Exercise May Help Keep Seniors Moving Longer Despite Old Age Brain Decline
Exercise May Help Keep Seniors Moving Longer Despite Old Age Brain Decline Older people who are physically active may be protecting themselves from the effects of small areas of brain damage that can affect their movement abilities, according to a study published in Neurologyå¨, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Many older people have small areas of damage in their brains seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as white matter hyperintensities.åÊ Higher levels of this damage have been linked to more problems with movement, such as difficulty walking. But this new study found that people who were the most physically active did not have a drop-off in their movement abilities, even when they had high levels of brain damage. ÛÏThese results underscore the importance of efforts to encourage a more active lifestyle in older people to prevent movement problems, which is a major public health challenge,Û said study author Debra A. Fleischman, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. ÛÏPhysical activity may create a Û÷reserveÛª that protects motor abilities against the effects of age-related brain damage.Û The study involved 167 people with an average age of 80. The participants wore movement monitors on their wrists for up to 11 days to measure both exercise and non-exercise activity. They also took 11 tests of their movement abilities. MRI scans were used to determine the volume of white matter hyperintensities in the brain. Fleischman noted that the study does not determine whether physical activity causes people to preserve their movement abilities; it only shows the association.
Taking Antidepressant? Could Help Your Heart.
Taking Antidepressant? Could Help Your Heart. I am not sure I really like this study. A new study found that screening for and treating depression could help to reduce the risk of heart disease in patients with moderate to severe depression. I am all for treating depression but I also know that antidepressants are the most prescribed medication in this country. And I would hate to see studies like this unnecessarily increase the use of them. Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City analyzed the health records and rates of death, coronary artery disease and stroke of more than 26,000 patients treated in the statewide network of health centers over a three-year period. Patients completed a nine-question depression screening questionnaire, which assessed such factors as mood, sleep and appetite, to determine their level of depressive symptoms. Based on the questionnaires, researchers identified 5,311 patients as having moderate to severe depression and 21,517 patients as having no to mild depression. The study found patients with moderate to severe depression who took antidepressants alone had a lower risk of death, coronary artery disease and stroke than patients with moderate to severe depression who did not take antidepressant or statin medications. Taking statins alone or in combination with antidepressants was not associated with a significant risk reduction in this group of patients. ÛÏWhat I take away from this study is that screening and treatment of depressive symptoms should be a high priority,Û said Heidi May, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., a cardiovascular epidemiologist at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute, Salt Lake City, and the studyÛªs lead author. ÛÏAntidepressants were not associated with a reduced cardiovascular risk in people with little or no depression, but in moderately to severely depressed people, antidepressants were shown to significantly improve cardiovascular outcomes.Û Depression is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The researchers excluded from the analysis patients with known cardiovascular disease such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or a previous heart attack or stroke. They also excluded those who were already taking antidepressants when they completed the questionnaire. Although the study did not directly investigate how antidepressants might improve cardiovascular health, May said the link could be related to behavioral changes. ÛÏAntidepressants might have relevant physiological benefits, but I also think that improving a personÛªs mood can contribute to a cascade of behavioral changes that improve cardiovascular health,Û May said. ÛÏFor example, people who are having depressive symptoms may not be as inclined to exercise, practice good health habits or comply with health advice. Using an antidepressant to reduce depressive symptoms might also help people better take care of their heart health.Û An estimated one in 10 adults suffers from depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients with depression have a two- to four-times greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those without depression.
Eating Nuts & Peanuts Associated with Reduced Overall, Cardiovascular Death
Eating Nuts & Peanuts Associated with Reduced Overall, Cardiovascular Death Eating nuts and peanuts was associated with a reduced risk of overall death and death from cardiovascular disease across different ethnic groups and among individuals with low socioeconomic status, which suggests that peanuts, because of their affordability, may be a cost-effective measure to improve cardiovascular health, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. Xiao-Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, and coauthors sought to examine the association between nut/peanut consumption and mortality. The authors analyzed three large study groups involving 71,764 low-income black and white men and women living in the southeastern United States and 134,265 Chinese men and women living in Shanghai, China. Men in both the U.S. and Chinese study participant groups consumed more peanuts than women. In the U.S. group, about 50 percent of the nut/peanut consumption was peanuts and in the participant groups from China only peanut consumption was assessed. Study results indicate that nut intake was associated with reduced risk of total mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death in all three groups. In the U.S. study participant group, there was a reduced risk of total mortality of 21 percent for individuals who ate the most peanuts. In the Chinese study participant groups, the risk reduction for death associated with high nut intake was 17 percent in a combined analysis. An association between high nut intake and reduced risk of ischemic heart disease was seen for all the ethnic groups.
Turn Down the Music I Can’t Think; Background Music Hinders Memory
Turn Down the Music I Can’t Think; Background Music Hinders Memory A Georgia Institute of Technology study challenged younger and older adults to listen to music while trying to remember names. College-aged participants had no problems ÛÒ the music didnÛªt affect their performance. But the older adults remembered 10 percent fewer names when listening to background music or musical rain as compared to silence. The findings could have implications for senior living centers and people who prefer to hold meetings away from the office. 
The Georgia Tech researchers wanted to replicate everyday life because music and background noise are everywhere. Their study tested the effects on associative memory, which includes the ability to put a face with a name and remember it. Study participants looked at a series of faces and names and were asked if the person ÛÏlooked likeÛ the assigned name. The faces were shown again a few minutes later. Participants had to determine whether the name and face combinations were the same as before. Sometimes people did the test in silence. Other times they listened to musical rain or non-lyrical rock music, including lesser-known songs from Eric Clapton, Jefferson Airplane and Rush. ÛÏBoth age groups agreed that the music was distracting,Û said Sarah Reaves, the Georgia Tech psychology graduate student who led the study. ÛÏBut only the older adults struggled while it was playing in the background.Û Reaves and her advisor, School of Psychology Assistant Professor Audrey Duarte, linked the results with the well-known cocktail party effect, a phenomenon that allows people to solely focus their attention on one conversation even while surrounded by multiple conversations or loud music. ÛÏOlder adults have trouble ignoring irrelevant noises and concentrating,Û says Duarte, who oversees Georgia TechÛªs Memory and Aging Lab. ÛÏAssociative memory also declines with age. As we get older, itÛªs harder to remember what name went with a face or where a conversation took place.Û Reaves notes that the study could help workers in assisted living centers as they plan activities. ÛÏThey should be mindful of their surroundings. Maybe employees should turn off music during learning activities or hold them in a quiet room,Û she said. ÛÏSimilarly, older adults who struggle to concentrate while meeting with co-workers at a coffee shop, for example, should schedule meetings in quieter locations. When people get lost while driving, itÛªs probably best to turn off the radio.Û The article, ÛÏTurn Off the Music! Music Impairs Visual Associative Memory Performance in Older Adults,Û is published in The Gerontologist journal.
Mindfulness Meditation Appears to Help Improve Sleep Quality
Meditation helps you sleep better.
