Nutrition for geezers

[carson]

Because of a spotty record of activity over the years I developed type 2 diabetes. My blood sugar level was 596 when the signs became too obvious to ignore about 9 years ago. Through a good Doctors help I got it down to around 100 within a few months and have mostly kept it close to that since. However, I still need to go in for 6 month check ups. He asked me if I used any supplements. I do not but neither of us followed up on the question. I asked him later if I should use supplements. He responded that at my age except for a daily vitamin I should not because of what they could do to ones kidneys.

I wonder if one vitamin is any better than another and if anyone over 60 has been given similar advice concerning supplements?

[Mark E. Hurling]

I take a handful of pills in the morning. One for my BP, Crestor, a low dose aspirin, a 1200 mg fish oil capsule, a 50 mg capsule of DHEA, a MSM-chondroitin-glucosamine capsule, and a one a day multi vitamin for men. Then another pill for my BP at night.

I gave up taking the MSM-chondroitin-glucosamine for about a year and my knee made me pay for it big in 2012. Just my own 2 cents worth at 62. But then I've been nursing some old injuries for decades as a result of my misspent youth. The head trauma there's nothing for. I just try not to get the twitches and drool in front of other people.

[Karl Schudt]

Have you checked your blood sugar recently? How is it, now that you've added weightlifting to your regimen?

[ColoWayno]

Because of a spotty record of activity over the years I developed type 2 diabetes. My blood sugar level was 596 when the signs became too obvious to ignore about 9 years ago. Through a good Doctors help I got it down to around 100 within a few months and have mostly kept it close to that since. However, I still need to go in for 6 month check ups. He asked me if I used any supplements. I do not but neither of us followed up on the question. I asked him later if I should use supplements. He responded that at my age except for a daily vitamin I should not because of what they could do to ones kidneys.

I wonder if one vitamin is any better than another and if anyone over 60 has been given similar advice concerning supplements?

How old are you? Do you currently have problems with your kidneys, or are they just "old".
This would be a great question to move up to the Nutrition forum for Jordan to tackle.

My feeling is that, done intelligently, supplements can probably help you overall (but I'll leave the particulars of that up to more knowledgeable people).

[carson]

Karl, My blood sugar ranges from 80 to 110. I do take it every morning. I have not noticed any perceptible change except I almost never need any insulin. I do take Metformin in A.M. and P.M. but rarely anything else.

ColoWayno, I'm 66. I debated putting it up there but wanted the old fools like me to see the thread. No, kidney problems and I'd just as soon not have any.

[ColoWayno]

Karl, My blood sugar ranges from 80 to 110. I do take it every morning. I have not noticed any perceptible change except I almost never need any insulin. I do take Metformin in A.M. and P.M. but rarely anything else.

ColoWayno, I'm 66. I debated putting it up there but wanted the old fools like me to see the thread. No, kidney problems and I'd just as soon not have any.

I'd go ask Jordan and maybe do some searches for stuff like this (pubmed elderly kidney protein supplement):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730227/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2760315/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20646347

I might not have found the most applicable, but it's a start.

In general, the argument that protein supplementation will ruin healthy kidneys gets routinely debunked around here. There's a tremendous upside to gaining lean mass, which you probably know which is why you are here.

I'm not any kind of expert on these things, but there's some real help nearby... in 3-2-1...

[carson]

Thanks, ColoWayno, I'm reading the articles now.

[ColoWayno]

Thanks, ColoWayno, I'm reading the articles now.

Wait... you train with Sully? Well, if I didn't do too bad with the advices here maybe he won't beat me to a pulp.