All posts tagged: Aging

Groundbreaking study reveals how to naturally reduce the signs of aging

Groundbreaking study reveals how to naturally reduce the signs of aging

Published by skeptic

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a potential breakthrough in the fight against aging. By restoring youthful levels of a key component of the telomerase enzyme, they have successfully reversed aging-related symptoms in laboratory models. If these findings translate to humans, they could pave the way for treatments targeting age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease, and cancer. The Connection Between TERT and Aging The study, published in Cell, highlights the discovery of a small molecule capable of restoring normal levels of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). Typically suppressed with age, TERT plays a crucial role in cellular function. Maintaining TERT levels in older lab models reduced cellular aging, decreased tissue inflammation, stimulated neuron growth, and improved both memory and neuromuscular function. These improvements led to increased strength and coordination. By pharmacologically restoring youthful TERT levels, we reprogrammed expression of those genes, resulting in improved cognition and muscle performance while eliminating hallmarks linked to many age-related diseases. (CREDIT: The University of Texas) Beyond its role in extending telomeres—the protective …

How brain connectivity differs in healthy aging and semantic dementia

How brain connectivity differs in healthy aging and semantic dementia

Published by José

A new study published in the journal Cortex sheds light on how brain network organization differs in healthy aging and semantic dementia. Researchers found that older adults experience changes in the balance between structural and functional brain connectivity, which are linked to cognitive performance. These changes appear more widespread and diffuse in healthy aging, while semantic dementia is associated with more localized alterations, particularly in the temporal and parietal regions. The study suggests that the brain undergoes a dynamic process of adaptation in response to aging and disease, with some changes helping to preserve cognitive function and others contributing to decline. Semantic dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the ability to understand and recall meanings of words, objects, and concepts. It is classified as a subtype of frontotemporal lobar degeneration and is distinct from other forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, because it mainly targets the anterior temporal lobes rather than causing widespread memory loss. Patients with semantic dementia often struggle with word-finding difficulties and may eventually lose the ability to …

Magical Realism Exploring Aging, Love, and Loss

Magical Realism Exploring Aging, Love, and Loss

Published by skeptic

Tere Sanchez is a 60-year-old professor in Vermont who’s been grieving the death of her beloved husband. One day she’s in the garden, watering the peonies he planted for her long before his unexpected death, when she suddenly realizes she’s floating in mid-air. She panics, scrambles, kicks, and screams before slowly descending back to earth, cursing this inconvenient addition to an already formidable pile of life shit to sort through. On top of the grief, she’s also experiencing forgetfulness, bouts of confusion, and losing track of time. Now she’s levitating against her will, always at the worst times, making her feel like she’s losing her grip on reality when not actively putting her in harm’s way. With her university pressing her to lock down a return from her leave of absence and her son expressing worry for her state of mind, Tere needs to find a way to stop these spells. She dives into research like any good academic would, then remembers that her family is allegedly related to Teresa of Ávila, the medieval saint …

RNS | Covering the world of religion.

RNS | Covering the world of religion.

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — Turning 80, as I do this month, tends to focus the mind on one’s mortality. I plan to live another 20 years, as did Jimmy Carter, but I could just as easily be dead in 20 months. I can no longer kid myself that death is a distant reality. St. Ignatius Loyola, as part of his Spiritual Exercises, advises people to meditate on their deathbeds and reflect on their lives. In such a meditation, money is of little importance, even for nonbelievers. Most people wish they had spent more time with family and friends. In such reflections, there is a temptation to focus on the negative and feel sorry for oneself — opportunities missed, roadblocks experienced and time wasted. I admit that as I began this column, that temptation was strong. Instead, I am forcing myself to reflect on what I should be thankful for. Looking back, I now see that whenever a door closed (not getting a job I wanted, or getting fired), a better door opened. But even before I was …

Healthier aging: Study finds older adults are functioning better than ever

Healthier aging: Study finds older adults are functioning better than ever

Published by skeptic

Over the last century, life expectancy has steadily risen, marking a profound shift in global demographics. Longer lives, now commonplace in many developed nations, are primarily due to improved survival rates at older ages. However, a recent study by the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health sheds light on an even more intriguing trend: older adults today exhibit higher levels of physical and mental functioning compared to previous generations. Traditional health metrics often focus on the presence or absence of disease, a perspective that provides limited insight into the actual well-being of aging populations. While advances in healthcare allow individuals to survive conditions that were once fatal, they also contribute to an increased prevalence of chronic illnesses among older adults. Yet, survival alone doesn’t paint the full picture. Older adults today exhibit higher levels of physical and mental functioning compared to previous generations. (CREDIT: CC BY-SA 4.0) For instance, medical interventions such as joint replacements now restore locomotor capacity, reducing the disability burden from conditions like osteoarthritis. …

Our population is aging, here’s how to care for it correctly

Our population is aging, here’s how to care for it correctly

Published by skeptic

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. What does it take to build a healthcare system that truly supports an aging population?  Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, addresses the growing need to rethink how we care for seniors in America as over 62 million people are now over 65. Healthcare is evolving to focus on the Four Ms: mentation (mental health), medication management, mobility, and understanding what matters most to each person. He explains how these four areas are crucial to providing comprehensive care that goes beyond just treating symptoms. Family caregivers play a vital role, helping extend care into the home, where familiarity and comfort can make a huge difference. Dowling also discusses the potential of bioelectronic medicine to transform how chronic conditions are treated. As life expectancy continues to increase, the challenge is not only to extend life but to ensure it’s lived well. Purchase Dowling’s latest book, The Aging Revolution, and learn more …

Breakthrough research reveals the impact of marriage on aging

Breakthrough research reveals the impact of marriage on aging

Published by skeptic

A new study involving over 7,000 Canadians, aged 60 and older, reveals intriguing patterns about marriage and aging. Conducted over approximately three years, this research shows that marital status influences how well individuals age, with notable differences between men and women. Among men, those who were married or got married during the study were twice as likely to age optimally compared to their peers who never married. However, the opposite was true for women. Women who had never married were found to be twice as likely to age well compared to their counterparts who had experienced widowhood or divorce during the study period. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in aging between married and never-married women. Age-sex adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of successful aging among respondents who experienced various trajectories of marital status vs respondents who were never married (n = 7641). (CREDIT: Sage Journals) According to Mabel Ho, the study’s first author and recent doctoral graduate from the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Institute of Life …

Racism and discrimination lead to faster aging through brain network changes, new study finds

Racism and discrimination lead to faster aging through brain network changes, new study finds

Published by José

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism! Racism steals time from people’s lives – possibly because of the space it occupies in the mind. In a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, our team showed that the toll of racism on the brain was linked to advanced aging, observed on a cellular level. Black women who were more frequently exposed to racism showed stronger connections in brain networks involved with rumination and vigilance. We found that this, in turn, was connected to accelerated biological aging. We are neuroscientists who use a variety of approaches, including self-reported data and biological measurements like brain scans, to answer our questions about the effects of stressors on the brain and body. We also use this data to inform the development of interventions to help people cope with this stress. Why it matters Aging is a natural process. However, stress can speed up the biological clock, making people more vulnerable to aging-related diseases, from cardiovascular disease to diabetes and dementia. Epidemiological …

We Don’t Have to Be Ashamed of Aging

We Don’t Have to Be Ashamed of Aging

Published by skeptic

Source: Photo by Bret Lyon by Bret Lyon We all go through it, no one is immune, and nothing can produce more universal shame in our society than the shame that often accompanies aging. People can get shamed for different qualities, beliefs, or behaviors, but we all are exposed to spoken or unspoken shame as we age, and it starts when we’ve barely begun to enjoy our adulthood. By our mid-30s we’re already beginning to experience the changes. In a culture that worships youth, we really notice it, and I get clients in their 30s who start talking about their life being over, “I should have done this, I should have done that, I’ve wasted my life,” and they are barely 35 years old! While many societies have deep respect for people as they age and see a vital role for elders, our society still worships youth. What are we to do as we face the natural progression of losing muscle tone, hair, short-term memory, and many other physical and mental functions, in a society …

Biden Made a Healthy Decision About Aging

Biden Made a Healthy Decision About Aging

Published by skeptic

As one of the physicians who recently expressed concern about President Joe Biden’s health and his likelihood of significant decline over the next four and a half years, I was relieved when he ended his reelection campaign—and also overwhelmingly sad. In essence, as people keep saying, he had his car keys and driver’s license taken away with the whole world watching. This evening as he gave a short speech from the White House about his accomplishments, his voice was weak, he stumbled occasionally over his prepared remarks, and his physical presence was diminished from what it once was. For months, I have wished that I could have Biden in my exam room, not as the president of the United States, but as a patient in my geriatrics clinic. Instead, watching from afar as he insisted on running, I wondered if his doctors were talking to him honestly about his concerning symptoms, and his disappointing odds of fulfilling the requirements of the office for another term. I hoped that if they were discussing his future, they …