Historically, older adults have slowed down with the passing of the years: grandmother sitting in a rocker and grandpa with his cane, right? Today, grandmother is more likely to be hitting a yoga class while grandpa plans the holiday ski trip. “Many people in their 40s, 50s and 60s work out, play in a sports league, or take part in running or bike clubs, as well as go on action vacations,” said Eileen Sheets, managing director, Bioforce USA. “With this in mind, the idea of preserving joint health is paramount so that activity and lifestyle may be maintained. It used to be only about arthritis, but now joint health is so much more than that: it’s about freedom of living life to its fullest.”
Seconded Micah Osborne, president, Membrell: “The Baby Boomers are aging, but do not want to look or feel older. They want to maintain their active lifestyle, and who can blame them?”
Indeed, the Baby Boomers have determined they’re not going to slow down, despite what may fall to them. “Minor injuries incurred years ago are catching up to Baby Boomers as larger numbers of them march through their 50s and 60s,” said Dean Mosca, president, Proprietary Nutritionals Inc. “This group is not used to being sidelined from activities, as demonstrated by the increasing number of knee- and hip-replacement surgeries.”
Of course, that doesn’t stop the onset of joint degeneration. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion reports 46 million Americans—one in five—have been diagnosed by a health-care professional with arthritis or another rheumatic condition. In fact, the term “arthritis” describes more than 100 different conditions that affect joints and other parts of the body. It is one of the most chronic health problems and one of the nation’s most common causes of disability, limiting the activities of nearly 19 million adults.
The degeneration is exacerbated by the challenge of supplying adequate nutrients for the body to carry out repair, and keep the joints healthly. “Aging also tends to be associated with reduced absorption of nutrients, forcing us to take higher amounts and better forms in order to assure adequate nutrition,” noted Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA, nutrition education manager, NOW Foods. “The tendency of many seniors to cut back on meals, for reasons such as loss of taste or smell, or interest in cooking, may also increase the need for supplementation of essential nutrients. Stomach acid and digestive enzymes also tend to decline with age, negatively affecting digestion and nutrient absorption.”