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☆ A longevity researcher is facing backlash for claiming to 'reverse aging.' Scientists say there's no consensus on what it means.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewHarvard researcher Dr. David Sinclair has found himself at the center of controversy within the longevity community. He's also earned his share of critics who say his research isn't always backed up by sufficient evidence. Animal Biosciences reissued a press release walking back the "reverse aging" claim. But scientists in the field say the issue is even more fundamental: There's no way to reverse aging, much less measure it. That means debates about the semantics of aging will only become more relevant to our daily lives.

Persons: —, David Sinclair, Sinclair, He's, Dr, Nir Barzilai, Matt Kaeberlein —, Matt Kaeberlein, Barzilai, it's, it'll, Andrea Maier, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel Organizations: Service, Business, Street Journal, Animal Biosciences, Newsweek, The Academy for Health, Academy for Health, Academy, National Institute, Aging, MIT Technology, National University of Singapore, Longevity

☆ The next breakthrough for longevity obsessives: measuring organ age
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biological age has become a buzzword in longevity circles and is "the true age that our cells, tissues, and organ systems appear to be, based on biochemistry," according to the National Institute on Aging. The latest breakthrough in longevity research suggests there may be a way to measure the age of specific organs. A recent study in Nature utilized machine learning models to analyze the age of 11 major organs for 5,676 adults. AdvertisementKnowing your "oldest organ" might also tell you more about your health trajectory — and the age-related diseases you could develop — than your biological age. The study found that individuals with accelerated heart aging, for example, have a 250% higher risk of heart failure.

Persons: multimillionaire Bryan Johnson, he's, Bloomberg, It's, Dr, James Kirkland Organizations: Bloomberg, National Institute, Aging, Wall Street, Mayo Clinic

☆ 'Social' media is both the cause of — and solution to — our loneliness problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The report listed technology as a driver behind our isolation, fear of missing out, conflict, and reduced social interaction. Other drivers of loneliness included social policies, cultural norms, the political environment, and macroeconomic factors. In fact, most research demonstrates that loneliness increases with increased use of technology, especially social media sites." "The response is incredible," Kyle Rand, CEO and cofounder of Rendever, told BI. He added: "The trend to solve loneliness through more technology, when technology has not yet reduced the problem, seems to be going in the wrong direction."

Persons: disincentivized, Dr, Nicole Siegfried, bookending, Josh Greene, Sherita Harkness, Harkness, There's, Kyle Rand, Brooke, I've, Daniel Boscaljon, Siegfried Organizations: Service, Technology, Business, US, Tech, Meta, Behavior, Flow, National Institute, Aging, National Institutes of Health, Inc, Institute, Trauma Locations: Luka, Chicago, Inc

☆ How to fight dementia, according to neurologists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

What about diabetes, cancer, thyroid disease, high blood pressure or heart disease? Some of the questions might seem unexpected to those who don’t write about brain health. However, my risk of developing vascular dementia, the second most common type after Alzheimer’s disease, is elevated. "Such spikes cause brain inflammation, disrupt brain metabolism and increase shrinkage of the thinking part of the brain," Isaacson said. The National Institute on Aging currently supports nearly 500 active clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Persons: Louise Dittner, Krysta, Ryan LaMotte, It’s, ”, Natalia Rost, “, Rost, ” Rost, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, mockingbird …, birthed, it’s, I’ve, Isaacson, Sandee LaMotte Organizations: CNN, Comprehensive, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, American Academy of Neurology, Boca Raton, Weill Cornell Medicine, Presbyterian, Mayo Clinic, Volunteers, Alzheimer’s, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health Locations: Massachusetts, Boston, neonatologists, Florida, United, New York, New York City, Nature

☆ What is a typical degree of cognitive ability for a person in their 80s?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

How we change as we ageA decline in cognitive abilities is a normal part of healthy aging, said Dr. Emily Rogalski, Rosalind Franklin Professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago. A diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment is made clinically when cognitive difficulties become frequent and fall outside what is considered normal aging. “There’s not a whole lot of good evidence that there’s anything special about age 80 that leads to a drop-off” in cognitive abilities, Mather said. And they use cognitive tests, such as the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), to assess performance in different cognitive areas. Although population-level data associates aging with cognitive decline, the actual manifestation of aging is very diverse on an individual level, Rogalski said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Emily Rogalski, Rosalind Franklin, ”, Molly Mather, “, Angela Roberts, Roberts, “ There’s, Mather, MMSE, We’re, ” Mather, Nir Barzilai, Rogalski, “ We’ve, superagers, Barzilai, “ It’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Roberts Organizations: CNN, House, Republican, NBC, Neurology, University of Chicago, UCSF, Aging, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, National Institute, Western University, Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Federation for Aging Research, Trump, Biden, Get CNN, CNN Health, ” Locations: Mexico, Egypt, Montreal

☆ Natalia Grace's adoptive parents accused her of being an adult. She says a DNA test confirmed her real age — here's what the results actually mean.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Palmer Haasch | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In "Natalia Speaks," the second season of the documentary series currently available to stream on Max, Natalia Grace tells her side of the story. TruDiagnostic's assessment indicated that Natalia's biological age was close to 22. In theory, the older your biological age, the more likely you are to develop age-related diseases such as cancer or dementia. AdvertisementSome longevity researchers believe there are ways to "reverse" our biological age. For example, Steve Horvath, who invented a way to measure biological age, says he reversed his biological age by 4 years by eating less sugar and more vegetables, quitting smoking, and exercising more.

Persons: —, Natalia, Max, Natalia Grace, Michael, Kristine Barnett, Kristine, Antwon, Halland Chen, Timothy Gossweiler, Gossweiler, Katherine Barnett, Clouse, Steve Horvath, David Sinclair, Sinclair, it's Organizations: Service, Business, National Institute, Aging, Research Locations: Indiana, Canada, Harvard

☆ Doubts abound about a new Alzheimer’s blood test
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Judith Graham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Quest Diagnostics blood test, AD-Detect, measures elevated levels of amyloid-beta proteins, a signature characteristic of Alzheimer’s. But Alzheimer’s researchers and clinicians aren’t convinced the Quest test is backed by sound scientific research. Though blood tests for Alzheimer’s are likely to become common in the years ahead, the Alzheimer’s Association said it’s premature to offer a test of this kind directly to consumers. Because the science behind blood tests for Alzheimer’s is still developing and because “patients may not really understand the uncertainty of test results,” Edelmayer said, the Alzheimer’s Association “does not endorse the use of the AD-Detect test by consumers.”Quest’s blood test is one of several developments altering the landscape of Alzheimer’s care in the United States. The bottom line: Before taking a test, “older adults need to ask themselves, ‘Why do I want to know this?

Persons: aren’t, Alzheimer’s, Michael Racke, ”, there’s, Suzanne Schindler, St . Louis, That’s, ” Schindler, Racke, Meera Sheffrin, —, Rebecca Edelmayer, ” Edelmayer, Eric Widera, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Emily Largent, ’ ”, Munro Cullum Organizations: Health, Diagnostics, Alzheimer’s Association, Quest, University of Michigan, International Conference, Washington University School of Medicine, Senior, Stanford Healthcare, The University of Michigan, FDA, National Institute, Aging, University of California, Get CNN, CNN Health, University, Pennsylvania’s Perelman, of Medicine, HIPAA, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: U.S, San Diego, St ., United States, San Francisco

☆ Blood tests needed for widespread Alzheimer's diagnosis on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Several Alzheimer's blood tests are in the works – and one is already being sold to consumers – but none have been established as accurate, formally approved by regulators or reimbursed by insurers. Researchers have been working for years on blood tests for Alzheimer's that can replicate these diagnostic tools. The need for blood tests has become more pressing since the FDA approved Leqembi in July. Accurate blood tests are expected to help identify which dementia patients actually have Alzheimer’s, the most common but not the only cause of dementia. "When there are widely available, scalable, sensitive and specific blood tests it will be an absolute game changer for Alzheimer's patients."

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Eli Lilly, Dr, Sarah Kremen, Eliezer Masliah, Eisai, Michael Irizarry, Roche, Bruce Jordan, Russ Paulsen, Deena Beasley, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Memory Centre, of Readaptation, University Hospital, REUTERS, FDA, Sinai Medical Center, Wednesday, Quest Diagnostics, National Institute, Aging, U.S . National Institutes of Health, C2N Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, Alzheimer's Association, RAND, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Leqembi, Eisai, Los Angeles, U.S

☆ Down syndrome families' fight for access to Alzheimer’s trials, treatments
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

In an extended portion of Eisai’s main Leqembi trial, CAA was associated with one death. 'THE DIGNITY OF RISK'Hillerstrom said the groups are "very strongly" lobbying Eisai and Lilly to conduct the safety trials in Down syndrome, and said he has been meeting with the companies to push them to design such trials. Lilly declined to comment on whether it is considering either a safety trial or taking part in that study. An Eisai spokeswoman said the company "has no immediate plans" to conduct clinical trials of Leqembi in people with Down syndrome. The company is collaborating with LuMind in a study gathering data on how Alzheimer's manifests in people with Down syndrome.

Persons: Oskar Hillerstrom, Lianor, Hampus, Brian Snyder, Lianor da Cunha, Oskar, de Oeiras, Teresa, Oskar’s, Hampus Hillerstrom, Eli Lilly's, LuMind, Hillerstrom, Lilly, Emily Largent, Beau Ances, Louis, I've, Ances, I'm, Michael Rafii, William Mobley, Mobley, Dawn Brooks, donanemab, Margot Rhondeau, Hannah, Julie Steenhuysen, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, CAA, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Medicare, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Washington University, National Institute, Aging, University of Southern, UC San Diego School of Medicine, LuMind, Syndrome, Thomson Locations: Lexington , Massachusetts, U.S, Santo, Portugal, United States, St, University of Southern California

☆ Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, shares update on star's condition
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —It’s “hard to know” whether Hollywood star Bruce Willis is aware that he is suffering with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his wife, Emma Heming Willis, has said in an update on his condition. Speaking to Hoda Kotb on the Today show on NBC Monday, Heming Willis described how the diagnosis has affected the couple and their two daughters. Kotb also asked how the diagnosis had affected Heming Willis. After retiring from acting in March 2022 due to a speaking disorder called aphasia, Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his family announced in February this year. “Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed,” the Willis family said in a statement at the time.

Persons: Bruce Willis, Emma Heming Willis, Kotb, Heming Willis, It’s, Bruce, ”, ” Kotb, ” Heming Willis, Susan Dickinson, Dickinson, “, it’s, Mabel, Evelyn, ” “ Bruce, Willis Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, NBC, Association, Alzheimer’s Research, US National Institute, Aging

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat, announced Monday she won't seek reelection in her competitive district in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington after learning she has a severe form of Parkinson's disease. Wexton announced in April that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's and that she planned to continue her work in Congress. Wexton was a prosecutor and state legislator before she was elected to Congress in 2018. Virginia's 10th Congressional District, where Wexton serves, is centered in Loudoun County, an outer suburb of the nation's capital. Early symptoms of this disease are subtle and occur gradually, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Persons: Jennifer Wexton, Wexton, Parkinson's, ” Wexton, “, ”, Barbara Comstock, Donald Trump Organizations: — U.S . Rep, Democrat, U.S . House, Republican Rep, GOP, Virginia's, Congressional, National Institute, Aging, National Institutes of Health Locations: Va, Virginia, Washington, Loudoun County, Loudoun

☆ Sales of Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi may be slow initially but could pick up in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sales of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi may be slow initially due to logistical requirements but could pick up in 2024, analysts said after the groundbreaking treatment won approval in the U.S.Wall Street is chewing over the Food and Drug Administration's Thursday approval of Leqembi – a milestone in the treatment of the disease, even though the drug isn't a cure. Leqembi, from drugmakers Eisai and Biogen , is the first medicine proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in people at the early stages of the memory-robbing disease. Yee added that the firm's channel checks suggest doctors see the registry requirement "as a potential real-world challenge – at least in the initial phase." That includes navigating Medicare's registry requirement and coordinating PET scans and MRIs to screen for dangerous side effects of the drug. But Goodman, like other analysts, also noted that "we continue to expect a slow ramp in 2023 and acceleration moving into 2024."

Persons: Jay Reinstein, drugmakers, Yatin Suneja, Jefferies, Michael Yee, Yee, Paul Matteis, Marc Goodman, Goodman Organizations: Georgetown University Hospital, Wall, Food, Leqembi, FDA, National Institute, Aging, ARIA, SVB Securities Locations: Washington , DC, U.S

☆ A lack of sleep blocks brain-boosting benefits from exercise, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“It shows how important it is to consider sleep and physical activity together when thinking about cognitive health,” she said in a statement. “We were surprised that regular physical activity may not always be sufficient to counter the long-term effects of lack of sleep on cognitive health,” Bloomberg said. In people age 70 and older, the benefits of exercise on the brain was maintained, despite short sleep. But in reality, only people with a short sleep gene have that ability. If you suffer from insomnia, sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, seeing a sleep specialist is key, experts say.

Persons: ”, Dr, Mikaela, ” Bloomberg, it’s, you’re Organizations: CNN, Mikaela Bloomberg, Epidemiology, Health Care, University College London, Ageing, US National Institute, Aging

Washington CNN —Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady of the United States and wife of former President Jimmy Carter, has dementia, the Carter Center announced on Tuesday. “The Carter family is sharing that former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia. Additional details about Carter, 95, were not immediately provided and the Center said it did not expect to comment further. President Carter, 98, began home hospice care in February after a series of short hospital stays. At an event in Norcross, Georgia, last week honoring the former president, President Carter’s former UN ambassador, Andrew Young, described the former president to WSB-TV as being in good spirits during a visit with him last month.

☆ Regular internet use may be linked to lower dementia risk in older adults, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggested that older people who regularly used the internet were less likely to develop dementia. Scientists still don’t know what causes dementia, so the new research can’t pinpoint the exact connection between internet usage and brain health. A 2020 study found an association between cognitively stimulating jobs and a lower risk of dementia, for example. Research also suggests that most older adults most frequently use the internet for basic tasks like email, news or online banking. And learning new skills may be protective against dementia, studies suggest.

☆ Exclusive: US to build $300 mln database to fuel Alzheimer's research
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The platform will draw on data from medical records, insurance claims, pharmacies, mobile devices, sensors and various government agencies, they said. The database could help identify healthy people at risk for Alzheimer's, which affects about 6 million Americans, for future drug trials. The U.S. Medicare health plan for older adults will likely require such tracking in a registry as a condition of reimbursement for Leqembi. Silverberg said the data platform could also help researchers working in other disease areas understand which patients are most at risk and the impact of medications. The system would be built in a secure computing environment with a number of restrictions to ensure the privacy of people's health data, Silverberg said.

☆ Here's why American men die younger than women on average and how to fix it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Charlotte Morabito | In Charlottemorabito | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Men die younger than women in the United States, on average. American women had a life expectancy of 79 years in 2021, compared with men's, which was only about 73, according to CDC data. "Across, basically, almost every major cause of death, men are more likely to die than women are." That means there are some steps we can take to work toward helping men live longer. Watch the video above to learn more about why men die younger on average than women and what we can do to change it.

They have found that in Puerto Rico, people have a higher propensity for Alzheimer's and part of the reason could be a genetic variant they have uncovered. While, in the U.S., 10.7% of the population age 65 and older has Alzheimer's, in Puerto Rico the number is 12.5%. In the U.S., it's the fifth-leading cause of death in those over 65 but in Puerto Rico, it ranks fourth in the same age group. It was more than three decades ago when Alzheimer’s genetic research pioneer Margaret Pericak-Vance was at Duke University that she began trying to involve more diverse populations in research. A variant only found among Hispanic CaribbeansDr. Katrina Celis, Director of Research Support Larry Adams, and Dr. Parker Bussies prepare to see Alzheimer’s patients and their families in Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico Alzheimers Disease Initiative, known as PRADI.

☆ New Alzheimer’s drug shows promise in slowing disease but may contain significant risks, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday — but it remains unclear how much difference that might make in people’s lives. Now the companies are providing full results of the study of nearly 1,800 people in the earliest stages of the mind-robbing disease. Also, lecanemab recipients were 31% less likely to advance to the next stage of the disease during the study. The trial is important because it shows a drug that attacks a sticky protein called amyloid — considered one of several culprits behind Alzheimer’s — can delay disease progression, said Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association. Eisai said Tuesday the deaths can’t be attributed to the Alzheimer’s drug.

☆ The Caregiver's Lament: How to handle the costs of care
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In fact, the United States has 53 million unpaid caregivers, according to a study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP. No wonder 62% of caregivers for loved ones with disabilities or special needs report being overwhelmed by financial stress, according to Fidelity. However, “programs do exist at the federal and state level to help families and caregivers,” said Dyvonne Body, author of the Aspen Institute report. “In our surveys, 46% of caregivers don’t even think to ask about benefits like that,” said Fidelity’s Stoddard. Long-term care insurance helps with issues like home healthcare and nursing homes, with policy premiums generally cheaper the earlier you secure coverage.

☆ Rare success for Alzheimer's research unlocks hope for future therapies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Eisai and Biogen are scheduled to present full data from their lecanemab study on Tuesday at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease conference in San Francisco. Lecanemab’s success rests on years of research into the causes of Alzheimer’s as well as advances in measuring amyloid deposits through brain scans and spinal fluids. At least 16 treatments are being tested in clinical trials, with results expected over the next three years, according to a Reuters review of the clinicaltrials.gov registry. The drugmaker has been largely absent from the Alzheimer's space after the high-profile failure of its drug verubecestat five years ago. But several antibody therapies from Lilly, Biogen and AbbVie(ABBV.N) that were designed to slow the rate of tau accumulations failed outright last year.

As yet another Alzheimer's drug targeting plaque buildup in the brain fails to improve cognition in patients, leading scientists said a significant shift is underway in the search for effective treatments for the disease. By 2050, that number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million, according to an estimate from the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s disease is often referred to as “Type 3 diabetes,” a brain-specific form of diabetes that is the result of the brain’s neurons lacking glucose, said John Didsbury, the CEO of T3D Therapeutics. Data from the longest-ever phase 3 trial of exercise on cognition released at the conference on Tuesday found that exercise may stall cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. He said it’s only a matter of time before we see more research discoveries that show potential for slowing Alzheimer’s disease, possibly within the next year or two.

☆ How to Stay Safe in the Heat
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-20 | by ( Christine Hauser | The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

How to Stay Safe in the Heat Give this articleImage People flocked to Alki Beach in Seattle in June 2021 to escape the heat. Rising temperatures can put many at risk for heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Here’s guidance from experts on how to stay cool during the swelter — even without air-conditioning. There are a few tips to keep in mind to stay hydrated during a heat wave, when people should be especially vigilant about keeping themselves safe and healthy. Trying to stay cool during a heat wave in Houston in June.

Persons: Ruth Fremson, It’s, Kelly Hyndman, Leslie Swanson, Dr, Swanson, ”, Philip Gehrman, Justin Fiala, “ You’re, Fiala, Brandon Bell, Juan Arredondo, Basil Eldadah, Sharon A, Brangman, Eldadah, James Mark, Claire McCarthy, haven’t, “, they’re, Tony Woodward Organizations: New York Times, Northern, Centers for Disease Control, University of Alabama, Getty, University of Michigan, Penn Sleep Center, University of Pennsylvania, New York Times Company, Northwestern Medicine, ., The New York Times, National Institute, Aging, SUNY, Medical University, Cleveland Clinic, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Seattle Children’s Locations: Alki, Seattle, Europe, Birmingham, Houston, United, geriatrics, Syracuse, N.Y, Ohio, Boston

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