John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

I am 56 and our 50's are a watershed age in so many ways especially with our health. In our teens and 20's we were indestructible. We seemed to be able to eat poorly and generally break all the health rules and for most get away with it.

Even in our 30's we seemed to escape the consequences of health neglect. However it all started to change in our 40's. The first signs of potential heart disease started to appear with rising cholesterol, blood pressure, joint problems and systemic inflammation. The twinges of the 30's become annoying in our 40's and disabling by our 50's and 60's.

One of the main reasons for escaping health problems in the first three decades is that our bodies are very effective at making our own antioxidant enzymes. These protective enzymes, especially glutathione and super oxide dismutase, are our cell protectors and help prevent oxidative cell damage that is a cause of almost every disease process. However from our late 20's our production of these critical enzymes diminishes so our cells increasingly rely on antioxidants from diet.

American estimates are that 90 per cent of the population have inadequate intakes of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and I don't think we are much different. Chronic health problems accumulate and they may be accumulating without you actually feeling unwell. You can have a 50 per cent heart artery blockage and seem fine. Lose the next 25 per cent and you will end up talking to a cardiologist. You can have lost half of your knee cartilage and it may feel fine. Lose the next 50 per cent and you will end up talking to an orthopaedic surgeon.

So we baby boomers need to take stock. The health decisions you make today can be the difference between a full and enjoyable life and retirement, or one marked by serious health problems. Remember, the big killers of heart disease and cancers are not ageing diseases, they are diet and lifestyle diseases. It is almost never too late to recover lost ground. On a daily basis I deal with people who, after extended periods of losing health, are now regaining it.

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. For product information visit www.abundant.co.nz If you have questions or would like a free health plan you can contact John at john@johnarts.co.nz or phone 07 578
9051 or 0800 423 559. You can join his newsletter at www.johnarts.co.nz Read more from John at www.sunlive.co.nz