Sod Sixty! by Claire Parker

Author:Claire Parker
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472925992
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Most age-related changes in the digestive tract and liver are age-related effects of other factors, particularly dietary habits. With bowel cancer, there are important genetic factors too, and liver problems may be compounded by age-related consequences of infection with the hepatitis viruses. However, the main changes are as follows:

1. Diverticular changes (diverticulosis)

This is when tiny pouches of gut lining get forced through weak points in the bowel wall. The biggest cause is constipation, due to insufficient dietary fibre (low-residue food), that doesn’t give the bowel wall muscles anything to work on. They get weaker and less effective at propelling food along. Digested food stays in the colon longer, making the faeces hard and more difficult to propel, blocking the bowel.

Diverticular ‘pouches’ may not cause any problems. But, like your appendix, they can get infected and inflamed (typically causing pain on the left side of your lower tummy), or bleed and occasionally burst. Burst bowel, wherever it happens, is always dangerous. So diverticulosis is best avoided by treating constipation.

2. Fatty liver change

This is when fat gets deposited throughout the substance of the liver where it normally isn’t found. It causes inflammation, scarring and eventually cirrhosis, which leads to liver cancer and other problems. Obesity – now so common in our 60s – is the leading cause of fatty liver change and cirrhosis, and has overtaken alcohol as a cause of liver disease. But alcohol is calorie-rich, so is a double dose of liver harm, contributing to fatty liver by excess calories, as well as toxic effects.

3. Digestive tract cancers

Bowel cancer is one of the commonest cancers in the UK. There is good information at the NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk). The important risk factors are alcohol, which increases the risk of all bowel cancers (even at ‘safe levels’), smoking, eating lots of red meat and nitrate-preserved processed meats, like sausages and ham, which combine with stomach acid to increase the risk of stomach cancer.

PROTECT YOUR BOWEL WITH FIBRE

You can prevent constipation, diverticulosis and piles by ensuring that you have sufficient fibre (and fluid) in your diet. Fibre can help your bowel function better, and contributes to your metabolic health.

There are two types of fibre. Soluble fibre absorbs water, so softens and bulks the faeces – speeding bowel movement and reducing the time digested food stays in the gut. This, and its property of binding some digested fats and sugars, leads to reductions in LDL cholesterol and blood sugar. It is found in grains, fruits, roots and golden linseed (see www.nhs.uk), which you can sprinkle on food but is best avoided if you have diarrhoea.

Insoluble fibre is found in bran, many nuts and seeds, cereals and wholemeal products. It gives the bowel muscle something solid to work against, keeping it strong and active. Wholegrains are good sources of soluble and insoluble fibre – which work best when in combination.

You may need to experiment with the amount and balance. On average, most adults need around 30g (just over an ounce) of total fibre daily, of which a small amount (about 3g) is best as the soluble sort.

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