Aging
Could a Daily Multivitamin Help You Stay Sharp?
A common multivitamin may provide some protection against cognitive decline as we age. Findings from the COSMOS study were published last year in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. This year th…
Do We Simply Not Care About Old People?
Judith Graham February 9, 2024 The covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for …
Do Older People Improve Their Memories with Exer…
Exercise can make your muscles stronger. Research indicates that people who stay active may also improve their memories. Most of the relevant research considers physical activity such as walking, runn…
Show 1366: How a Pharmacist Helps Doctors with D…
In this week’s interview, a board-certified geriatric pharmacist explains why taking an older person off a medication might be just as important as putting them on one. In fact, since prescriptions …
Show 1359: Is the Food on Your Plate Real or Fak…
This week’s radio show features two of the country’s leading nutritional epidemiologists, Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard and Dr. Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina. They discuss some …
What Health Factors Could Lead to Exceptional Lo…
People are living longer…much longer! Since 1950, the number of people who have celebrated their 100th birthday has doubled every decade. Experts project that over the next 30 years the number of ce…
September Is Healthy Aging Month
When it comes to maintaining your health as you age, small changes can yield big benefits. September is Healthy Aging Month – it’s the perfect time to reevaluate your current health routine and pe…
How to Delay Dementia with a Mediterranean-Style…
Could a Mediterranean-style diet help preserve cognitive function in older individuals? Studies from around the world suggest that people following such a regimen may be able to delay dementia. Based …
Alcohol for Longer Life? How Much Is Enough and …
The benefits and risks of alcohol consumption have been controversial for decades. Some studies have suggested that “moderate” amounts of alcohol have health benefits. In other words, people who d…
Will Boosting Your Step Count Save Your Life?
How many steps do you take a day? You may have heard that you should be taking 10,000 steps a day. Initially, that ideal step count was not based on evidence, but rather was a marketing maneuver. Howe…
Do Blueberries Help Older People with Memory?
Could blueberries help improve blood pressure and cognitive function in older people? Researchers have been considering this question for years. The latest study suggests that wild blueberries may imp…
Show 1257: The Metabolical Results of the Americ…
Dr. Robert Lustig has been warning us all about the hazards of sugar since 2009, when his YouTube lecture “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” went viral. As a pediatric neuroendocrinologist, he spent much o…
Balancing on One Leg for 10 Seconds Predicts Lon…
Can you balance on one leg for just ten seconds? This isn’t even a challenge for most kids and younger adults, but it may become more difficult as we grow older. If it does, bigger problems may lie …
What Should You Eat to Reduce Your Risk of Demen…
Do you know how to keep your brain healthy as you grow older? Often, people want to know what you should eat to reduce your risk of dementia. The Framingham Offspring Study offered some answers to tha…
Will You Age More Slowly If You Eat a DASH Diet?
Several decades ago, the popular nutrition writer Adelle Davis said: “You are what you eat!” Her message warned Americans against highly processed foods full of sugar and white flour. As a celebri…
Erin Sharoni Discusses How to Delay Aging
In addition to our interviews with Dr. David Sinclair and Dr. Terrie Moffitt in Show 1263, we also spoke recently with Erin Sharoni. In this conversation, the entrepreneur (co-founder of Juvicell) dis…
Even Light Physical Activity Helps Older Women M…
Staying physically active has rewards for older women. They don't have to pump iron or run marathons, though. Even moderate or light physical activity can help them maintain their mobility as they gro…
Show 1198: How You Can Age Better (Archive)
Whoever said growing old isn’t for sissies really got it right. But not everyone has the same experience with aging. Why do some people do well up to and into their 90s, while others are over the hi…
Show 1214: How to Defend Your Brain During the P…
For decades, neurologists have been telling us that Alzheimer disease is driven largely by the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain. They have suspected that this is determined in large me…
Will Blood Pressure Medicines Prevent Alzheimer …
Doctors have been debating the link between high blood pressure (hypertension) and cognitive decline for decades (BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, Nov. 3, 2016). They have been equally divided and uncert…
Could Dementia Genes Make You Vulnerable to COVI…
Investigators are trying to determine why some people remain asymptomatic after catching the SARS-2 virus while others become deathly ill. Could dementia genes make a difference? That earlier research…
What Can Help You Stay Sharp as You Age?
Do you know how to stay healthy? Chances are you are aware that exercise and diet are keystones of good health throughout your life. You and your health care provider may also be paying attention to y…
Can You Lower Your Dementia Risk With a Few Drin…
For years, scientists have been arguing about the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption against Alzheimers disease. They have been very uncertain whether having a few drinks a week would lower your…
Show 1203: How Yoga Can Help You Age Gracefully
Stress is nearly ubiquitous in modern life. We all know it isn’t healthy, but we may not have a lot of tools for escaping or alleviating it. People under stress may feel they don’t have enough tim…
Stalked by the Fear That Dementia Is Stalking Yo…
by Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News Do I know I’m at risk for developing dementia? You bet. My father died of Alzheimer’s disease at age 72; my sister was felled by frontotemporal dementia at 58.…
Can Ginger Reduce Blood Pressure & Soothe A…
As we add additional birthdays to life's scorecard, we frequently start to notice more aches and pains. Arthritis can affect almost any joint in the body, and many people have problems with multiple j…
Should You Eat Stressed Plants to Stay Healthy?
Over the last decade or so, people have become accustomed to the idea of plant-based diets. Even those who don't wish to follow a vegetarian pattern of eating are looking to incorporate more plants, e…
Is Soy the Secret to Longer Life in Japan?
Japanese people have traditionally had one of the longest life expectancies of any developed nation. There are, of course, many possible explanations for longer life in Japan. Regular exercise, strong…
What Is the Best Diet?
Battles have been waged online and even in the pages of nutrition science journals on whether low-fat or low-carb is the best diet. Now researchers have evaluated the correlation of such diets with mo…
New Guidelines for Treating Low Testosterone
Around the turn of the 21st century, drug companies started advertising testosterone on television. They implied that many men suffered from low testosterone and suggested that “low T” could be re…
Show 1161: What Is the Evidence for Food as Medi…
Angiogenesis–the growth and development of blood vessels in the body–may seem like an obscure topic. However, angiogenesis is a critical phase in the development of tumors. If it can be blocked wh…
Show 1182: How You Can Use Exercise as Medicine
Does medicine mean “drugs and surgery” to you? That is certainly how a lot of people see it. However, physical activity–exercise–has powerful abilities to help us heal. How can we use exercise…
Falling for Scams Is a Sign of Cognitive Impairm…
If you are like most Americans, you've honed your ability to smell out a scam over the past few years. But not all older people have perfected these techniques. Falling for scams may be an early sign …
FDA Cracking Down on Dietary Supplements for Dem…
The Food and Drug Administration has just taken action against many companies that advertise their dietary supplements for dementia. The commercials often imply that these products could be used to tr…
Could Aggressive Blood Pressure Control Save You…
A new study suggests that aggressive blood pressure control may have modest benefits for cognitive function (The SPRINT MIND investigators, JAMA, Jan. 28, 2019). That is the conclusion from a fol…
Will Statins Help or Harm 76-Year-Old Father?
Statins to lower cholesterol are a pillar of cardiological treatment. People with high cholesterol take medications like atorvastatin or simvastatin to reduce blood lipids and prevent heart attacks. T…
Will a Sauna Bath a Day Keep Strokes and Heart A…
When most people think about sauna (pronounced SOW-nah) baths they imagine relaxing in a hot wooden room and sweating. But this Finnish tradition may pay unexpected dividends. There is growing evidenc…
Will You Live Longer with a Healthy Lifestyle?
Everyone knows that there are several key elements to a healthy lifestyle: not smoking, exercising regularly, eating your vegetables, controlling weight and consuming alcohol in moderation. Most peopl…
No Study Support for Fish Oil Soothing Dry Eyes
Fish oil is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds have anti-inflammatory activity, and doctors have hoped that fish oil supplements would prove useful against a wide range of…
Are Coffee and Alcohol the Fountain of Youth?
Have you heard the phrase, "everything in moderation"? Ever wonder where it came from? Some trace this concept back to the Bible. Others say it originated with ancient Greek philosophers. Regardless o…