Thai anti-ageing experts unlock secrets to long life in greying society

“Well-being Talk: Ageing Society” saw doctors, academics, influencers, and celebrities share tips on everything from food, exercise and healthcare to lifestyle and living arrangements for later life.

The “golden years” advice was timely: Thailand is home to 13 million people aged over 60 and this will rise to 19 million in the next 20 years, according to the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University.

The seminar, held jointly by The Nation and food giant Ajinomoto Co (Thailand) last Saturday, was divided into two sessions.

The first featured advice from Dr Jira Thawornpradit, director of RoyalLife Wellness Bangkok; Assoc Prof Suwimol Sapwarobol, deputy dean in the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at Chulalongkorn University; and 77-year-old film and TV star Nirut Sirichanya.

Dr Jira kicked things off by correcting a myth about the most common accident among elderly people.

"The main reason that older adults fall in the bathroom is not because they lack calcium, but because of muscle atrophy," she said.

Diet and exercise were the two best weapons against muscle weakness that leads to falls in later life. Good nutrition accounts for about 80% of bodily strength while exercise takes care of 20%, she explained.

Dr Jira also described the symptoms to look out for that mark the start of old age.

"Feeling less energetic, sleeping poorly, and deterioration in your physical health all signal the beginning of the elderly phase,” she said.

Assoc Prof Suwimol went further by suggesting certain diets acted like a prescription for longevity.

She offered two examples, the first being Okinawa in Japan where a diet heavy in yams and sweet potatoes offers health benefits that lead to longer lives. Meanwhile, residents of Loma Linda City in California – who eat a mainly vegetarian diet and refrain from smoking or consuming alcohol – live on average eight to 10 years longer than their fellow Americans.

Okinawa and Loma Linda City are two of the world’s five “Blue Zones”, or regions with the highest life expectancies.

The others are Sardinia (Italy) and Ikaria (Greece) – both home to the famously healthy Mediterranean diet – and Nicoya in Costa Rica.

Each of us should aim to eat five colours of vegetables and fruit every day, said Suwimol, as variety is key to good health. Each colour contains its own cocktail of chemicals, called phytochemicals, that combat different diseases.

Suwimol also recommended exercising outdoors on cool mornings to boost levels of vitamin D and K crucial for maintaining strong and healthy bones.

Lifestyle and mental well-being were important too, she said, citing a Chulalongkorn University study that showed the health benefits of different generations coexisting in the same household.

"Vibes are very important. Creating a place where the elderly feel loved and engaged in family conversations helps them feel they are wanted and that they belong.”

Screen idol Nirut agreed that it was important to include a variety of food in your diet. He claimed that Inuit (“Eskimo”) people rarely live beyond their 50s because they eat fish and nothing else.

"At the age of 76, I have no medical conditions. I could still play soccer until I was 60. Eating is a big deal for me,” said Nirut, before offering his own secret to a long and healthy life.

“I’ve eaten only one meal per day for the last 60 years and I only eat when I get hungry,” he declared.

The still youthful-looking septuagenarian said he still enjoys his food and never counts calories.

"Just eat what you want, in sufficient quantity and with plenty of variety – don’t stick to the same old favourite every single meal. Sleep well and avoid being stressed.”

His last piece of advice was to get a health check “once or twice a year" as prevention is better than being cured during a long stay in hospital.

"You need to be your own doctor, staying aware of what’s happening to your body so that you can inform the actual doctors and let them cure you," he added.

Session two gathered different perspectives from health influencers, an expert, and a specialist on how to stay fit after turning 60.

Dr Sanga Madapong, a government health adviser and senior expert at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, shocked the crowd in the auditorium by revealing he was 74 years of age. Sanga, who looks no older than 50, said he started taking care of himself seriously when he was 33.

"I don’t want to be a burden on my children, so I try hard to take care of myself," he said.

He recommended eating a diet that contains all five food groups – fruit and vegetables; rice and other starchy carbohydrates; proteins; dairy and alternatives; and fats.

He warned that those who eat no meat at all were at risk of getting insufficient amino acids.

Sanga added that the older we get, the higher the risk of heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes. And the root causes of these diseases lie in what we consume, he said.

Fasai Puengudom, a fitness and health influencer, delved into the reasons why people abandon diet and exercise routines. He highlighted the challenges of maintaining passion and the risk of losing sight of goals along the way.

"Passion in Latin means to suffer, but also to endure. Because we do not want to suffer, we must be very committed to our food and exercise regimen.”

He stressed the importance of considering each person’s health issues as unique and developing a workout plan that is tailor-made for each individual.

Sineenart Hatrakul, a 70-year-old health influencer, declared she aimed to stay fit to the last day of her life and avoid ever becoming bedridden.

She endorsed Fasai’s point that people should set their goal for a healthy lifestyle and start now. The earlier, the better, she emphasised.