Senior Health

Recently I came across a hot topic: according to reports, a celebrity admitted on a show to drinking protein powder long-term, and at a medical checkup his kidney condition was described as looking like that of “a 70-year-old.” The topic quickly hit the hot search lists, and the most concentrated question in the comments was—does drinking protein powder really damage the kidneys? Let me put this upfront: this is the individual’s own statement on the show/interview—an individual anecdote—and cannot be taken directly as evidence that “protein powder damages kidneys.” Moreover, old claims about this celebrity’s kidneys first appeared in a 2019 program related to his pre-marital medical checkup. According to early Hong Kong media reports (a secondary source, not yet further verified), his family explained the main causes as “years of martial arts injuries and long-term painkiller use,” not protein powder. On the same matter, the accounts given at different times differ, which in itself suggests there may be more than one cause. So this article won’t touch gossip; it will only clarify “whether middle-aged and older people should supplement with protein powder at all.” ...

Has a friend recently forwarded you a message? It goes something like: glucosamine—a supplement many people take regularly—has been “called out” by a new study for possibly being linked to dementia. Before you rush to put the bottles at home away, let’s think. The biggest risk with news like this is reading only the headline, not the content. Today, let’s sit down and carefully sort this out: who did the study, who it is about, what the conclusion actually is, and most importantly—how ordinary people like us should view it. ...

“Is my blood pressure a bit high—should I try to bring it down through exercise?” This is a question many people ask. For people with hypertension, whether exercise can lower blood pressure and what counts as scientific exercise are worth getting straight. In short, regular exercise does help control blood pressure, but it is an adjunct—it does not replace medication, and you should follow your doctor’s advice. This article draws on authoritative guidelines and consensus to explain how scientific exercise can assist blood pressure control, how to do it properly, and what to watch out for. ...

Taking your parents for a flu shot comes with a knot in the stomach beforehand. Wasn’t there something this year about trivalent versus quadrivalent? What if the nurse asks something you can’t answer? Mum has high blood pressure and an egg allergy—can she still get it? Questions like these have been piling up lately. The reason is that both this year’s vaccine composition and the vaccination guidelines have been updated, while advice online has grown muddled. What follows is a family decision guide, in the order you are likely to run into things on the way out the door. ...

There it is on the health check report: an arrow next to the blood pressure reading, and a doctor saying offhandedly, “get more exercise.” On the way home the questions start. How much walking counts? Can I run? I’m already on medication—will exercise make things worse? Short answer: regular exercise is a dependable part of blood pressure management, but only a supporting one. It does not replace medication, and any change to your prescription goes through your doctor. What to do and what to check beforehand comes from established prevention guidelines and the evidence behind them. ...