Gerontology News and Research

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Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

Atypical antipsychotic drugs slightly increase risk for death when used in people with dementia

Atypical antipsychotic drugs seem to confer a small increased risk for death when used in people with dementia, concludes a team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in a meta-analysis of 15 clinical trials published in the October 19 issue of the JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Oct 2005

Study shows that nursing homes should consider diabetes a significant risk factor for falling

Falling is the leading cause of accidental death for elderly people, and a new study from Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion suggests that nursing home residents with diabetes are four times more likely to fall than those who are not diabetic.

26 Sep 2005

Can we reverse mental declines? Well, for most of us, the answer is yes

As we get beyond retirement age, most of us will not be as mentally sharp as we once were. But a researcher at the University of Alberta says most people have the ability to reverse the mental declines that come with aging.

19 Sep 2005

Relationship between complexity of main lifetime occupation and risk for Alzheimer's disease

Publishing in the September issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, University of South Florida School of Aging Studies researcher Ross Andel and James Mortimer, professor, USF College of Public Health, examined the relationship between complexity of main lifetime occupation and risk for Alzheimer's disease and dementia in general.

6 Sep 2005

Double whammy of vitamin D and anti-inflammatory zaps prostate cancer cells

Scientists from Stanford University say they have discovered that vitamin D, known as the "sunshine vitamin,"can limit the growth of prostate cancer cells when combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

6 Sep 2005

Low doses of the active form of vitamin D and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs form one-two punch against prostate cancer cells

Low doses of the active form of vitamin D and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, taken in combination, have been shown to act as a powerful one-two punch that knocks down the growth of prostate cancer cells.

1 Sep 2005

Folates best at preventing Alzheimer's disease

According to results from a long-term study on aging, adults who eat the daily recommended allowance of folates significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

15 Aug 2005

Vitamin B reduces risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Adults who eat the daily recommended allowance of folates - B-vitamin nutrients found in oranges, legumes, leafy green vegetables and folic acid supplements - significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to results from a long-term National Institute on Aging study of diet and brain aging.

13 Aug 2005

Assisted living and in-home care increase as nursing home beds decline

Even with the U.S. population rapidly aging, a smaller proportion of elderly and disabled people live in nursing homes today compared to 1990. Instead, far more depend on assisted living residences or receive care in their homes, according to a study published in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

10 Aug 2005

Enzyme involved in blood pressure regulation may also influence how the body responds to exercise

New research suggests why some older adults who exercise have better physical function than others. Surprisingly, researchers found that an enzyme involved in blood pressure regulation may also influence how the body responds to exercise.

9 Aug 2005

Early warning aigns of Alzheimer's show up across cognitive areas years before official diagnosis

By combing through dozens of Alzheimer's disease (AD) studies, psychologists have gained a clear picture of cognitive problems in people who will develop the degenerative brain disease.

4 Aug 2005

Obesity's effects on mortality may have been over-estimated

New research shows that obese adults who reach the age of 70 are at no greater risk of dying than their non-obese counterparts, but they do have a much greater probability of spending their remaining years disabled. The data supporting this is reported in the August 2005 issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 45, No. 4).

3 Aug 2005

People have signs of Alzheimer's years before diagnosis

Psychologists say that after examining dozens of Alzheimer's studies, they now have a clear picture of the cognitive problems which will develop in people with the degenerative brain disease.

1 Aug 2005

People can show early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease years before they are officially diagnosed

By combing through dozens of Alzheimer's disease (AD) studies, psychologists have gained a clear picture of cognitive problems in people who will develop the degenerative brain disease.

1 Aug 2005

Videotaping advance directives would allow people to express medical decisions to their physicians and families more easily

Ray Moseley sees the trouble with advance health-care directives every time he speaks to a group of senior citizens: Several in the crowd always know someone who had a living will but whose end-of-life decisions were not honored anyway.

19 Jul 2005

Scientists discover identifying markers for primitive blood-forming stem cells - simplifies cell identification

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered the biological equivalent of a grocery store bar code on the surface of primitive, blood-forming stem cells in mice. Called hematopoietic stem cells, they give rise to all the different types of specialized cells found in blood.

30 Jun 2005

Association between chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV) and frailty syndrome

Older women with chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV), a lifelong viral infection, were found to have more than triple the risk of being frail than those who did not have the infection, as reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. This is the first demonstration to show an association between CMV and frailty syndrome.

9 Jun 2005