dementia

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Heavy Smoking Raises Risk of Dementia Up to 114%

Puffing two packs a day in middle age jacks risk dramatically: study

(Newser) - Hey kids, did you know smoking was bad for you? You did? Well, how about this: A new study has found that heavy smoking in middle age more than doubles your risk of Alzheimer’s. The study, one of the first to examine smoking’s effect on the brain, surveyed...

Vitamin B May Slow Alzheimer's

Brain shrinkage slowed by supplements: study

(Newser) - Vitamin B supplements may be able to delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. A study of seniors with mild cognitive impairment found that daily supplements significantly slowed brain shrinkage, the BBC reports. In some cases, the shrinkage slowed by 50%, making the atrophy no worse...

Brain Teasers May Speed Up Dementia, Alzheimer's

(Newser) - Sudoku, crosswords, and even listening to the radio may not be all they're cracked up to be when it comes to staving off mental decline. A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago indicates that once diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's, increased brain activity may actually accelerate...

Depression Doubles Risk of Dementia

But doctors aren't sure why

(Newser) - Depression sufferers are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia later in life, according to a pair of new studies. Doctors aren’t entirely sure why that is, and stress that they can’t prove that one causes the other. But they theorize that the brain inflammation that accompanies depression...

Can a Robot Seal Really Take Care of Grandma?

Paro raises ethical concerns

(Newser) - Is Paro—the adorable robotic seal designed to comfort the elderly—the best thing to happen to solitary seniors since the Clapper, or a tasteless substitute for human attention? Manufactured in Japan and recently cleared in the US as a Class 2 medical device, the $6,000 robot is intended...

Alzheimer's Plagues Generations of Extended Clan

Their plight might yield a breakthrough

(Newser) - A large extended family in the mountains of Colombia has the misfortune of a genetic mutation that makes members prone to early onset Alzheimer's in their 40s. The New York Times pays a visit and explains how scientists have begun what could be a groundbreaking study to see whether providing...

Spouse's Dementia Increases Your Risk

Married caregivers more likely to develop it, says study

(Newser) - Having a spouse with dementia may put you at great risk for developing it yourself. Partners of people with dementia are six times more likely to suffer mental deterioration, with husbands at greater risk than wives, the Independent reports. The findings come from an analysis of 1,221 married couples...

Being Fat Hurts Your Brain
 Being Fat Hurts Your Brain 
Apr 21, 2010 2:50 PM CDT

Being Fat Hurts Your Brain

Studies link obesity with declining mental faculties

(Newser) - Being fat could make you lose your mind, recent research suggests. One recent long-term study found that overweight people experienced a much more pronounced and rapid decline in brain functions, writes Olivia Judson at the New York Times Opinionator blog. Another found that middle-aged obese people have smaller, more atrophied...

Diet Slashes Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Load up on leafy greens, olive oil, nuts rather than saturated fat

(Newser) - Fill up on leafy green vegetables, nuts, poultry, and fish rather than red meat, butter, and full-fat dairy, and you may cut your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by as much as 40%, scientists said today. "We know that these foods are definitely helpful for other conditions and diseases,...

Eye Test Spots Alzheimer's
 Eye Test Spots Alzheimer's 
Jan 14, 2010 2:48 PM CST

Eye Test Spots Alzheimer's

Dead nerve cells in the retina could signal dementia's onset

(Newser) - British scientists have developed an eye test they claim can identify the early stages of Alzheimer's. The researchers found that dead nerve cells in the retina correlate to damage in the brain to such a degree that tests for retinal damage could detect Alzheimer's. "Few people realize that the...

Cell Phone Radiation May Stave Off Alzheimer's

Electromagnetic waves might boost memory

(Newser) - Researchers finally have some good news about the health effects of cell phones. The electromagnetic waves the phones emit may improve memory and prevent Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study of mice exposed to radiation similar to electromagnetic waves from cell phones. The mice showed improved cognitive function and...

Appetite-Control Hormone May Cut Alzheimer's Risk

High leptin levels linked to lower rates of disease

(Newser) - High levels of a hormone that regulates appetite has been linked to a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in new research. Scientists probing the connection between obesity and Alzheimer's found that out of the 198 volunteers studied, those with the highest levels of leptin were four times less...

Music Prompts Memory in Alzheimer's Patients

iPod therapy stimulates cognitive functions lost to disease

(Newser) - Therapists and doctors who treat Alzheimer's are now using music not only to soothe and entertain their patients but to restore some cognitive function. For decades it's been recognized that Alzheimer's patients can still remember and sing songs long after they've stopped recognizing names and faces. Now it's thought that...

Accelerated Aging Tied to HIV/AIDS

Middle-aged sufferers have symptoms of HIV-negative 80-year-olds

(Newser) - The aging population of Americans with HIV/AIDS is in a much different spot than those infected before the drug cocktail was introduced in the mid-1990s. But new research reveals disturbing trends related to aging. The cause is likely either the disease or the medications, and the result is symptoms—from...

Web Surfing Can Help Slow Dementia
Web Surfing
Can Help Slow Dementia
Oct 19, 2009 1:29 PM CDT

Web Surfing Can Help Slow Dementia

Brain scans show Google is more stimulating than books

(Newser) - It’s time to teach Grandma to Google. Surfing the Internet can slow or even reverse the mental decay that leads to dementia, according to a new study. UCLA researchers scanned the brains of 24 men and women aged 55 to 78 and discovered that surfing the web was more...

Global Rates of Alzheimer's Disease Soar

Aging populations drive increase; developing world will be hit hard

(Newser) - Rising life expectancy in the developing world will lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people stricken by Alzheimer’s disease, HealthDay News reports. The number of dementia cases worldwide will reach 35.6 million in 2010, a 10% increase over the total in 2005. That number is...

Blueberry Smoothies Boost Brain Power

'Super food' can increase powers of concentration, ward off dementia

(Newser) - A blueberry smoothie in the morning is good for your brain in the afternoon—and in the long run, according to new research. Scientists at a British university found that one blueberry smoothie increased powers of concentration by as much as 20% in a single day. Consumption of blueberries can...

Obesity May Shrink Your Brain
 Obesity May Shrink Your Brain 
Aug 24, 2009 9:38 AM CDT

Obesity May Shrink Your Brain

Study finds cognitive regions smaller in obese elderly

(Newser) - Important cognitive brain regions are smaller in older obese people than fit ones, scientists have found. Shrinking brains are tied to dementia, so the discovery fuels the notion that obesity can raise the risk of the cognitive disorder, New Scientist reports. In a review of 94 brain scans, subjects with...

Alzheimer's: Vision May Play a Role

(Newser) - Moments of forgetfulness attributed to Alzheimer’s disease could in fact be caused by a loss of vision, the Boston Globe reports, and new research asserts that cranking up contrast—by using colored dinner plates, for instance—could help. “Let’s say you put keys down on the counter...

High Cholesterol in 40s Tied to Dementia Later

Lowering it won't necessarily help, studies suggest

(Newser) - High cholesterol in middle age may increase a person’s future risk of Alzheimer’s disease, NPR reports. “Our study shows that even moderately high cholesterol levels in your 40s puts people at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in later life,” says one researcher, who...

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