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Results for search "Alzheimer's".

26 Jul

Belly and Arm Fat Linked to Increased Risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

A new study suggests people with certain body shapes face greater odds of developing neurological diseases – but researchers say muscle strength may offer protection.

25 Jul

Screentime Tips for Sleep-deprived Tweens – New Study Unlocks Secrets to Better Rest

A new study reveals 4 screen habits that help improve sleep quality and quantity during adolescence.

Health News Results - 266

Ozempic, Wegovy Might Help Lower Alzheimer's Risk in People With Diabetes

Add Alzheimer’s disease to the list of conditions that might benefit from the revolutionary diabetes drug Ozempic, a new study says.

People with type 2 diabetes taking semaglutide appeared to have a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to patients taking seven other diabetes drugs, researchers reported...

Shingles Vaccine Could Lower Dementia Risk

Older people who avail themselves of the newest shingles vaccine could reap a hidden benefit: A significant drop in their odds of developing dementia.

One expert applauded the new findings.

"Dementia isn’t an inevitable part of aging; it’s caused by diseases like Alzheimer’s," said

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 26, 2024
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  • Where Your Body Stores Fat Could Affect Odds for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

    Finding yourself packing on the pounds around your waist and arms? If so, you might be at heightened risk for neurological illnesses like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, new research suggests.

    There was one other physical characteristic that lowered the odds, however: muscle strength. Stronger ...

    9/11 Responders May Face Higher Odds for Dementia

    After helping America through one of its worst tragedies, some responders to the events of 9/11 may now face another foe: Heightened risks for dementia.

    A new study looks at the health of thousands of firemen, construction workers and others who worked at the World Trade Center (WTC) si...

    Brain Decline, Dementia Common Among Older American Indians

    Higher rates of blood vessel-damaging conditions like hypertension or diabetes may be driving up rates of cognitive decline and dementia among older American Indians, new research shows.

    The study found that 54% of American Indians ages 72 to 95 had some form of impairment in their thinking and/or memory skills, while 10% had dementia.

    The underlying causes: Vascular (blood vessel)...

    Stroke, Migraine, Alzheimer's: Climate Change Will Likely Make Them Worse

    Climate change is likely to make brain conditions like stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis even worse, a new review warns.

    The potential effects of a changing climate is likely to be substantial on a range of neurological conditions, researche...

    Researchers Probe Moments of Lucid Clarity Among People With Advanced Dementias

    Lucid episodes are an unexpected occurrence among people with late-stage Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

    But these spontaneous events -- in which a person temporarily regains an ability to communicate that appeared to be permanently lost -- are not always a sign of impending death, a recent study argues.

    Half the time, people live more than six months following their luci...

    Gene Discovery May Lead to Better Alzheimer's Treatments

    The discovery of a gene variant that rids the brain of toxic plaques linked to Alzheimer's might lead to new treatments for the disease, researchers report.

    The variant arises naturally in people who don't seem to get Alzheimer's disease despite having another gene, called APOEe4, that strongly prom...

    Nearly 7 Million Americans Have Alzheimer's, and Caregivers Are Stressed

    Nearly 7 million American seniors are living with Alzheimer's dementia, placing a huge strain on both personal caregivers and the U.S. health care system, according to a new Alzheimer's Association report.

    The cost of caring for seniors with Alzheimer's is projected to reach $360 billion this year, up $15 billion from just a year ago, says the association's

  • Dennis Thompson and Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporters
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  • March 20, 2024
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  • Living in Poor Neighborhoods Ups  Risks for Dementia, Early Aging

    Doctors looking to help their patients head off dementia may want to ask for their address.

    An international team of researchers has linked accelerated brain aging and a higher risk of thinking declines to living in a poorer neighborhood. 

    "If you want to prevent dementia, and you're not asking someone about their neighborhood, you're missing information that's important to kno...

    Could War Zone Blasts Raise Veterans' Odds for Alzheimer's?

    Combat veterans who suffered traumatic brain injuries due to explosive blasts may have markers in their spinal fluid similar to those of Alzheimer's disease, new research finds.

    "Previous research has shown that moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries may increase a person's risk of Alzheimer's disease," said senior study author

  • Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 14, 2024
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  • FDA Delays Decision on New Alzheimer's Drug

    Instead of approving the new Alzheimer's drug donanemab this month, as was expected, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will now require the experimental medication be scrutinized more closely by an expert panel, the drug's maker said Friday.

    "The FDA has informed Lilly it wants to further understand topics related to evaluating the safety and efficacy of donanemab, including the safet...

    Yoga Brings Brain Benefits to Women at Risk for Alzheimer's

    In a new study, yoga appears to have bolstered the brain health of older women who had risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.

    The study can't prove that the ancient practice will slow or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's, but it did seem to reverse some forms of neurological decline, researchers said.

    "That is what yoga is good for -- to reduce stress, to improve brain health, subject...

    Fat Around Men's Pancreas Might Raise Odds for Alzheimer's

    Excess fat around your pancreas could bode ill for the health of your aging brain, new research shows.

    But maybe only if you're male: The relationship wasn't observed among women, noted the team from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.

    "In middle-aged males at high Alzheimer's disease risk -- but not females --higher pancreatic fat was associated with lower cognition and brain...

    Dirty Air Could Be Raising Your Alzheimer's Risk

    People exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution are more likely to have more amyloid plaques in their brain, a condition associated with Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds.

    Seniors were nearly twice as likely to have more amyloid plaques if, in the year before their death, they lived in places with high concentrations of particle pollution caused by traffic, results sho...

    Viagra, Cialis May Help Reduce Alzheimer's Risk

    Could drugs that give a boost to men's sexual performance help them stave off Alzheimer's disease?

    That's the main finding from a study suggesting that erectile dysfunction meds like Cialis, Levitra and Viagra might lower the odds for the memory-robbing illness.

    The study wasn't designed to prove cause-and-effect, cautioned British researchers at University College London.

    "Mo...

    Healthy Living Builds 'Cognitive Reserve' in Brain That May Prevent Dementia

    New research suggests healthy lifestyles can help stave off dementia, perhaps by building a resilient 'cognitive reserve' in the aging brain.

    The study was based on the brain autopsies on 586 people who lived to an average of almost 91. Researchers compared each person's lifestyle and end-of-life mental skills to their neurological signs of dementia, such as brain protein plaques or chang...

    Ancient Greeks Seldom Hit by Dementia, Suggesting It's a Modern Malady

    Dementia seems like a disorder that's always haunted the human race.

    But this form of severe memory loss is actually a modern malady, if classical Greek and Roman physicians are to be believed.

    A new analysis of ancient Greek and Roman medical texts suggests that dementia was extremely rare 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, in the time of Aristotle, Galen and Pliny the Elder.

    The new ...

    Biogen Is Dropping Controversial Alzheimer's Drug Aduhelm

    Biogen, maker of the Alzheimer's medicine Aduhelm, announced Wednesday that it would "discontinue the development and commercialization" of the controversial drug.

    Biogen will return the rights to Aduhelm to Neurimmune, the private firm that invented it, the company said in a

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 31, 2024
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  • Was Alzheimer's Transmitted Through Cadaver-Sourced Growth Hormone Given to Kids?

    Five of eight British children who received human growth hormone from the pituitary glands of deceased donors went on to develop early-onset Alzheimer's disease many decades later, researchers report.

    Researchers at University College London (UCL) suspect that the growth hormone received by these people in childhood may have contained amyloid-beta protein plaques, which build up in the br...

    Odd Vision Troubles Could Be Early Alzheimer's Sign

    Strange visual disturbances occur early in about 10% of Alzheimer's cases, and when this happens it almost always signals the impending arrival of the disease, a new study finds.

    The condition is called posterior cortical atrophy (PCA). It involves a sudden difficulty in performing vision-related tasks -- for example writing, judging whether an object is moving or stationary, or easily pi...

    Daily Multivitamin Might Help Aging Brains

    A daily multivitamin could help people keep their brains healthy as they age, a new trial finds.

    Results suggest taking multivitamins could help prevent memory loss and slow cognitive aging among older adults, researchers report in the Jan. 18 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutritio...

    Resolve to Get a Free Memory Screening in 2024

    There are so many New Year's resolutions from which to choose, but an important one could be to schedule a memory screening, experts say.

    Memory screenings consist of a series of questions that gauge memory and brain function, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA).

    These regular screenings are an important way to detect memory problems early, and should be part of...

    Early-Onset Dementia: Health, Lifestyle Factors May Boost Your Risk

    From alcohol use to social isolation, poor hearing and heart disease, researchers have identified more than a dozen non-genetic factors that up the risk of dementia for people under 65.

    Though about 370,000 new cases a year of young-onset dementia are diagnosed worldwide, it hasn't been well-researched.

    Now, a large study from scientists in the U.K. and the Netherlands suggests that...

    Common Stomach Bug Is Linked to Higher Alzheimer's Risk

    A common stomach bug may play a part in Alzheimer's disease risk.

    New research found that older folks infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) had greater odds for developing Alzheimer's, the most common type of dementia.

    "Given the global aging population, dementia numbers are expected to triple in the next 40 years," said study co-author

  • Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 28, 2023
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  • Statins Might Slow Progression of Alzheimer's Disease

    In preliminary findings, Swedish researchers say taking a cholesterol-lowering statin could also slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

    The study can't prove cause-and-effect, but might pave the way to a trial that could confirm such a link, said study author Sara Garcia-Ptacek, an associate professor of neuroscience at the Ka...

    Pets Bring Health Boost to Single Seniors' Brains: Study

    For the growing number of American seniors who live alone, having a beloved dog or cat by their side could help them maintain a healthy brain.

    New research on more than 7,900 people averaging 66 years of age found that those who lived alone were able to stave off losses in memory and thinking if they had a pet.

    Pet ownership didn't seem to affect the cognition of older folks who liv...

    Brain Plaques, Not Just Age, Point to Who'll Get Alzheimer's Disease

    Are you necessarily at higher risk of Alzheimer's disease just because you're 80, and not 75? New research shows it's more complex than that.

    The findings suggest that it's the pace of buildup in the brain of Alzheimer's-linked amyloid protein plaques that matters most, not age.

    "Our findings are consistent with studies showing that the amyloid accumulation in the brain takes decade...

    A Sibling's Dementia May Mean Shorter Life Span for Brothers, Sisters

    A study involving twins suggests that if you have a sibling who develops dementia, that might not bode well for your life span.

    That's true even if you don't go on to develop dementia yourself, according to a study from U.S. and Swedish researchers.

    One investigator was surprised by the finding.

    "We expected a different result. We expected that, in twins where one developed de...

    Brain Serotonin Levels May Play Role in Alzheimer's Onset

    Loss of the "happiness"brain hormone serotonin might play a role in the decline of brain function as a person ages, a new study reports.

    People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had up to 25% lower levels of serotonin than healthy people in key regions of the brain associated with memory, problem-solving and emotion, researchers reported recently in the

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 11, 2023
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  • Swift Use of Antiretrovirals in Infected Newborns Can Banish HIV

    When an HIV-infected child known as the 'Mississippi baby' was given powerful antiretroviral drugs within hours of birth in 2013 and then appeared to be rid of HIV, people wondered if it might be replicated in other newborns.

    An international study involving 54 babies suggests it can.

    Researchers now believe that if HIV-infected newborns receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) within t...

    Early Onset Heart Disease Is Key Factor in Later-Life Dementia

    Minding your heart health when you're young could spare your brain from dementia decades later, new research confirms.

    Chinese researchers looked at data on more than 450,000 older Britons. They found that people who'd already been in poor cardiovascular health before they reached the age of 45 had a 25% higher odds of developing dementia, compared to those with better heart heath.

    ...

    Brain Inflammation May Trigger Alzheimer's-Linked Anger, Anxiety

    Alzheimer's patients are notoriously irritable, agitated and anxious -- and researchers now think they know why.

    Brain inflammation appears to influence the mood problems of Alzheimer's patients, rather than traditional markers of the disease like amyloid beta or tau proteins, researchers report in the Nov. 27 issue of the journal

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • November 29, 2023
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  • Black Patients Wait Longer Than Whites for Alzheimer's Diagnosis

    Medical imaging for thinking and memory issues happens much later in Black patients than in their white and Hispanic counterparts, new research shows.

    A study to be presented Thursday at a meeting of radiologists also revealed that Black patients were less ofte...

    Whole Grain Foods Could Help Black Seniors Avoid Alzheimer's

    Whole grains could be the key to Black people protecting their brains against aging and dementia, a new study reports.

    Black folks who ate more foods with whole grains appeared to have a slower rate of memory decline than those who ate fewer whole grains, according to findings published Nov. 23 in the journal Neurology.

    Among Black people, those who ate the most whole grain...

    Surgery Doesn't Get Safer When Patient, Surgeon Are Same Gender

    MONDAY, Nov. 27, 2023 (HeathDay News) -- More female surgeons are entering the field, which brings up a new question: Are your surgical outcomes likely to be better if your gender matches that of your surgeon?

    The answer seems to be "probably not."

    A study from University of California Los Angeles researchers found little evidence that patient-surgeon "gender concordance" matters to...

    Fat Hiding Around Organs Could Raise Odds for Alzheimer's

    Middle-aged folks with lots of belly fat surrounding their internal organs appear to be at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease later in life, a new study suggests.

    This hidden abdominal fat -- known as visceral fat -- is related to changes in the brain up to 15 years before the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's manifest, according to findings to be presented at next week's annual meeting o...

    One Part of Your Brain Could Point to the Mind's Decline

    Shrinkage of one of the brain's key memory centers appears to herald thinking declines, a new study finds.

    The region in question is the hippocampus, a two-sided structure located roughly above each ear and embedded deep within the brain's temporal lobe. It's long been known to play a crucial role in the storage and transference of short- and long-term memory.

    The new research was p...

    Tai Chi Might Help Seniors Counter Mild Cognitive Decline

    The ancient art of tai chi, plus a modern twist, may help older adults reverse mild declines in brain power, a new clinical trial reveals.

    Researchers found that tai chi classes helped older adults improve their subtle problems with cognition (memory and thinking skills). It also helped them with a fundamental multitasking skill: walking while your attention is elsewhere.

    But while ...

    7 Million Americans Have Mild Cognitive Impairment and Don't Know It

    Millions of older Americans may be unaware they have memory and thinking impairments -- mostly because their doctors aren't diagnosing them, new research suggests.

    After analyzing Medicare data covering 40 million older Americans, researchers found that only a small percentage of expected cases of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were actually diagnosed. The upshot was that more t...

    Have Diabetes? Quitting Metformin Could Take Toll on Your Brain

    Millions of people with diabetes take the drug metformin to control their blood sugar levels.

    Meant to be taken for the long term, new research now suggests that stopping it early may up the risk of developing thinking and memory problems as patients age.

    "We found that staying on metformin prevents or delays dementia onset, and this is very encouraging,"said researcher

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • October 26, 2023
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  • High Blood Triglycerides Could Help Ward Off Dementia

    High triglycerides, widely known as an enemy of the aging heart, may not be as threatening to older adults' brains, new research suggests.

    The study, of over 80,000 older adults, found those with triglycerides in the "high-normal" or moderately high range were less likely to develop dementia, versus their peers with lower triglyceride levels.

    Over six years, 3% of older folks with t...

    Neighborhood Parks Could Help Your Aging Brain

    A variety of risks can make it more likely that someone develops Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.

    Now you can add neighborhood environment to that list. A new study finds low income levels and a lack of green spaces are among the factors that can harm brain health.

    "Social determinants of health have a major impact on cognition, as well as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular h...

    Eating Well in Middle Age Could Help Your Brain Decades Later

    Mid-life isn't too late to make a dietary change to preserve brain health.

    Women who started following the diet known as DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) to lower their blood pressure were about 17% less likely to report memory loss and other signs of mental decline decades later, a new study re...

    Short Sleepers May Be at Higher Risk for Depression

    Scientists have long wondered whether depression leads to less sleep or whether a lack of sleep triggers depression.

    A new study suggests it's the latter: Getting less than five hours of sleep a night may raise the risk of developing depressive symptoms.

    "We have this chicken or egg scenario between suboptimal sleep duration and depression, they frequently co-occur, but which comes ...

    Dementia Diagnosis Takes Huge Toll on a Family's Finances

    Dementia can take a big bite out of an American's bank account, robbing 60% of a patient's net worth in the eight years after a diagnosis, a new study says.

    The average dementia patient will also see a doubling of out-of-pocket health care expenses in those first eight years, said researchers who studied thousands of seniors with and without the brain disorder.

    "We found a prof...

    Adults With ADHD May Face Higher Dementia Risk

    Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than other adults, a new study suggests.

    The results also indicate that treatment with ADHD medication may help reduce their dementia risk. No clear uptick in dementia risk was found among ADHD patients who received psychostimulant medication.

    "More than 3% of the adult...

    Woman Resistant to Alzheimer's Helps Inspire New Way to Fight the Disease

    Researchers have developed an antibody that can reduce Alzheimer's-like brain damage in lab mice -- inspired by the case of one woman with remarkable resistance to the disease.

    The work, by researchers at Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School in Boston, and elsewhere, began a few years ago, with the case of a woman in Colombia who had shown "extreme protection" from Alzheimer's dis...

    How HDL 'Good' Cholesterol Might Raise Dementia Risk

    While HDL cholesterol is considered the "good" kind for heart and brain health, too much or too little of it may up a person's risk of dementia, new research suggests.

    "This study is especially informative because of the large number of participants and long follow-up,"noted study author Maria Glymour, of Boston ...

    Timing of Hot Flashes Could Give Clues to Alzheimer's Risk

    Hot flashes and night sweats top the list of bothersome symptoms for women going through menopause.

    Now, a new study suggests that hot flashes, especially during sleep, may be more than a nuisance: They may foreshadow Alzheimer's disease.

    And the more hot flashes a woman experiences during sleep, the greater her risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of ...

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