Ahead of the curvature
New Zealand Listener|February 24 - March 1, 2024
Research suggests declining bone health may have links to brain disease. What can we do to slow these processes?
NIKI BEZZANT
Ahead of the curvature

On her 86th birthday in December, Jane Fonda declared herself the happiest she'd ever been. The actor reportedly put her younger cast mates to shame on the set of her recent movie, Book Club: The Next Chapter; rising at dawn and clocking up thousands of steps around the streets of Rome before her day began.

Fonda and many of her fellow seniors including the baby boomer bubble now in their mid-70s - are living longer and healthier lives than any generation before them.

That longevity seems set to continue for the following generations; people in their 50s and 60s can now reasonably expect to see their 90s. Older people are more active and generally healthier than ever before.

But while we're out there biking the trails and walking the tracks, there can be changes going on inside the body that might put paid to that extended health span. Diseases of the bones and brain can stealthily start decades ahead of when they finally show up externally. Scientists are learning more, not only about new ways to treat these issues, but also about what individuals can do to lower their risk and potentially prevent them.

The fact that we're living longer is one reason bone health is becoming more of a focus for innovative research. Unless we've broken bones, it's likely we've devoted little time to thinking about their health. Yet bone density is linked to longevity- and having poor bone density is linked to early death.

Early in Ian Reid's career as an endocrinologist, he started to realise that bones needed more attention.

Esta historia es de la edición February 24 - March 1, 2024 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición February 24 - March 1, 2024 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE NEW ZEALAND LISTENERVer todo
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024