The trial’s results are now the first solid confirmation that lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of both mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a degree of brain decline that’s considered the gateway to dementia, and probable dementia. […]
While there are many ways people can change their behavior to lower their risk of heart disease and cancer–such as eating a healthy diet, exercising and avoiding or stopping smoking–there are few similar steps that have been scientifically proved to reduce the risk of degenerative brain disorders like Alzheimer’s. Genes play a prominent role in determining who will develop the disease, and age is also a major factor–neither of which are under human control.
The [SPRINT MIND study] provides the strongest evidence yet that there may be something in people’s control that lowers their risk of cognitive decline.
“Controlling blood pressure is not only good for the heart but good for the brain,” says [Dr. Jeff Williamson, chief of geriatric medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine and the leader of the study]. “This is the first intervention of any kind that has proven in a randomized trial to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment.”
Welcome to the new midlife crisis. Clichés like buying a red sports car and hair transplants have been ousted by going vegan, cutting back on alcohol and participating in extreme sports, according to a new study. […]
Men, especially, are prone to set health and lifestyle goals at 40, when they’re likely to embrace veganism (24 per cent) and engage in competitive tests of true grit like Tough Mudder obstacle courses at which contestants must plunge themselves in ice water (The Arctic Enema) and risk being shocked by live wires (Electroshock Therapy) while competing (31 per cent). […]
“Entering a new decade is one of many triggers that can prompt us to think about our health,” Jake Williams, lifestyle health advisor at Bupa Health Clinics, told The Telegraph.
However, the dread creeps in earlier for women, who tend to make health-motivated changes at 30. The reckoning typically takes the form of changing eating habits, joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer.
“The cumulative increase in self-esteem going from childhood to young adulthood to midlife was much larger than I expected,” says Richard Robins, a psychology professor at the University of California. […]
Scientists recently combed through numerous studies of self-esteem to chart the average changes that occur from childhood to old age. […]
The team analyzed 331 studies that assessed self-esteem, collectively covering more than 164,000 people between 4 and 94 years old. Self-esteem is measured with questionnaires in which respondents state to what extent they agree with statements such as “I feel that I’m a person of worth, at least on an equal basis with others” or “I wish I could have more respect for myself.”
The investigators discovered that self-esteem tended to rise slightly from ages 4 to 11, remain stagnant from 11 to 15, increase markedly from 15 to 30, and subtly improve until peaking at 60. It stayed constant from 60 to 70 years old, declined slightly from ages 70 to 90, and dropped sharply from 90 to 94. (Fewer studies addressed the oldest and youngest age groups—just a couple each for the 4 to 6 range and 90 to 94 range—so the evidence is weaker for the tail ends of the spectrum.) The results were published in the journal Psychological Bulletin. […]
“Loss of muscle begins in your 30s but gains momentum when you hit 50 and accelerates even more rapidly in your mid-70s. The good news is that muscle loss and loss of strength can be slowed considerably in most cases and even reversed in some, regardless of age or fitness level. A 1994 study even showed that people could gain muscle in their late 90s.” (CNN)
Although everyone faces deteriorating muscles as they age there are ways to fight that loss. The best ways to counteract aging’s effect on our body’s musculature include:
Strength Training: Be sure to train appropriately, which involves choosing the right weight/resistance levels, exercising different muscle groups, and allowing adequate rest time between sets and sessions. Do proper research and/or hire a trainer or physical therapist to help you start.
Eating enough protein: Protein provides the building blocks for muscle and stimulates its growth, and as one gets older the quality, quantity and distribution of protein throughout the day becomes more important.
Reducing sedentary behavior: Pursue hobbies/activities that involve movement, etc.
Regular cardiovascular exercise: This helps prevent weight gain, which can be detrimental to health in many ways.
Maintaining good vitamin D levels: Get checked by your doctor and take supplements if necessary. Vitamin D has been shown to aide muscles.
For more information and details about the right combination of diet and exercise described above that can assist in slowing muscle loss and diminishing strength read the full CNN article, “How to build muscle as age tears it down.”
“There are… no truly healthy centenarians; you can’t put 100 points on the board without getting worn out and banged up along the way. But there are independent centenarians and happy centenarians and centenarians who have had a rollicking good ride. The same is true for people who will never reach the 100-year mark but make the very most of the time they do get. The end of life is a nonnegotiable thing. The quality and exact length of that life, however, is something we very much have the power to shape.” (Source: The Surprising Secrets to Living Longer — And Better)
Time magazine published an article on February 15, 2018 written by Jeffrey Kluger and Alexandra Sifferlin entitled “The Surprising Secrets to Living Longer — And Better.” The article takes into account numerous studies done concerning possible factors that can lead to longevity of human life.
The studies focused on different facets of a person’s life from personality traits, diet & exercise, to having friends, and it noted what effect those factors had on length and quality of life. Here are some of the findings discussed:
There is a gene variant linked to dementia, and a study determined that those with it who had positive attitudes about aging were 50% less likely to develop dementia than those who faced aging with more pessimism or fear.
Both family and friends are associated with happiness and better health, but as people aged the health link remained only for people with strong friendships.
Cities increasingly rank high on both doctors’ and seniors’ lists of the best places to age gracefully as they often have better access to potential friends, health facilities, and potential activities the elder can partake in than rural areas (which can be isolating).
There is no correlation pointing to cheerful/outgoing people living longer than those who are more serious/introverted.
Healthy eating may not need to be completely strict and is an issue of moderation.
While some exercise is beneficial it’s not as strenuous as one would fear; and it’s better to remain a healthy weight rather than be diet obsessive and repeatedly fluctuate the body’s weight.
Sex has also been linked to healthy longevity — although aged sex partners should not be strenuous and focus more on intimacy and pleasure rather than culminating in orgasm.
Light to moderate alcohol use is associated with a lower risk of death compared to people who don’t drink at all. (Though that’s not a reason to start if you choose not to partake.)
“Humans are not alone in facing the ultimate reckoning, but we’re the only species–as far as we know–who spends its whole life knowing death is coming.”
Does Higher Late-Life Cholesterol Lower the Risk of Cognitive Decline? (Source: Hartford Courant)
High cholesterol versus low cholesterol. Good cholesterol versus bad cholesterol. Mid-life high cholesterol versus late-life high cholesterol… Sometimes understanding the cholesterol big picture is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”!
Now you can add another curious twist: there may be an important correlation between higher late-life cholesterol levels and lower risks of of dementia and general cognitive decline.
A new study published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia links high cholesterol with a lower risk of cognitive decline for people over 85 years old. But that might not necessarily mean that having high cholesterol prevents dementia…
They were surprised to find that for people aged 85 to 94 years old, having higher late-life than midlife cholesterol was correlated with a 32 percent lower risk of cognitive decline. In other words, higher cholesterol among the very old was associated with a reduced chance for dementia. (Source: Hartford Courant)
It may be a little premature (and several degrees short of definitive) but it’s heartening to consider the possibility that higher late-life cholesterol could lower the risk of cognitive decline. Watch this space…
Business and biology majors tend to be in strong physical shape a quarter-century after graduation. Psychology majors, not so much. (Source: PSMag.com)
So it turns out Underwater Basket Weaving wasn’t just a four-year junket with a diploma souvenir. It was actually an investment in your midlife health. Really? Really.
It turns out that your college major might predict your midlife health.
New research suggests another telling indicator could be added to that list: What was your college major?
A first-of-its-kind study finds one’s chosen field of undergraduate study “is a statistically significant, and substantively important, predictor of health status in midlife.”
“Compared to adults who majored in one of the most health-advantaged fields—business—adults majoring in some fields, such as psychology/social work and law/public policy, have nearly twice the odds of poor health,” reports a research team led by Syracuse University sociologist Jennifer Karas Montez. (Source: PSMag.com)
Humbug. Curious if your college major did / didn’t set you up for a midlife crisis? Read the full article HERE.
Although most would likely think of the menopausal transition when considering the effects of aging on a women’s sexual function as they enter midlife and beyond, and the negative associations with that transition, there can be positive benefits for women due to their life experiences and how they adapt to their changing bodies and lives. A new study took that premise as their focus, learn more:
Midlife, which is defined as 40 to 60 years old, can bring physical, psychological, social and partner-related changes… [that] may lead to negative changes in sexual function for some women. Additional contributing factors such as career, financial and family stress, and concerns about changing body image, may add to decreased frequency of sex, a low libido and orgasm difficulties. However, not all changes are negative.
“Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.
‘The study has a very pro-exercise message,’ said James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study’s senior author. ‘If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.'” (Source: Running slows the aging clock, Stanford researchers find)
The trial’s results are now the first solid confirmation that lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of both mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a degree of brain decline that’s considered the gateway to dementia, and probable dementia. […]
