At-A-Glance: Aging Research News
Leading researchers and authorities on aging are constantly making news with their breakthroughs and discoveries. Below is a small sample of the articles, podcasts, blog postings, and other media that highlight some of this important information on aging, age-related disease, and the science behind getting old:
Diet Tied to Lower Risk of Vision Loss in Old Age
Reuters – 6/17/11
Diets high in zinc, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids may help protect the eyes.
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Scientists Uncover More Secrets of Why Hair Turns Gray
LiveScience – 6/16/11
The breakdown of pigment-producing cells causes hair to turn gray with age.
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Rare Disease of Progeria Offers Clues to Normal Aging
The Wall Street Journal – 6/13/11
A disease that causes rapid aging may offer insights into the normal aging process.
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Brain Scans to Spot Alzheimer’s May Be Available This Year
MSN Health – 6/8/11
Brain scans that can detect early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease may soon be available in the U.S.
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Testosterone Decline: Not Inevitable with Age?
WebMD – 6/7/11
Researchers find that age alone does not cause a decline in testosterone levels. However, one expert cautions that these findings come from a very small sample of men so may not extend to the entire aging male population.
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Obesity—Not Aging—Balloons Health Care Costs
Health – 6/7/11
While increasing longevity often lowers expenses—since longer lives tend to be healthier ones—obesity is the exception to this rule. Obese people are living longer with things like cholesterol-lowering medicines, but are doing so in poor health and with high health care bills.
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Stem Cell Treatment May Offer Option for Broken Bones That Don’t Heal
ScienceDaily – 6/6/11
A study in animals found that adult stem cells enriched with a hormone that fuels bone-regeneration, helped mend bone fractures that weren’t healing properly.
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Caring For Aging America Act Re-Introduced
Senior Housing News – 6/5/11
A bill that aims to address the critical shortages of health care professionals with geriatric training, was reintroduced in the Senate.
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A Memory Tonic for the Aging Brain
The New York Times – 5/25/11
Aging brains don’t process memories as easily as younger brains, but exercise can help improve this by jump starting the creation of new brain cells.
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Baby Boomers Fueling Boom in Knee, Hip Surgeries
Yahoo News – 5/23/11
As baby boomers and their joints age, knee and other joint replacement surgeries are increasing. Over the last decade, knee replacement surgeries have doubled and hip replacements are experiencing a similar climb, but no one knows how long these implants will hold up.
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Is It Possible to Live to 1,000?
The Huffington Post – 5/19/11
Aubrey de Grey of the SENS Foundation believes that in the next 25 years, there’s a 50% chance that we’ll figure out how to extend human life indefinitely.
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Older Americans Lead All Age Groups in Well-Being
BusinessWire – 5/18/11
According to a survey of well-being, Americans over 65 are experiencing a steady increase in healthy behaviors, work satisfaction, and access to basic necessities; which are all leading to the highest overall well-being for any age group.
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A Blood Test Offers Clues to Longevity
The New York Times – 5/18/11
New tests measure telomeres—structures on the tips of chromosomes that shorten with age—seeking to tell people their biological age. While these tests won’t tell you how much longer you will live, they may give clues on how long you will remain healthy.
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Brazilian Takes Crown as World’s Oldest Person
MSNBC.com – 5/18/11
At 114 years-old, Maria Gomes Valentim is the oldest living person, according to Guinness World Records.
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Report Touts Economic Impact of Human Gene Project
The Wall Street Journal – 5/11/11
The mapping of the human genome stimulated the creation of tens of thousands of jobs and gave rise to an industry that generates around $67 billion annually in economic activity.
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3-D Printers May Someday Allow Labs to Create Replacement Organs
The Washington Post – 5/9/11
Based on technology that uses machines to “print” stacks of living material into determined shapes, scientists believe they will one day be able to create replacement organs.
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Last WWI Combat Vet Claude Choules Dies Aged 110
Reuters – 5/5/11
The man believed to be the last World War I Veteran, died in his home in Austria
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For Parkinson’s Patients, Better Care Comes in Groups
TIME – 4/27/11
Group visits for Parkinson’s patients may actually be better than one-on-one doctor-patient visits.
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Shortage of Geriatric Specialists Growing
USA Today – 4/24/11
The shortage of doctors who specialize in aging is continuing to worsen as the number of Americans 65 and older increases. An older study predicted that 36,000 geriatricians would be needed by 2030, but a new report calls this impossible.
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Guidelines Allow Earlier Definition of Alzheimer’s
The New York Times – 4/19/11
New guidelines from the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging reflect new evidence that the disease affects the brain long before symptoms first appear.
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Eighty Years Along, a Longevity Study Still Has Ground to Cover
The New York Times – 4/18/11
A study looking for the secrets to longevity found a lot of interesting links, and raises a lot of interesting questions.
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World’s Oldest Man Dies in Montana at 114
Yahoo!News – 4/15/11
At 114, the world’s oldest man shared his secrets to longevity—embracing change, eating only two meals a day, working as long as you can, and helping others.
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Vast Gene Study Yields Insights on Alzheimer’s
The New York Times – 3/3/11
The discovery of new genes linked to Alzheimer’s lead to clues about how the disease may be caused—and how it may be treated.
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U.S. Medicare Rules Seek Improved Care, Lower Costs
Reuters – 4/1/11
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) are working to launch a program that will coordinate care for the elderly and provide more follow-up care, potentially saving millions over the next three years.
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Health Buzz: Nearly 15 Million Americans Are Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s
US News and World Report – 3/16/11
The number of Americans caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly growing, a role that comes with physical and emotional stress.
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Whether Chronic Diseases Are Diagnosed May Depend on Where You Live
US News & World Report – 3/15/11
A recent study suggests that whether or not a Medicare patient is diagnosed with a chronic disease may depend on “the intensity of health care” where they live.
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Some Hospitals Open ERs Just for Graying Patients
The Washington Post – 3/14/11
Hospitals are beginning to open emergency rooms that are designed just for seniors and address their oftentimes totally different medical needs.
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The Make-Believe Billion: How Drug Companies Exaggerate Research Costs to Justify Absurd Profits
Slate – 3/3/11
A new study indicates that the costs of bringing a new drug to market are a lot less than pharmaceutical companies often claim.
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