21.3: Middle Age

Middle age is defined as the period from age thirty-one to fifty. The early period of this stage is very different from the end. For example, many women experience pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation during the early years of middle age. In the latter part of this life stage, women face perimenopause, a transition period leading up to menopause or the end of menstruation. Several physical changes occur in the middle-aged years, including the loss of bone mass in women due to dropping estrogen levels during menopause. In both men and women, visual acuity declines, and by age forty, there can be a decreased ability to see objects at a close distance, a condition known as presbyopia. During this stage of the human life cycle, adults begin to experience the first outward signs of aging. Wrinkles start to appear, joints ache after a highly active day, and body fat accumulates. There is also a loss of muscle tone and elasticity in the connective tissue. In their late thirties and their forties, many people notice a decline in endurance, the onset of wear-and-tear injuries (such as osteoarthritis), and changes in the digestive system. Wounds and other injuries also take longer to heal. Body composition changes due to fat deposits in the trunk. To maintain health and wellness during the middle-aged years and beyond, it is important to:

• maintain a healthy body weight
• consume nutrient-dense foods
• drink alcohol in moderation
• don’t smoke
• engage in moderate physical activity at least 150 minutes per week

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