JANCEE DUNN2026年8月26日 Matt ChaseI’ve noticed two odd things about my feet lately: They’ve grown a shoe size, and walking barefoot hurts on flat surfaces such as my kitchen floor.我最近注意到自己的脚有两个问题：鞋要买大一码了，而且在厨房地板这样的平坦表面上光脚走路会痛。Last year, I wrote a column about weird signs that you’re getting older, including shifting teeth and changes in your voice.去年，我写了一篇关于变老的奇怪迹象的专栏文章，这些迹象包括牙齿移位和声音变化。I’ve spotted plenty more since then — like the foot changes. So I called Sabrina Minhas, assistant clinical professor at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, and asked her if both experiences were common.那之后，我还发现了更多迹象，比如脚的变化。于是我致电天普大学足病医学院助理临床教授萨布丽娜·明哈斯，问她这两种情况是否普遍。“Absolutely,” she said.“当然，”她说。Dr. Minhas explained that as we age, the ligaments, tendons and muscles that support the arches in our feet can weaken, causing the arch to gradually descend.明哈斯解释说，随着年龄增长，支撑足弓的韧带、肌腱和肌肉会减弱，导致足弓逐渐下塌。As a result, our feet can become longer and wider, which may require a larger shoe size.结果，我们的脚会变得更长更宽，可能需要更大尺码的鞋子。Gaining weight later in life or becoming pregnant can also cause arches to lower, Dr. Minhas said. “I tell patients, ‘Don’t get too attached to the shoe you wore when you were 15 years younger,’” she added.明哈斯说，晚年体重增加或怀孕也会导致足弓降低。“我告诉患者，‘别太迷恋你15年前穿的那双鞋，’”她补充道。As for the pain of walking on flat surfaces, she said, with age, the fat pads under your heel and the ball of your foot tend to diminish and are less effective at cushioning the bones.至于在平坦地面上行走的疼痛，她说，随着年龄增长，足跟和足底的脂肪垫往往会变薄，缓冲骨骼的效果降低。“My older patients have very little fat on their feet, and they will tell me that walking barefoot on a hard floor feels as though they are walking directly on their bones or on pebbles,” Dr. Minhas said.“我的老年患者脚上脂肪很少，他们会告诉我，光脚在硬地板上走感觉就像直接走在骨头上或鹅卵石上，”明哈斯说。She advises patients to wear slippers or sandals with sturdy foot support at home.她建议患者在家穿有稳固足部支撑的拖鞋或凉鞋。I wondered, What else can surprise us with age? I asked experts to find out.我想知道，随着年龄增长，还有什么会让我们惊讶？我请教了专家。Your skin might be itchier你的皮肤可能更痒As we age, our skin gets drier, thinner and can develop tiny cracks, leading to inflammation and itchiness, said Dr. Saranya P. Wyles, a dermatologist and specialist in regenerative medicine at the Mayo Clinic.随着年龄增长，我们的皮肤变得更干、更薄，可能出现微小裂缝，导致炎症和瘙痒，梅奥诊所皮肤科医生兼再生医学专家萨拉尼亚·P·怀尔斯博士说。According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, itchy skin is one of the most common reasons older adults see a dermatologist.据美国过敏、哮喘与免疫学会称，皮肤瘙痒是老年人看皮肤科最常见的原因之一。“I have some patients who say, ‘I don’t sleep a wink at night, I’m so uncomfortable,’” said Daniel C. Butler, director of the Inflammatory and Aging Skin Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson.“我有些患者说，‘我晚上根本睡不着，太难受了，’”亚利桑那大学图森医学院炎症与老化皮肤研究项目主任丹尼尔·C·巴特勒说。Dr. Wyles suggested bathing in lukewarm water, rather than hot water, “which can strip the skin of natural oils,” and moisturizing right after bathing. Use products that contain skin-calming ingredients, such as ceramides and colloidal oatmeal, she said, which can help repair and build the skin barrier and reduce inflammation.怀尔斯建议用温水而非热水洗澡，“热水会导致皮肤失去天然油脂，”并在洗澡后立即保湿。她说，使用含神经酰胺和胶体燕麦等舒缓皮肤成分的产品，有助于修复和构建皮肤屏障，减轻炎症。Dr. Butler has found in his research on chronic itching that the causes are a complex interplay of a broken skin barrier, the immune system and the nerve system beneath our skin — all of which, he said, are significantly influenced by aging.巴特勒在其关于慢性瘙痒的研究中发现，病因是皮肤屏障受损、免疫系统和皮下神经系统之间复杂的相互作用——他说，所有这些都受衰老显著影响。If you have chronic itching, meaning six weeks or more, a dermatologist can often help treat it, Dr. Butler said.巴特勒说，如果你有慢性瘙痒（持续六周或更久），皮肤科医生通常可以帮助治疗。Itching without a rash can also be a sign of conditions such as chronic kidney disease or liver disease, Dr. Wyles added.怀尔斯补充说，无皮疹的瘙痒也可能是慢性肾病或肝病等疾病的征兆。Your heart can beat more slowly during exercise运动时你的心跳可能变慢While your resting heart rate largely stays the same as you age, your maximum heart rate will slow during physical activity, said Dr. James Sawalla Guseh, director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program in the Mass General Brigham Heart & Vascular Institute.麻省总医院布里格姆心脏与血管研究所心血管表现项目主任詹姆斯·萨瓦拉·古什博士说，虽然随着年龄增长，静息心率基本保持不变，但你的最大心率在进行运动时会减慢。The causes are not completely understood, Dr. Guseh said. It might be that “your heart’s natural pacemaker, called the sinus node, has a tendency to slow down with age,” he said.古什说原因尚不完全清楚。可能是“你心脏的天然起搏器（称为窦房结）随年龄增长有变慢的趋势，”他说。Your heart’s ability to respond to signals from your nervous system may also slow as you get older, he added.此外他还说，随着年龄增长，心脏对神经系统信号的响应能力也可能减慢。See a doctor if you notice a sudden and unexplained change in heart rate during exercise, shortness of breath, or feel as if “your heart rate is consistently higher than usual for the same amount of effort,” he said.他说，如果你在运动中发现心率突然不明原因变化、呼吸急促，或感觉“在相同运动量下心率持续高于往常”，那就去看医生。Your sense of taste may diminish你的味觉可能减退Lately I’ve noticed that my constant companion at dinner is a shaker of salt. Or, I’ll slop more hot sauce on my food than usual.最近我注意到，晚餐时我的常伴是一罐盐。或者我会在食物上倒更多的辣酱。Sometimes when we age, our sense of taste can diminish, said Dr. Lisa M. Walke, professor and chief of geriatric medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.有时随着年龄增长，我们的味觉会减退，宾夕法尼亚大学佩雷尔曼医学院老年医学教授兼主任丽莎·M·沃克博士说。In a 2025 study, researchers conducted taste tests with 1,392 healthy people ranging in age from 10 to 94, and found that the ability to perceive flavors began to decline in the 30s — and dropped substantially after 60.在2025年的一项研究中，研究人员对1392名年龄在10至94岁之间的健康人进行了味觉测试，发现感知味道的能力在30多岁时开始下降，60岁后大幅下降。If, like me, you notice that your food is more bland, adding more salt may not be the answer, Dr. Walke said.如果你和我一样发现食物在变淡，多加盐可能不是解决办法，沃克说。“You want to be mindful if you do this, particularly if you have medical conditions such as high blood pressure,” she said. If you need to add flavor, explore safer options like herbs and spices, lemon or salt substitutes, Dr. Walke advised.“如果你这样做，要注意，特别是如果你有高血压等疾病，”她说。如果需要增加风味，她建议可以探索更安全的选择，如香辛料、柠檬或代盐产品。Jancee Dunn为时报撰写每周健康资讯简报，她从事健康和科学报道已有20多年。翻译：经雷点击查看本文英文版。获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site