DANA G. SMITH2026年7月31日 Suvi SuitialaHow you treat your body and brain in your midlife years, loosely defined as 40 to 60, can hugely influence how you age in the decades to come.你在中年阶段（大致定义为40至60岁）如何对待自己的身体和大脑，会极大地影响你未来几十年的衰老轨迹。The seeds for many age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia, are sown in middle age, so it’s important to start thinking about prevention early. And it takes a lifetime of healthy habits, not just a few weeks, to move the needle on your longevity.包括心血管疾病、糖尿病、癌症和失智症，许多与衰老相关疾病的种子都是在中年时期埋下的，因此尽早开始考虑预防至关重要。而且，真正能够延长寿命的不是几周的努力，而是一生坚持的健康生活习惯。“Midlife is the ideal time to make changes, not only to benefit you in the present, but also in the future,” said Margie Lachman, a psychology professor at Brandeis University and the author of “Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife.”布兰迪斯大学心理学教授、《人生黄金期：重新定义中年》(Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife)一书的作者玛吉·拉赫曼说：“中年是作出改变的最佳时期，这些改变不仅会让你现在受益，也会让未来的你受益。”After all, she added, “What happens in midlife doesn’t stay in midlife.”她补充道，毕竟，“中年发生的事情不会只停留在中年。”We spoke with experts about some small habits that can make a big difference.我们采访了多位专家，请他们介绍了一些看似微小却能带来巨大改变的生活习惯。1. Do interval training.1. 做间歇训练。Cardio-respiratory fitness is one of the best predictors “of longevity and being able to be active and mobile in the later years of your life,” said Dr. Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine.纽约大学格罗斯曼医学院骨科副教授吉列姆·冈萨雷斯-洛马斯博士表示，心肺功能是“预测寿命长短以及晚年能否保持活跃和行动能力”的最佳指标之一。One way to improve your cardio-respiratory fitness is to incorporate interval training into your workouts a few times a week, Dr. Gonzalez-Lomas said.他说，提高心肺功能的一个方法，就是每周在日常锻炼中加入几次间歇训练。For example, rather than logging 30 minutes on a treadmill or a stationary bike at a steady pace, try alternating sprinting for 30 seconds and then resting for 30 seconds, 10 times through. It will be a shorter workout, but ideally also a harder one, because to get the biggest benefit, “You actually have to really push yourself,” he said.例如，与其以固定速度在跑步机或动感单车上持续运动30分钟，不如尝试冲刺30秒、休息30秒，如此交替进行共做10组。这样总运动时间会更短，但理想情况下强度会更高，因为要获得最大的收益，“你必须真正逼自己一把”。2. Run errands with a friend.2. 和朋友一起完成日常事务。Several experts emphasized the importance of social relationships for people’s long-term health and well-being.多位专家都强调了社交关系对人们长期健康和福祉的重要性。People often “don’t think of social interaction as a wellness intervention,” said Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and the author of “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life.” But it may be “the most important wellness intervention,” he said.宾夕法尼亚大学佩雷尔曼医学院医学伦理与卫生政策教授、《尽情享用冰淇淋：健康长寿的六条简单法则》(Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life)作者伊齐基尔·伊曼纽尔说，人们往往“不会把社交互动视为一种促进健康的干预措施”，但它“可能恰恰是最重要的一种”。The reality of midlife is that it can be hard to carve out time for yourself, let alone coordinate schedules with another busy friend. Dr. Lachman suggested taking a “two birds, one stone” approach and joining up with someone to complete tasks on your to-do lists. Those could include going for a walk or a workout together or even a trip to the grocery store.中年人的现实是，很难抽出属于自己的时间，更不用说协调另一位忙碌朋友的时间了。拉赫曼建议采取“一举两得”的办法：约朋友一起完成待办事项，比如一起散步、一起锻炼，甚至一起去超市购物。3. Eat fermented foods.3. 多吃发酵食品。When you’re thinking about the health of your body, don’t forget about the trillions of organisms that live inside you: your microbiome, said Dr. John Beard, a professor of productive aging at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.哥伦比亚大学梅尔曼公共卫生学院生产性老龄化教授约翰·比尔德博士说，在关注身体健康时，不要忘记体内生活着数万亿微生物——也就是你的微生物群。A healthy gut microbiome, in particular, is associated with healthy aging. It is closely tied to the immune system and helps to control inflammation in the body, a major factor in many age-related diseases.尤其是健康的肠道微生物群，与健康老龄化密切相关。它与免疫系统密切相关，并有助于控制体内的炎症——这是许多与年龄相关疾病的一个主要因素。Research is preliminary, but experts are starting to think that one of the best ways to care for your microbiome is to feed it fermented foods, which add more good microbes to the mix. You could start your day with a bowl of yogurt, or incorporate kimchi, kombucha, kefir or sauerkraut into your diet.虽然相关研究仍处于初步阶段，但专家们越来越认为，维护微生物群最好的方法之一就是多吃发酵食品，因为它们能够为肠道补充更多有益微生物。你可以从每天早晨吃一碗酸奶开始，或者把韩式泡菜、康普茶、开菲尔和德式酸菜等加入日常饮食。4. Lift weights.4. 举重。While aerobic fitness is essential for healthy longevity, research is mounting that muscle strength may be just as important. Having strong muscles is associated with greater longevity and independence in old age, while losing too much muscle increases the risk of frailty.虽然有氧运动对健康长寿至关重要，但越来越多的研究表明，肌肉力量可能同样重要。肌肉强壮的人通常寿命更长，老年后的独立生活能力更强；肌肉流失过多则会增加身体虚弱的风险。Along with its practical benefits, resistance training causes your muscles to release signaling molecules called myokines, some of which help to tamp down inflammation in the body.除了提高身体功能之外，抗阻训练还能促使肌肉释放一种叫作“肌因子”的信号分子，其中一些有助于抑制体内炎症。If you’ve spent time around a dumbbell rack, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with heavier weights, Dr. Gonzalez-Lomas said. But if you’re just starting out, “anything that you do that’s resistance training is going to make a difference.”如果你已经有举哑铃的经验，不要害怕尝试更大的重量，冈萨雷斯-洛马斯博士说道。但如果你刚开始锻炼，“任何抗阻训练都会带来改变”。The goal is to “get to a point where you’re feeling like your muscles are under stress” and starting to fatigue, Dr. Gonzalez-Lomas said.他说，目标是“达到一个你能感觉到肌肉受到刺激的程度”，并且开始出现疲劳感。5. Include a little protein in every meal.5. 每餐摄入一点蛋白质。People begin losing muscle mass in their 30s, a process that accelerates in their 60s. Eating enough protein, especially in combination with resistance training, can help to offset that loss.人体从30多岁开始流失肌肉，到60多岁后这一过程会进一步加快。摄入足够蛋白质（结合抗阻训练更佳）可以帮助减缓这种流失。This doesn’t mean you need to start protein maxxing — the general guideline of 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is sufficient, said Dr. Elena Volpi, the director of the Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at UT Health San Antonio. That translates to 54 to 81 grams of protein per day for a 150-pound adult.不过，这并不意味着你需要疯狂补充蛋白质。得克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥健康科学中心长寿与老龄化研究所所长埃琳娜·沃尔皮博士表示，一般建议每天每公斤体重摄入0.8至1.2克蛋白质即可。对于一名体重约68公斤的成年人来说，相当于每天摄入54至81克蛋白质。To ensure that you’re getting enough protein every day, and that your body can process it optimally, Dr. Volpi suggested including some protein in every meal.为了确保每天都摄入足够蛋白质，并让身体更有效地利用它，沃尔皮建议每顿饭都搭配一些富含蛋白质的食物。6. Take the stairs.6. 多走楼梯。Experts talked about the importance of incorporating regular movement into your day-to-day life, not just during dedicated gym sessions.专家们谈到，将规律的运动融入日常生活非常重要，而不仅仅依赖在健身房锻炼。“I wouldn’t call it exercise, I would call it physical activity,” Dr. Volpi said.沃尔皮说：“我更愿意把它称作身体活动，而不是锻炼。”Several studies have found that taking roughly 7,000 steps a day significantly decreases people’s risk of death and diseases associated with aging. You can get in that daily movement in all sorts of ways: by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking instead of driving somewhere or, if you do have to drive, parking far away from the entrance. Over time, those extra steps add up and can make a difference for your health.多项研究发现，每天走大约7000步就能显著降低死亡风险以及多种与衰老相关疾病的风险。实现这一目标的方法有很多，比如走楼梯而不是坐电梯，步行而不是开车，或者即使开车，也把车停得离入口远一点。随着时间推移，这些额外迈出的步数会不断累积，并真正改善你的健康。7. Get the shingles vaccine.7. 接种带状疱疹疫苗。There is growing evidence that the vaccine to prevent shingles also protects against dementia, reducing the risk of cognitive decline by roughly 20 percent. Other vaccines, specifically the influenza, pneumococcal and Tdap vaccines, may also offer some benefit.越来越多证据显示，预防带状疱疹的疫苗还能降低患失智症的风险，可使认知能力下降的风险降低约20%。此外，流感疫苗、肺炎球菌疫苗和百白破疫苗也可能对降低认知能力下降和痴呆风险有一定作用。Scientists don’t know exactly why this is, but one hypothesis is that by preventing infections, the vaccines protect against major causes of inflammation in the brain and body.科学家尚未完全弄清其中原因，但一种假说认为，通过预防感染，疫苗减少了引发脑部和全身炎症的重要诱因。“It’s the easiest thing to be done because, unlike almost all wellness, it’s one and done,” Dr. Emanuel said.“这是最容易做到的事情，因为与几乎所有健康干预不同，它基本上是打一针就完成了，”伊曼纽尔博士说。8. Make a list of your parents’ chronic health conditions.8. 列出父母的慢性病史。While lifestyle affects people’s risk for age-related diseases, genetics also play a role. Dr. Volpi advised finding out which diseases run in your family, and then talking to your doctor about how best to manage your risk over time. Ask which signs or symptoms you should watch out for, and what you can do about them.虽然生活方式会影响患老年疾病的风险，但遗传因素也起着作用。沃尔皮建议了解哪些疾病在你的家族中遗传，然后和医生讨论如何长期管理自己的风险。询问医生应当留意哪些体征或症状，以及可以采取哪些预防措施。9. Go to bed at the same time every night.9. 每天晚上都在同一时间上床睡觉。Getting too little sleep is associated with several health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and dementia. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s also linked to a shorter life span.睡眠不足与肥胖、糖尿病、心脏病和失智症等多种健康问题有关，也与寿命缩短存在关联。The advice to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night is easier said than done. So rather than focusing on a number, the experts recommended doing what you can to set yourself up for success.每晚睡七到八小时的建议说起来容易做起来难。因此，专家建议，与其纠结具体睡多久，不如尽量为良好的睡眠创造条件。Perhaps most important is trying to stick to a consistent bed time. One study from 2024 found that sleep regularity — going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day — was an even stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration.其中最重要的一点就是尽量保持固定的就寝时间。2024年的一项研究发现，睡眠规律性——也就是每天大致在同一时间睡觉、同一时间起床——是比睡眠时长更有力的死亡率预测指标。Dana G. Smith是时报记者，主要报道个人健康，特别是衰老及大脑健康方面的内容。翻译：杜然点击查看本文英文版。获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site