Aging News and Research

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Excessive adiposity, calorie restriction, and aging

Can eating a low-calorie yet nutritionally balanced diet extend human life? Preliminary research suggests it might, so researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are launching a long-term study to find out.

16 Apr 2006

Dwindling time fuels happier outlook

Older adults' attention tilts toward positive feelings and associations, despite the time-limited future that comes with advancing age, concludes a Brandeis study in the journal Psychology and Aging.

13 Apr 2006

Loneliness is a unique predictor of age-related differences in systolic blood pressure

Loneliness is a major risk factor in increasing blood pressure in older Americans, and could increase the risk of death from stroke and heart disease, new research at the University of Chicago shows.

13 Apr 2006

Maintaining high blood pressure treatment may reduce the risk of dementia in old age

Lead author of the study Rita Peila, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), said "For every year of hypertension treatment, there is increased protection against dementia."

13 Apr 2006

Statins may be able to play a role in preventing or slowing heart valve disease

Research to be published in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides the first explanation of an active rather than passive process that leads to heart valve degeneration, furthering a Northwestern researcher's effort to lead a paradigm shift in the medical community's beliefs about the cause of valve disease.

11 Apr 2006

Study illustrates contribution of obesity to decreased mobility in high functioning older women with osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, common among older adults, is strongly linked to late-life disability, but the process by which this happens has not been well studied.

11 Apr 2006

Removal of a woman's ovaries raises risk of dementia

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that ovariectomy, surgical removal of a woman's ovaries, raises her risk of developing dementia or cognitive impairment. Risk is especially increased if a woman has her ovaries removed at a young age.

11 Apr 2006

Mild cognitive impairment risk increases as age goes up and years of education go down

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that mild cognitive impairment, a disorder considered a strong early predictor of Alzheimer's disease, is prevalent among the elderly and increases with age and fewer years of education.

11 Apr 2006

Lack of research forcing elderly to cope with chronic pain

Annually, over 4,000 studies related to pain are published while only one percent of those look at pain and aging.

11 Apr 2006

WHO report says rich must stop poaching medical staff from poor

A critical shortage of doctors and nurses is causing unnecessary disease and death across much of the developing world as rich nations poach health-care workers.

10 Apr 2006

Discovery of a new mechanism for the neurodegenerative effects of amphetamines

University of Toronto study finds amphetamines are converted in the brain into free radicals whose effects manifest and linger long after the amphetamine has left the body.

7 Apr 2006

Chemicals used in sunscreens may disturb production of thyroid hormone

UV-absorbing chemicals used in sunscreens may disturb production of thyroid hormone, according to new work presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Glasgow.

6 Apr 2006

More than a billion may suffer from vitamin D deficiency

More than a billion may suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Consequences may be more severe than thought. Prominent clinician calls for action.

6 Apr 2006

Doctors must listen when patients talk of a failing memory

A team at the Aging and Memory Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, has found that a higher self awareness of memory difficulties may be associated with brain function decline over time, particularly in older adults with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.

6 Apr 2006

Thermal injury induced insulin resistance is associated with the renin-angiotensin system

Researchers have found a way to prevent insulin resistance in burn-injured rats, a finding that, while still quite preliminary, could eventually save burn victims' lives and speed their recovery.

6 Apr 2006

Largest study of nurses and midwives ever attempted in the world

University of Queensland (UQ) researchers are undertaking the largest and only longitudinal study of nurses and midwives ever attempted in the world.

6 Apr 2006

Eat less, live longer!

According to researchers reducing calories may very well mean you have a longer life.

5 Apr 2006

Menopause linked with the onset of depression

Two new studies say women with no history of depression may be at an increased risk of depressive symptoms and disorders as they enter menopause.

5 Apr 2006

Higher self awareness of memory difficulties may be associated with brain function decline over time

Published in the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, the study offers a greater understanding of how different types and varying degrees of memory complaints may relate to brain function decline, a finding that may lead to early treatment interventions for people who could develop Alzheimer's disease.

4 Apr 2006

Genetic clues to longevity

In a new study, Drs. Gil Atzmon and Nir Barzilai at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that people harbor alleles--alternative forms of a gene--that confer the same sort of longevity advantage.

4 Apr 2006