If you are hoping to keep the flames of passion burning into your 80s then a regime of regular exercise may pay dividends.

Those who keep themselves fit and healthy are still interested in sex in their eighth decade, a study has found.

But their unfit counterparts give up on lovemaking up to 20 years earlier. And good health means people are almost twice as likely to be interested in sex as those who are ill or in poor health.

The U.S. study, which examined the sex lives of more than 6,000 people, found that those who are healthy are also likely to have regular sex — once or more a week — and report better quality lovemaking.

Researchers Stacy Tessler Lindau and Natalia Gavrilova, from the University of Chicago, looked at data from one group of men and women aged 25 to 74 and another group aged 57 to 85.

Volunteers were interviewed and filled in questionnaires on their marital status and sex lives. They also rated their health on a scale between poor and excellent.

Overall, it seems men are more interested in sex and report a good sex life than women.

The difference between the genders was most noticeable among the 75 to 85 age group, where 39 percent of men compared with 17 percent of women were sexually active.

Seventy-one percent of men who were sexually active at this age reported a good sex life compared with 51 percent of women.

Forty-one percent of men were interested in sex compared with 11 per cent of women.

The study, published online in the British Medical Journal, also revealed how many years of active sex people have left at different ages.

Aged 30 men can expect a sexually active life for an average of another 35 years while women can expect 31 more years of sex.

Being married or having a partner makes this gender difference less obvious, the research found. The findings are published in March on the same day researchers from Exeter and East Anglia Universities in Great Britain reveal that those who live near a green space are more likely to be healthier than those who don’t — because they take more exercise.

So people with homes near parks could find they enjoy an active sex life, even in their twilight years.

Seniors Wait Longer for Kidney Transplants

One-third of people over the age of 65 wait longer than necessary for lifesaving new kidneys because their doctors fail to put them in a queue for organs unsuitable to transplant in younger patients but well-suited to seniors, research from Johns Hopkins suggests. Results of a study reported in March online in the American Journal of Transplantation show that older patients could be receiving kidneys from older donors (called extended-criteria donors, or ECDs), but instead are unnecessarily waiting longer for kidneys from younger donors.

While older kidneys once were discarded in the belief that they conferred too little benefit, studies over the past decade, including the current one by Johns Hopkins researchers, show they have been widely and successfully transplanted.

Aging Skin: Are Those Spots Normal?

Over time, skin suffers from wear and tear, and wrinkles, spots and growths begin to appear.

A recent issue of The Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers some of these normal changes and possible treatment options.

Harmless growths include:

• Age or liver spots — These flat, brown areas, also called solar lentigos, typically occur on the hands, back and face. Using a topical retinoid — often in conjunction with bleaching cream and a mild topical steroid — may gradually fade an age spot.

• Skin tags — These flesh-colored growths protrude from the skin, often on a stalk. They’re often found on the neck or in the armpits. A doctor can remove them with surgical scissors, an electrical device or liquid nitrogen.

• Cherry angiomas — These small, smooth, cherry red spots are commonly found on the torso. They range from pinhead size to ¼ inch across. They can be removed with a laser, liquid nitrogen or an electrical device.

• Seborrheic keratoses — These brown, black or pale growths look waxy, as if they were dripped on the skin by a candle. They usually appear on the face, chest, shoulders and back, often in multiples. Their size ranges from ¼ inch to 1 inch across. They can be removed with a simple surgical procedure or with liquid nitrogen.
The cost of removing any of these harmless spots — considered cosmetic procedures — may not be covered by insurance.

Not all skin spots are harmless. Skin cancer can look similar to a harmless spot or growth. Any spots that bleed and don’t heal should be examined by a physician. Other concerning symptoms are itchiness, pain or a changing outline, color or appearance.

Wii Games May Help Combat Depression in Older Adults

Research at the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests a novel route to improving the symptoms of subsyndromal depression (SSD) in seniors through the regular use of “exergames” – entertaining video games that combine game play with exercise. In a pilot study, the researchers found that use of exergames significantly improved mood and mental health-related quality of life in older adults with SSD.

SSD is much more common than major depression in seniors, and is associated with substantial suffering, functional disability, and increased use of costly medical services. Physical activity can improve depression; however, fewer than 5 percent of older adults meet physical activity recommendations.

The study, led by Dilip V. Jeste, a professor at UCSD School of Medicine, appears in the March issue of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. “The study suggests encouraging results from the use of the exergames,” Jeste said. “More than one-third of the participants had a 50-percent or greater reduction of depressive symptoms. Many had a significant improvement in their mental health-related quality of life and increased cognitive stimulation.”