Tag: Old age

Walking ‘Could Ward off Dementia and Mental Decline’

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 15, 2010
No Comments on Walking ‘Could Ward off Dementia and Mental Decline’

Elderly people who get about by walking are less likely to suffer mental decline or even dementia, a study says.

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Brain scans revealed that older people walking between six and nine miles a week appeared to have more brain tissue in key areas.

The Pittsburgh University study of 299 people suggested they had less “brain shrinkage“, which is linked to memory problems.

The research was reported in the journal Neurology.

The volunteers, who had an average age of 78, were checked for signs of “cognitive impairment” or even dementia.

The Pittsburgh team also had access to brain scan results from four years previously which measured the amount of “grey matter” in their brains.

Brain health

This is found at various parts of the brain and is known to diminish in many people as they get older.

Each of them had been quizzed in their 60s about the number of city blocks they walked each week as part of their normal routine.

The results showed that those who walked at least 72 blocks – six to nine miles – a week had a greater volume of grey matter.

Four years after the scans, 40% of the group had measurable cognitive impairment or even dementia.

Those who walked the most were half as likely to have these problems compared with those who walked the least.

Dr Kirk Erickson, who led the study, said: “If regular exercise in midlife could improve brain health and improve thinking and memory in later life, it would be one more reason to make regular exercise in people of all ages a public health imperative.”

Susanne Sorensen, from the Alzheimer’s Society, said that the study was further evidence that a healthy heart could lead to a healthy brain.

She added: “One of the benefits of this research is that it eliminates the impact other socio-economic factors may play and focuses specifically on walking rather than exercise more generally.

“Although a link has been found between lack of exercise and brain shrinkage, we need more research to find out why physical activity may affect the brain.

“The best way to reduce your risk is to take regular exercise, eat healthily, don’t smoke and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.”

Source : BBC News

Walking could protect the brain against shrinking (ctv.ca)
Walking May Ward Off Memory Loss (webmd.com)
Walking may keep brain from shrinking in old age (reuters.com)
Regular strolls and country walks preserve memory in the elderly and middle aged (telegraph.co.uk)
Walking May Protect Aging Brain, Keep Memory Sharp (aolhealth.com)
Walk Much? It May Protect Your Memory Down the Road (innovations-report.com)
You: Walk much? It may protect your memory down the road (sciencedaily.com)
One way to ward off Alzheimer’s: Take a hike (msnbc.msn.com)

Tags Brain, Brain damage, Dementia, Grey matter, Health, Old age, Physical exercise, Pittsburgh University

News on Health & Science

Vitamin B Found to Halve brain Shrinkage in Old Age

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 10, 2010
3 Comments on Vitamin B Found to Halve brain Shrinkage in Old Age

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High doses of vitamine B can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people with memory problems. It may slow their progression toward dementia.

A two-year clinical trial was the largest to date into the effect of B vitamins on “mild cognitive impairment,” a condition which is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Reuters reports:
“[Researchers] conducted a two-year trial with 168 volunteers with MCI who were given either a vitamin pill containing very high doses of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, or a placebo dummy pill …

[O]n average the brains of those taking the vitamin treatment shrank at a rate of 0.76 percent a year, while those taking the dummy pill had an average brain shrinkage of 1.08 percent.”

Resources:
Reuters September 8, 2010
Los Angeles Times September 9, 2010

Steve Joyce: B vitamins found to slow progression of dementia – Health – Diet and nutrition – msnbc.com (msnbc.msn.com)
B vitamins cut old age brain shrinkage in half (theglobeandmail.com)
B Vitamins Found to Halve Brain Shrinkage in Old (nlm.nih.gov)
B vitamins may slow brain shrinkage (cbc.ca)
B vitamins found to slow progression of dementia (reuters.com)
Vitamin B ‘puts off Alzheimer’s’ (bbc.co.uk)
Vitamin B ‘could slow Alzheimer’s’ (channel4.com)
Vitamin B ‘puts off Alzheimer’s’ (bbc.co.uk)
Vitamin Treatment ‘Could Delay Alzheimer’s’ (news.sky.com)
Vitamin B is revolutionary new weapon against Alzheimer’s Disease (telegraph.co.uk)

Tags Alzheimer's disease, Clinical trial, Folic acid, Health, Memory loss, Mild cognitive impairment, Old age, Placebo

Healthy Tips

Sleep Habits Linked to Fat Gain in Younger Adults

Post author By Mukul
Post date March 18, 2010
No Comments on Sleep Habits Linked to Fat Gain in Younger Adults

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Researchers found that among adults younger than 40, those who typically slept for five hours or less each night had a greater accumulation of belly fat over the next five years.
……..CLICK & SEE
But those who logged eight hours or more in bed each night also showed a bigger fat gain, although it was less substantial than that seen in “short sleepers.”

On average, short sleepers showed a 32 percent gain in visceral fat, versus a 13 percent gain among those who slept six or seven hours per night, and a 22 percent increase among men and women who got at least eight hours of sleep each night.

A similar pattern was seen with superficial abdominal fat. Even when the researchers considered factors like calorie intake, exercise habits, education and smoking, sleep duration itself remained linked to abdominal-fat gain.

The study does not prove that too little or too much sleep directly leads to excess fat gain. But the findings support and extend those of other studies linking sleep duration — particularly a lack of sleep — to weight gain and even to higher risks of diabetes and heart disease.
Resources:
Reuters March 1, 2010
Sleep March 1, 2010 :

Practice Yoga Daily To Earn Maximum Gains

Post author By Mukul
Post date January 9, 2010
No Comments on Practice Yoga Daily To Earn Maximum Gains

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Yoga is a low impact form of exercise and when it’s far from being easy, there are plenty of exercises that would suit elderly people. Keeping fit is very important for younger people and in their busy schedule, only yoga can keep them healthier and stress free. Many diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatism, and arthritis can be aggravated due to lack of exercises. Through yoga, obese problem can also be sorted.
……………....click to see
Yoga focuses a lot on breathing that keeps you relax and calm. Yoga looks at self development with discipline, confidence and an earnest effort. It is good for your body because the sorts of movements it includes are for the benefit and limberness of each and every part of the body. An integral part of yoga includes meditation and if your mind doesn’t tune rightly, you can’t perform yoga properly.

Yoga has a lot health benefits. It develops the immune system and gives for better blood circulation in the body. It gives complete control over your mind, anxiety, stress and depression. By practicing yoga everyday, you can control your weight and also lose. Yoga assists in detoxifying the body and also assists to cure lots of illnesses such as heart diseases, chronic fatigue, arthritis, back and joint pain. Yoga reduces stress and tension, assist in concentrating better and also better creative thinking. The mind becomes refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated after a session of deep meditation.

Source: http://www.healthyeatingworld.com/vitamins-suplements/2170-practice-yoga-everyday-to-keep-yourself-healthy-and-fit

Tags Body, Circulatory system, Diabetes mellitus, Disease, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Immune system, Meditation, Old age, Physical exercise, Religion and Spirituality, Stress, Yoga

Health & Fitness

Keep Firm Muscle Tone with the Age

Post author By Mukul
Post date October 27, 2009
No Comments on Keep Firm Muscle Tone with the Age

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Scientists have found and manipulated body chemistry linked to the aging of muscles, and were able to restore the ability of old human muscle to repair and rebuild itself.
click & see
Importantly, the research also found evidence that aging muscles need to be kept in shape, because long periods of atrophy are more challenging to overcome. Older muscles do not respond as well to sudden bouts of exercise. And rather than building muscle, older people can instead generate scar tissue if they exercise after long periods of inactivity.

Previous studies have shown that adult muscle stem cells have a receptor called Notch, which triggers growth when activated. An enzyme called mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) regulates Notch activity.

In the lab, the researchers cultured old human muscle and forced the activation of MAPK. The regenerative ability of the old muscle was significantly enhanced.

Resources:
Live Science September 30, 2009
EMBO Molecular Medicine September 30, 2009 [Epub ahead of Print]