Feature Channels: Aging

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Cell’s protein factory may hold key to stalling cognitive decline.

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When it comes to aging, the focus is not just on living longer, quality of life is equally important. According to the National Institute on Aging, people aged 50 and older need more of some vitamins and minerals than younger adults do. In the March issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), Linda Mila Ohr wrote about 8 essential nutritional ingredients that can help aging individuals maintain an active lifestyle.

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Imagine telling a patient suffering from age-related (type-II) osteoporosis that a single injection of stem cells could restore their normal bone structure. This week, with a publication in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, a group of researchers from the University of Toronto and The Ottawa Hospital suggest that this scenario may not be too far away.

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A new study published in Physiological Genomics suggests that the brain shows signs of aging earlier than old age. The study found that the microglia cells—the immune cells of the brain—in middle-aged mice already showed altered activity seen in microglia from older mice.

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Could an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise be making you age faster? Researchers at Mayo Clinic believe there is a link between these modifiable lifestyle factors and the biological processes of aging. In a recent study, researchers demonstrated that a poor diet and lack of exercise accelerated the onset of cellular senescence and, in turn, age-related conditions in mice. Results appear today in Diabetes.

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A new study published may have uncovered the fountain of youth: plant extracts containing the six best groups of anti-aging molecules ever seen.

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Study finds that retirement leads to positive lifestyle changes.

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A study from two Texas Tech professors shows an alarming decrease in financial awareness among Americans of retirement age.

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More people may be living to 100 and beyond than ever before, but the real challenge is how to become one of them yourself, and how to care for an aging population.

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A new study shows that the more flights of stairs a person climbs, and the more years of school a person completes, the “younger” their brain physically appears.

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A new study reveals that individuals in their 60s who give advice to a broad range of people tend to see their lives as especially meaningful. At the same time, this happens to be the age when opportunities for dispensing advice become increasingly scarce.

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Nutrition scientists from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston with support from AARP Foundation are introducing an updated MyPlate for Older Adults icon to help older adults develop and maintain healthy eating patterns.

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Keeping the brain active with social activities and using a computer may help older adults reduce their risk of developing memory and thinking problems, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

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The process of ageing begins even before we are born, according to an international team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge. In a study using rats to model pregnancy and fetal development, the researchers also found that providing mothers with antioxidants during pregnancy meant that their offspring aged more slowly in adulthood.

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Sleep may be one of the most important factors for well-being; yet, according to the CDC, one in three adults does not get enough. Lack of sleep can lead to potential cognitive declines, chronic diseases and death. Now, research from the University of Missouri finds that older adults who have trouble sleeping, could benefit from participating in social activities, in particular attending religious events.

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The blueberry, already labeled a “super fruit” for its power to potentially lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, also could be another weapon in the war against Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers present their work today at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Growing up in poverty or being abused by parents can lead to accumulated health problems later in life, according to research from Purdue University.

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Homeless people in their fifties have more geriatric conditions than those living in homes who are decades older, according to researchers at UC San Francisco who are following 350 people who are homeless and aged 50 and over, in Oakland.

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Inflammation is a Catch-22: the body needs it to eliminate invasive organisms and foreign irritants, but excessive inflammation can harm healthy cells, contributing to aging and sometimes leading to organ failure and death. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a protein known as p62 acts as a molecular brake to keep inflammation in check and avoid collateral damage.

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New research from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) identifies a protein that can extend the natural lifespan of C. elegans, a microscopic roundworm commonly used for research on aging and longevity. The findings, published today in Cell Reports, expand what we know about the aging process and may lead to new ways to delay the onset of human age-related diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Brown University researchers may have discovered what’s responsible for discrepant findings between dozens of fundamental studies of the biology of aging. A drug commonly used in research with C. elegans worms, they report, has had unanticipated effects on lifespan.

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As men age, their testosterone levels decrease, but prior studies of the effects of administering supplements of the hormone to older men have been inconclusive. Now, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and 12 other medical centers in the United States have shown that testosterone treatment for men over the age of 65 improves sexual function, walking ability and mood.

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Scientists at the University of Georgia have shown that a hormone instrumental in the aging process is under genetic control, introducing a new pathway by which genetics regulates aging and disease.

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With seniors accounting for 12 percent of the world’s population­–and rapidly increasing to over 22 percent by 2050–it’s important to understand the challenges faced by people as they age, and recognize that there are preventive measures that can place you or a loved one on a path to healthy aging.

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As men age, their sexual function, vitality and strength can decline, but researchers had not yet established whether testosterone treatment is actually beneficial. Now, a team that included UF Health researchers has established testosterone’s benefits in a study published yesterday (February 17) in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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The majority of older drivers want to continue driving as long as they are able to safely, according to a report written by a University of Warwick academic. The report, called Keeping Older Drivers Safe and Mobile, was commissioned by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

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The first study to measure the full spectrum of age-related damage to all five senses found that 94 percent of older adults in the United States have at least one sensory deficit, 38 percent have two, and 28 percent have three, four or five. Deficits in multiple senses were strongly associated with age, gender and race.

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As men age, their testosterone levels decrease, but prior studies of the effects of administering testosterone to older men have been inconclusive. Now, research shows that testosterone treatment for men over 65 improves sexual function, walking ability and mood, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by team researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and twelve other medical centers in the United States, in partnership with the National Institute on Aging.

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Older people who undergo cancer surgery are more likely than their younger counterparts to experience injuries and health issues such as falling down, breaking bones, dehydration, bed sores, failure to thrive and delirium.

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Researchers believe that adults whose eyes are slow to adjust to the dark have a greater risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.

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People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic factors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Men have many reasons to add high-impact and resistance training to their exercise regimens; these reasons include building muscle and shedding fat. Now a University of Missouri researcher has determined another significant benefit to these activities: building bone mass. The study found that individuals who continuously participated in high-impact activities, such as jogging and tennis, during adolescence and young adulthood, had greater hip and lumbar spine bone mineral density than those who did not.

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Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found that a daily dose of beetroot juice significantly improved exercise endurance and blood pressure in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF).

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Building on previous studies, Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated significant health improvements in the vascular system of mice following repeated treatments to remove senescent cells. They say this is the first study to show that regular and continual clearance of senescent cells improves age-related vascular conditions – and that the method may be a viable approach to reduce cardiovascular disease and death. The findings appear online in Aging Cell.

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Age significantly impaired the ability of rats to get rid of excess sodium when exposed to a high-salt diet, according to research published in the American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. Findings could have implications for salt consumption in the elderly; suggest older people could be at greater risk for the negative consequences of eating a high-salt diet.

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A recent study published in the November issue of the journal Aging showed minimal metabolic side effects after continuous, long-term treatment with encapsulated rapamycin in a marmoset (monkey) model. Research results lead to efficacy study.

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You’ve seen the late night commercial come across your screen. An older man is on a date with a beautiful woman in a romantic setting. A big smile stretches across his face as he looks in her eyes, but something is secretly bothering him. Cue the voiceover about erectile dysfunction.

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Researchers at Mayo Clinic have shown that senescent cells – cells that no longer divide and accumulate with age – negatively impact health and shorten lifespan by as much as 35 percent in normal mice. The results, which appear today in Nature, demonstrate that clearance of senescent cells delays tumor formation, preserves tissue and organ function, and extends lifespan without observed adverse effects.

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The finding by Stony Brook University researchers, published in Structure, may be a foundation to better understanding the cellular process and age-related disease.

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Latest Research Highlights from ACSM

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Why does a Great Dane have a shorter lifespan than a pug? The answer lies in a complex relationship between energy usage and lifespan. That relationship is quickly being unraveled through the use of numerical modeling by a researcher at Missouri S&T.

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A new study finds that providing zinc supplements to older adults in nursing homes increased their serum zinc levels and improved their immune response, providing potential protection against infection. The research group’s previous work found that nursing home residents had low zinc levels.

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Using real-time recording of cellular movement, biologists at the University of Iowa have discovered how tumors form. Cancer cells reach out and grab other cells, and as little as five percent cancerous cells are needed for tumor formation. Findings could lead to more precise cancer testing.

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Migraine headaches heat up as women approach menopause, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC), Montefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Vedanta Research. The findings were published online this week in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, a publication of the American Headache Society.

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Physicians have known for years that patients respond differently to vaccines as they age. There may soon be a new way to predict and enhance the effectiveness of vaccinations, in particular the hepatitis B vaccine.

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“The Mayo Clinic National Health Check-Up takes a pulse on Americans’ health opinions and behaviors, from barriers to getting healthy to perceptions of aging, to help identify opportunities to educate and empower people to improve their health,” says John T. Wald, M.D., Medical Director for Public Affairs at Mayo Clinic. “In this first survey, we’re also looking at ‘health by the decades’ to uncover differences as we age.”

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Individuals who participated in high challenge activities like quilting and photography showed enhanced brain activity, according to a new Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience report.

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Research indicates anti-bacterial strategies need to be tailored to the age of the patient. Aging is accompanied by a chronic state of low-level inflammation -- sometimes called ‘inflamm-aging’