age, and often with little warning, is your sense of balance.

"As people age, changes in flexibility, muscle strength and power, body sensation, reflexes, and even mental function all contribute to declining balance," says Dr. Brad Manor, associate director of the Mobility and Falls Translational Research Center with Harvard-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife. "You need to work on all these factors to maintain a strong sense of balance."

Here are 10 ways to safeguard your life (and health) when an emergency or disaster strikes.

Natural disasters and other kinds of emergencies can strike anywhere and often with little warning. Yet, new data from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging show that most adults ages 50 to 80 are ill-prepared for severe weather, long-term power outages, or other emergency situations.

"Older adults should take the time to focus on how they will cope and manage with an emergency," says Dr. Howard LeWine, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and editor-in-chief of this newsletter. "A small effort now can protect their health and well-being when an emergency does occur."