Your Senior Advisor: Older Men Who Cope with Stress Have Better Cholesterol, Study Says

By Shannon Wygant, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and owner of the Waterford and Walled Lake, Michigan franchises of Home Instead Senior Care. 

1. My 68-year-old father discovered at his last physical that his cholesterol is up.  He watches what he eats and is very active.  However, it seems that he’s always stressed out and angry about something.  Are there any studies that link stress and cholesterol?

 As a matter of fact, a study just released in August at the 115^th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) found that older white men who are better able to cope with stress do in fact have more “good cholesterol” than those who are more hostile or isolated (http://www.apa.org/releases/cholesterolC07.html). According to the APA, this study gathered data from 716 men—average age of 65—to look at hostility, stress and coping processes, and cholesterol levels.  The subjects were given a questionnaire that asked them to rate how often they used 26 coping strategies.  The study found that:

• Individuals high in hostility were more likely to perceive problems as stressful and react with negative behavior, self-blame and social isolation.
• Men who were better able to cope could make a plan of action and pursue it.

Following an overnight fast, the subjects’ blood was tested for high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol), low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.  The authors had theorized that hostility would have an effect on all three lipoproteins, but what they discovered was a direct effect on HDL and triglycerides, but not on LDL.  

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Your Senior Advisor: Seniors with Celiac Disease Should Watch Diet, Seek Support

By Shannon Wygant, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and owner of the Waterford and Walled Lake, Michigan franchises of Home Instead Senior Care. 

1. After years of suffering from digestive problems, my 74-year-old mother was recently diagnosed with celiac disease.  What can you tell me about this condition, and how I can help?  She lives alone and needs a lot of support?

 According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (http://celiac.nih.gov/), celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients.  People who have this disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten—found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats.  When ingesting gluten, the immune systems of those with celiac disease respond by damaging the small intestine’s villi, fingerlike protrusions that allow food to be absorbed into the blood stream. October is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month, a good time to learn more about this disease, which impacts about 2 million people (1 in 133) in the U.S., according to the Clearinghouse.  The disease also is known as “celiac sprue,” “nontropical sprue” and “gluten-sensitive enteropathy.” According to the Clearinghouse, researchers are studying the reasons celiac disease affects people differently.  Some who have this disease may not have symptoms, while others may not know their symptoms are from this disease.  Some common symptoms of those with celiac disease can include gas; recurring abdominal bloating and pain; chronic diarrhea; weight loss or gain; fatigue; tingling or numbness in the legs; muscle cramps; and itchy skin.   The only treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet.  For most people, following this diet will stop the symptoms and heal existing intestinal damage and prevent further damage, according to the Clearinghouse.  Following are some resources to help provide more information:

• Celiac Disease Foundation, www.celiac.org
• Celiac Sprue Association/USA Inc., www.csaceliacs.org
• Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, www.gluten.net
• National Association for Celiac Awareness, www.celiaccentral.org

 Your mother’s doctor may have asked her to work with a dietician on a food plan that can help heal her body.  If your mom needs more support at home, consider encouraging her to hire a companion—such as a Home Instead CAREGiver—who could provide assistance with grocery shopping and meal preparation.  CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured, and offer other services to seniors such as medication reminders, light housekeeping and errands.  —Editor’s Note:  This is a continuation in a bi-weekly series which will be emailed every other Monday to regional press affiliates to help promote health, welfare, and advocacy for our senior population.  Bert Copple, Director of Community Relations, can be reached via email at dcrcommerce@inspireseniors.com, or via cell at 248-953-9916.

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Your Senior Advisor: Seniors Should Watch Food Labels To Achieve Better Cholesterol Readings

By Shannon Wygant, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and owner of the Waterford and Walled Lake, Michigan franchises of Home Instead Senior Care. 

Q.    High cholesterol tends to run in my family and when I went for my last physical, I noticed that it was up.  My doctor said to watch what I eat and gave me a diet to follow, but it’s difficult since my wife died.   What can you suggest? 

One of the easiest ways to stay out of trouble at the grocery store is to start reading labels.  According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI: www.nhlbi.nih.gov), it’s important to choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.   The government has worked to make this easier for all of us. 

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule went into effect in January 2006 requiring that food labels list the amount of trans fat together with saturated fat and cholesterol. What makes trans fat so dangerous?  Trans fat is a type of fat that is formed when vegetable oil is hardened through a process called hydrogenation.  The process actually helps to prolong the shelf life of food. Unfortunately, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol work together to raise the level of LDL “bad” cholesterol in the blood.  And those factors contribute to disease such as coronary heart disease (CHD), the main form of heart disease and a leading cause of death, illness and disability in the United States, according NHLBI. Check the “Nutrition Facts” panel of the food label.  

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