Biomarkers: The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality [Paperback]

William Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1992

Exciting new evidence from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has demonstrated that the body's decline is due not to the passing of years but to the combined effects of inactivity, poor nutrition, and illness -- much of which can be controlled. This breakthrough study shows that regardless of your age or present physical condition, the aging process can be slowed -- or even reversed!

The authors have identified ten "biomarkers," the key physiological factors associated with prolonged youth and vitality:

* lean body (muscle) mass

* strength

* basal metabolic rate

* body fat percentage

* aerobic capacity

* blood pressure

* Insulin sensitivity

* cholesterol/HDL ratio

* bone density

* body temperature regulation

With only 50 minutes a day of aerobic exercise and strength training (a pivotal component of the 16-week Bioaction Plan), even middle-aged "couch potatoes" and older adults can:

* regain muscle loss and increase strength by as much as 200 percent

* reenergize the body and actually lose body fat

* increase aerobic capacity by up to 20 percent

* reduce the chances of developing age-related conditions such as heart disease, Type II diabetes, and osteoporosis

Providing dietary guidelines, self-tests for evaluating your physiological age, and exercise programs for every level of fitness, Biomarkers will change forever the way you think -- and what you do -- about aging.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D. founder, The Cooper Clinic If ever a book could take the worry out of aging, this one's it.

About the Author

Irwin H. Rosenberg, M.D., has been the Director of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University since 1986. He is a physician and physiologist whose special interest is clinical nutrition and metabolism. He is former Chairman of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences and former President of the American Society of Clinical Nutrition, and has held medical professorships at Harvard and the University of Chicago. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1ST edition (August 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671778986
• ISBN-13: 978-0671778989
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seniors- A Must Read Book, March 5, 2000

By 

Michael Emerson (Oakland CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biomarkers: The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality (Paperback)

Without a doubt, this is the best book I have ever read on Exercise & Aging. I have been in the health & fitness industry for 20+ years and there is nothing that comes close to matching the quality of this book. Evans, with others at Harvard and Tufts University, did the actual research themselves before writing this book. While others continue to do stretching and circuit training w/ their senior clients w/ minimal results, Evans proves that it is the high intensity strength training that will produce the most significant changes for seniors who want to remain self-sufficient. If you are a senior or someone who works directly w/ seniors, I can't encourage strongly enough to go out immediately and get a copy of this book.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This could save us all from the rest home!, April 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Biomarkers: The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality (Paperback)

Even as a health educator, I never considered weight lifting for myself. Only body builders and teenage boys need strength training, right? Well, after seeing Dr. Evans at a seminar and reading this book, I've started lifting weights, at the age of 30, and plan to do it until I'm 98! I'm starting early so I will be able to avoid developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and avoid admission to a rest home! The scientific information on this now-famous research on 90-year-olds is easy to understand. Two 12-week programs for prolonging vitality, as used in their research, are presented: one for beginners and non-exercisers and one for people who have been exercising regularly (not for professional athletes, obviously). Practical guidelines are given for people who have never done any strength training. This information is so important, I recommend this book to all appropriate patients with diabetes and high cholesterol. It may be the only way for all of us to realistically maintain a healthy amount of muscle, and therefore avoid gaining body fat, as we age. (In other words, this could be the best weight-management book ever!) Although the book seems to be written for those already in their middle years, people of all ages could benefit from this advice. As their research shows, if a 90-year-old can put on muscle, so can we!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great system for retarding ageing and maintaining vitality, March 12, 2002

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Biomarkers: The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality (Paperback)

Finally, all the latest research about ageing and vitality is turned into a complete, easy to follow system designed to promote vitality and health - no matter what your age. The authors have clearly done their homework and the section on insulin resistance is vital, as I know personally. As someone with insulin resistance, I know I'm at higher risk for thyroid disease, high choleterol and diabetes. The author demonstrates how proper diet and exercise can ward off further problems and go a long way towards eliminating unnecessary medications and diseases. In addition to this information, there's detailed tips on how to use body-building to prevent osteoporosis as well as lesser known information that can make a world of difference in feeling truly healthy and engergetic. One of the best books I've ever read on the subject!