Healthy after 60 what is proven, in plain words

What each guide stands on

Most health advice on WhatsApp has no source. Each claim here links to one, with the kind of evidence it is, so you can check it or show your doctor.

1. Falls in India
   About 1 in 8 Indians over 60 reported a fall in the past two years: 13.6% of women and 11.4% of men. People with several long-term conditions fell more often.
   Multimorbidity and falls among older adults in India, LASI Wave 1 National survey · 28,567 adults over 60
2. Falls are preventable
   Worldwide, falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury death, and adults over 60 suffer the most fatal falls. Exercise, a safer home and a review of medicines prevent many of them.
   WHO, Falls fact sheet Fact sheet · Montero-Odasso et al., World guidelines for falls prevention, Age and Ageing 2022 Guideline · 96 experts, 39 countries
3. Exercise prevents falls
   In people over 60, exercise lowers the rate of falls by about 23%. Balance and functional exercises do most of the work.
   Sherrington et al., Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community, Cochrane 2019 Systematic review · 108 trials · high-certainty evidence
4. How much to move
   150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, muscle strengthening on 2 or more days, and, after 65, balance and strength training on 3 or more days. Any movement is better than sitting. ICMR-NIN also asks older adults to stay active; WHO sets the numbers.
   WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, 2020 Guideline
5. The Indian plate
   Get good-quality protein from food combinations such as dal with rice or roti, not from protein powders. Eat a wide variety of foods with more vegetables and pulses, and keep added salt to 5 g a day at most.
   ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 National guideline
6. Protein after 65
   India’s guidelines set 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight a day for adults in general. Geriatric experts recommend more after 65, on average 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg, and less with severe kidney disease. This is why the guides say “if kidneys allow” and pair protein with strength training.
   ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 National guideline · Bauer et al., PROT-AGE Study Group position paper, JAMDA 2013 Expert consensus
7. Salt
   Less than 5 g of salt a day, about one teaspoon. ICMR-NIN sets the same limit for Indians. Most adults eat roughly double that.
   WHO, Sodium reduction fact sheet Fact sheet
8. Blood pressure and sugar in India
   Among Indian adults, 35.5% have high blood pressure, 11.4% have diabetes and another 15.3% have prediabetes. That is about 315 million and 101 million people.
   Anjana et al., ICMR-INDIAB-17, Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 2023 National survey · 113,043 adults, 31 states and UTs
9. Get checked
   India’s national NCD programme screens every adult over 30 for high blood pressure, diabetes and common cancers of the mouth, breast and cervix, at government health centres. Use it, and keep the numbers.
   MoHFW, NP-NCD Operational Guidelines National programme
10. Shingles
    The recombinant shingles vaccine is licensed in India for adults aged 50 and over, and India’s adult immunisation guidance from the Association of Physicians of India includes it. The schedule of two doses, even after a past episode, comes from the US CDC, because no Indian public schedule sets it out.
    Review of the API adult immunisation guidelines, IJCMPH 2024 Review of Indian guideline · CDC, Shingles vaccine recommendations US guideline
11. Vitamin D in India
    Low vitamin D is very common in older Indians. In a Delhi study of healthy adults over 50, 91% were deficient. Data from other regions is thin.
    Marwaha et al., Vitamin D status in healthy Indians aged 50 and above, JAPI 2011 Cross-sectional study · 1,346 adults, Delhi
12. Calcium and vitamin D pills
    Get calcium and vitamin D from food and sunlight first. Low-dose supplements do not prevent fractures in healthy older adults, so take one only if your doctor advises it, for example after a blood test.
    USPSTF, Vitamin D and calcium to prevent fractures US guideline · update in progress No Indian guideline covers this.
13. Other supplements
    Beta-carotene and vitamin E should not be taken to prevent heart disease or cancer, and for multivitamins the evidence is too thin either way. ICMR-NIN advises against protein powders. That is why the guides sort supplements into proven, promising and mostly marketing.
    USPSTF, Vitamin, mineral and multivitamin supplementation, 2022 US guideline No Indian guideline covers this.
14. Sleep
    7 to 8 hours a night for adults over 65, a little narrower than the 7 to 9 hours for younger adults.
    Hirshkowitz et al., National Sleep Foundation recommendations, Sleep Health 2015 Expert panel No Indian guideline covers this.
15. Staying connected
    Across 148 studies, people with stronger social ties had about 1.5 times the odds of survival, an effect comparable to well-known risks such as smoking.
    Holt-Lunstad et al., Social relationships and mortality risk, PLoS Medicine 2010 Meta-analysis · 308,849 people, 148 studies

Guidance changes as evidence grows. When it does, the guides and this list will be updated. Last updated 17 October 2026.