https://medicalxpress.com/healthy-aging-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Healthy Aging Researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging have uncovered evidence that a single genetic variant may influence the risk of two of the diseases people fear most—dementia and cancer—but in opposite ways. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-gene-diseases-reveals-opposing-dementia.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:08 EDT news702123901 Cognitive decline in very old adults has been considered for decades to be an almost inevitable consequence of aging. In clinical practice, this has contributed to many memory problems in patients over age 80 being interpreted as a natural part of aging, without further investigation into their cause. However, this view is increasingly being challenged as knowledge of neurodegenerative diseases advances and more accurate tools for their detection become available. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-alzheimer-biomarkers-dementia-people-older.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:06 EDT news702122882 As the nation's older adult population climbs at one of the fastest rates in U.S. history, a new study from Iowa State University researchers points to a growing strain on the workforce responsible for feeding seniors—and a rising need for training. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gains-momentum-senior-nutrition-workforce.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news702042421 New research using smartwatches shows that older adults can accurately assess how well they are thinking in the moment. The study finds their self-ratings closely match actual cognitive performance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-smartwatch-older-adults-accurately-mental.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT news702042242 Forgetting the name of a loved one may be one of the first signs people notice of dementia, but it's rarely the first warning sign your brain gives. Changes in the brain that lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia start showing up decades before symptoms arrive, and the chemicals at work inside the body can often tip us off to these changes well ahead of time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-blood-protein-flag-dementia-decades.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:40:07 EDT news702031168 Exposure to extreme heat and cold is associated with an increased risk of emergency department (ED) visits among people living with dementia, according to preliminary research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026. The findings provide new evidence that environmental factors can have measurable effects on the health of people with neurological disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-extreme-temperatures-emergency-department-people.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:03 EDT news702038103 Scientists have discovered a rare genetic condition that causes people to age at a much faster rate, offering fresh insights into the aging process. The study shows for the first time how a "biological clock" present in every cell of the body could contribute to age-related diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-rare-aging-disorder-links-biological.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:20:07 EDT news702032102 Canada will cross the threshold into a "superaged" society this year, with at least 1 in 5 people older than 65. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-canada-biggest-advantage.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:40:01 EDT news702029821 Better identification and management of sleep apnea and associated vascular risk factors in midlife may provide an important opportunity to support long-term brain health, according to new research from Monash University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-links-apnea-poor-memory-greater.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:20:04 EDT news702015302 Children and older adults are consistently less likely to live near bike lanes, a new study that mapped cycling infrastructure in three Canadian cities over a decade found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-bike-infrastructure-canada-access-uneven.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:20:04 EDT news701954762 Researchers at Niigata University have conducted the first comprehensive reappraisal in nearly 30 years of the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) associated with APOE-e4 homozygosity (e4*4) in the Japanese population. Their findings, published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration, suggest that the risk, while still substantial, is lower than estimates that have been widely cited since the 1990s. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-years-reappraisal-alzheimer-disease-japanese.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:00:01 EDT news701939632 New research suggests that higher levels of visceral fat, the fat stored deep in the abdomen, could contribute to faster biological aging in middle-aged adults. Adjunct Associate Professors Jennie Hui and Kun Zhu, from The University of Western Australia, were co-authors of the study published in the journal Obesity, which found visceral fat could affect the aging process beyond general measures of obesity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-excess-belly-fat-linked-faster.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:40:01 EDT news701939619 Struggling to read more than six lines on an eye chart with fading letters may serve as a visual "yellow light" for older adults—raising red flags that routine exams sometimes fail to detect. A new University of Michigan study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, shows that this threshold on a Pelli-Robson chart might indicate everyday vision problems that standard eye tests may miss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-letters-early-clue-aging-eyes.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:20:01 EDT news701939649 A new survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds young adults are missing out on the health benefits of having a primary care doctor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-survey-young-adults-dont-doctor.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:08 EDT news701698677 Older adults discharged from hospital with a new prescription for a sedative, especially a benzodiazepine or antipsychotic, are at increased risk of falls and other negative consequences, according to new research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hospital-discharge-sedatives-linked-falls.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:01 EDT news701683021 Adults with both epilepsy and hearing loss who use hearing aids may have a 23% lower risk of developing dementia than those who do not, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-aid-linked-dementia-people-epilepsy.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:10:01 EDT news701696461 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains a common condition affecting World Trade Center (WTC) responders 25 years after the attack on the Twin Towers. While the condition is considered mainly psychological, a new study sheds light on changes in the biological processes of WTC patients with PTSD that may explain why PTSD is associated with a variety of chronic diseases that ultimately contribute to aging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-faster-aging-chronic-disease-linked.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:00:03 EDT news701691123 Disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer's offer a meaningful glimpse of hope for many people who fear dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, but dementia itself is an umbrella term for symptoms such as memory loss, confusion and changes in thinking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-alzheimer-drugs-good-dementia-humanity.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:00:08 EDT news701686021 The quest to prolong life has gone on for as long as human existence itself, from the mythical Fountain of Youth to quick-fix fads like intermittent fasting, supplements and injections. But if you take a look in your medicine cabinet, you may unwittingly come across a drug that holds a key to longevity. Could that nasal spray for your stuffy nose be repurposed to reverse one or more of the processes of aging? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drugs-repurposed-longevity-network-aging.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:20:04 EDT news701683864 Brain changes that can eventually lead to dementia may begin many years before anyone notices symptoms such as memory problems, missed appointments or difficulty finding words. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-healthy-diet-difference-people-higher.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:05 EDT news701674442 Unpaid caregivers need greater recognition and support to continue the care they provide to their families and friends, and researchers have identified priorities outlining how to achieve this. Flinders University's Research Center for Palliative Care, Death and Dying has published a paper that recognizes the increasing demand and reliance on unpaid caregivers to assist in care provision, which leaves them facing high levels of emotional, social, physical and financial burdens. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-palliative-priorities-caregivers.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:01 EDT news701682295 People who are most in danger during the U.K.'s heat wave are among the least likely to have air conditioning at home, researchers have found. With temperatures potentially rising to 40° C (104° F), scientists at the University of Reading have looked at how many homes in England use air conditioning to keep cool, and which households use it most. They studied answers from 15,846 households that took part in the English Housing Survey from 2023 to 2024, as well as undertaking interviews with households already using air conditioning. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-access-air-conditioning-uk.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:30:02 EDT news701623682 Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and permanent loss of nerve cells in the brain. The breakdown causes memory loss, functional impairment and personality changes. In a new study published in Nature Aging, researchers found that the age-related reduction in a specific protein may contribute to the loss of brain function in this disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-special-protein-brain-cleansing-contribute.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:40:04 EDT news701617454 As people age, they often develop chronic conditions, many of which need to be managed with multiple prescription medications. While medications are important for disease management, polypharmacy poses an increased risk for harmful side effects and contraindications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-glp-1s-prescriptions-older-adults.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:00:07 EDT news701602562 Two people of very different ages can have a similar level of biological aging in their brains. Such an occurrence is possible because aging and metabolic health follow two distinct pathways that influence brain health. While it is known that the brain changes as we get older, a recent study analyzing more than 3,000 brain scans found that metabolic issues affect the brain through a different biological pathway than aging does. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-poor-metabolic-health-age-brain.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 10:20:03 EDT news701593626 On a busy hospital ward, a nurse says "wonderful, wonderful" as a patient with dementia completes a task. It sounds simple, but moments like this can play an important role in how care gets done. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-dementia.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:00:01 EDT news701525876 Scientists may have discovered a new role for the cerebellum, the part of the brain that sits at the base of the skull. A new paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience reports that different parts of the cerebellum change at different rates with age, which may be linked to differences in cognitive abilities and memory in later life. This may help explain why some people stay sharper as they get older. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-uneven-cerebellum-aging-older-adults.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:40:05 EDT news701531739 Aging affects every organ in the body, yet we still know little about how the ovary changes over time. In a new study published in Nature Aging, Yale researchers created one of the most detailed maps of the aging ovary to date, examining how its cellular organization changes across the reproductive lifespan. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-aging-reshapes-ovary-reproductive-function.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:40:02 EDT news701530321 Different digital communication tools are associated with mental health in different ways among older adults in Canada, according to a new study published in PLOS Global Public Health by Hossam Ali-Hassan of York University, Canada, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-social-media-linked-poorer-mental-1.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:15 EDT news701451901 What if protecting your brain from dementia was as simple as wiggling your little fingers a few seconds each day? That's the promise behind "pinky time," a viral TikTok trend that claims a simple finger exercise can lower your risk of developing Alzheimer's. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-wiggling-pinky-cognitive-decline.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:40:01 EDT news701517361