By Kimberly J. Decker, Contributing Editor
It may have been Peter Pan who famously intoned, “I won’t grow up,” but a whole generation of Americans—78 million strong—remains doggedly resistant, if not actually to growing up, then at least to growing old. That generation, of course, would be the baby boomers, and its members view supermarket shelves and restaurant menus as key fronts in the battle against the ticking of the biological clock.
Health span, not lifespan
According to Sharrann Simmons, senior marketing manager, Cognis Corporation, La Grange, IL, “The average baby boomer is much more active than their parents’ generation would’ve been at the same age, so today, people talk not only about a lifespan, but a health span.”
But boomers can only stare down Father Time for so long. “Baby boomers face a multitude of challenges that result from the physiological—as well as lifestyle—changes that occur with aging,” says Lorraine Niba, Ph.D., regional marketing manager, FrieslandCampina Domo, Chicago. “Diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal diseases often emerge over time. Hormonal changes in female boomers result in health concerns that are often different from their male counterparts. The slowdown in metabolic rates and hormonal changes may lead to weight gain and other associated conditions. In addition, Caucasian boomer females show high rates of osteoporosis, resulting from inadequate calcium absorption.”
Ticker talk
“Boomers are at a critical age for development of cardiovascular diseases,” says J. J. Mathieu, ADM technical services, ADM, Decatur, IL. According to the American Heart Association, Dallas, roughly 40% of boomers aged 40 to 59 suffer from cardiovascular disease, as do a little over 73% of those aged 60 to 79.
Clinical and epidemiological research has established that long-chain omega-3s, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), can help lower those disease rates by decreasing triglyceride and remnant lipoprotein levels, improving endothelial function, and decreasing the rate of atherosclerotic plaques.
With ongoing research in the role of DHA in preventing or slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, boomers also value the nutrient as a tool to “help the aging brain function at its maximum effectiveness,” Simmons says.
