Reducing effects of ageing on your body

The following is a true story by Mrs Ander*, the daughter of Mrs Logun.* It has been slightly edited because of space.

“My mother went to the British High Commission in Lagos on June 1, 2005 to renew her visa, but instead, she was handed over to the police for prosecution. Her offence – she was said to have come to the High Commission with the forged passport of someone with similar names aged 62.

To them she looked more like 32! She was told that she was lying. The 30-year-old in the photo was hers but the passport itself must be that of the 62-year-old person she was impersonating. All entreaties to convince the officer that she was the same person failed.

Her passport was impounded and sent to Alagbon. A formal letter was given to her, practically insulting her and concluding that her like was not the type they wanted in Britain!”

I had the unique opportunity of listening directly to Mrs Logun, a few days after. She had been my patient of over 15 years at the time. I had actually predicted that one day she would get into trouble when travelling because her youthfulness contradicted her real age. We had had cause to joke about young men in their 30s trying to toast her. And anytime she told them she was old enough to be their mother, they never really believed her. This one had gone too far and she came to me devastated.

It wasn’t too difficult consoling her as I told her she should regard it as the greatest compliment she would ever receive and that her name would be cleared and knowing the British and their culture, she would get the deserved apology.

Soon after, supported by her 30-year-old daughter (who looked like her twin sister), her visa was granted with effusive apology from the British authorities as predicted.

l had asked Mrs Logun the secret of her youthfulness, not just in looks, but also in the abundance of energy. “Generally, all members of my family are slim and you can hardly find any obese person in our house. My high school classmates always thought my mother was my older sister.

“She had me when she was 28 years old! You can say, that youthful gene runs in our family but I know there must be other things involved,” she had replied.

Yes indeed, there are other things involved other than genetics. A good nutrition is a good antidote for ageing. The crucial part of healthy eating is a balanced diet.

Nutritionists define a balanced diet or a good diet as one containing food items from all the different food groups in the right quantities. There are five main food groups – whole grains, fruit and vegetables, protein, dairy, fat and sugar. Prolonged malnutrition, at any age, can lead to premature ageing.

Malnutrition can be defined as the state of being poorly nourished. It may be caused by the lack of one or more nutrients (under-nutrition), or an excess of nutrients (over-nutrition).

Another important antidote to ageing is maintaining a healthy lifestyle during troubling times. Researchers say that this helps to reduce some of the negative effects of stress on the body, and the accelerated ageing that usually accompanies it.

In a recent study of 239 women, ages 50 to 65, researchers found that having a healthy diet, exercising and sleeping well reduced the effects of stress and ageing at the cellular level. Certainly, keeping active, eating and sleeping well during periods of high stress are particularly important to reduce the accelerated ageing of our immune cells.

One of the attributes of Mrs Logun, was her cheerfulness. Even when severely ruffled at the British High Commission, she got over it very quickly. Instead of brooding over it, she was quick to see the positive side and often made jokes about it all. There is certainly no doubt ageing is a result of an intricate interplay between genetics, nutrition, behaviours and stresses over their life span.

“And how can you ensure that your eyes stay ever youthful?” asked my little friend, SAN, the lawyer. “Avoid lawyers,” I said. His countenance changed. “I was joking,” I apologised. “I mean, avoid arguments which can cause stress but ensure a balanced diet particularly dark green leafy vegetables. You may take additional vitamin supplements if you wish but most of this will be found in a balanced diet. There are other things you must avoid – excessive ingestion of alcohol, smoking of cigarettes and tobacco. Excessive use of chloroquine and some other medications is a fast track to blindness.

Make sure you have an eye examination once a year to exclude that scourge called glaucoma. Check your blood pressure frequently. High blood pressure can damage your eyes and if it is too low, especially if you have glaucoma, onset of blindness can be accelerated. If you have diabetes ensure that it is properly controlled. Uncontrolled diabetes is a powerfully blinding condition.

 

*Andra and Logun are not the real names.