Put the brakes on accelerated aging

The oldest pipe organ still in use is in the Basilica of Valere in Sion, Switzerland. Almost 600 years old, it still has most of its original case and 12 of the original pipes.

If only all of us could have our organs age so gracefully. But a study led by researchers at Stanford University found that around 20 percent of folks age 50 or older have at least one organ that’s aging prematurely — increasing the risk for diseases associated with that organ (think heart attack or dementia) and for premature death by 20 percent to 50 percent.

They took blood samples from 1,400 people and looked at proteins associated with the heart, fat, lungs, immune system, kidney, liver, muscles, pancreas, brain, vasculature and intestines. Then, looking at participants’ health history they saw that when there was an excess of those organ-specific proteins there was also wear-and-tear on the organs.

They also discovered that

DR. OZ AND DR. ROIZEN

folks with signs of accelerated heart aging had a 250 percent increased risk of heart failure. Accelerated aging in kidneys was associated with diabetes, obesity, elevated lousy

LDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Accelerated aging in muscles was linked with trouble walking and balance.

Managing hysterectomies

Hysterectomies are quite common — over 30 percent of women in the U.S. age 50 or older have had one.

That operation may disrupt hormones or plunge a woman into menopause. But symptoms can be alleviated with hormone therapy — currently acknowledged to be safe to take for at least 10 years after your last period, although there’s still concern about an increased risk for breast cancer. However, for women without a uterus, bioidentical estrogen alone can be used and randomized studies found that it actually decreases the risk of breast cancer. And now an observational study suggests that staying on estrogen-only replacement for up to 20 years may be a safe, smart move.

Researchers followed 51 women who had hysterectomies along with removal of their ovaries and fallopian tubes and monitored their health for 20 years as they used a transdermal estradiol patch. They showed improved vertebrae density, their good HDL cholesterol went up and lousy LDL went down. In addition, they experienced sustained decreases in hot flashes, insomnia, muscle, joint and back pain, vaginal dryness and urologic symptoms.