Diabetes may lead to quicker loss of memory, study finds

A long-term study of more than 12,000 older people has found that those with type 2 diabetes generally have a faster mental decline as they age than do people without the disease.

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School in Boston led the study, which was reported in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. Participants, who were in their early 70s on average, were assessed over four years, with the results indicating that those with diabetes generally tested more poorly on the initial cognitive tests and showed a sharper decline on subsequent testing. Generally, the longer a person reported having had diabetes, the poorer he or she did on all tests.

Researchers theorized that diabetes may damage blood vessels in the brain, resulting in less blood flow and increased cognitive problems, and that insulin may increase the “plaques” found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. They called for more study of the results.

High cholesterol linked to risk of Parkinson’s disease

High cholesterol levels may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new 18-year study from Finland reports. Researchers from the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki looked at more than 50,000 people between the ages of 25 and 74 and found that people with the highest levels of cholesterol had an 86 per-cent higher chance of developing Parkinson’s than people with the lowest cholesterol levels.

The study found that the increased risk was for those people between 24 and 54 during the beginning of the study and that no connection was found between high cholesterol and Parkinson’s among people who were over 55 when the study began. The findings were reported in the journal Neurology.

Hormone could predict life span, Japanese study finds

A hormone carried in a man’s blood may well predict how long he will live, according to a long-term study from Japan and reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Researchers from Kurume University School of Medicine found during their 27-year study that higher levels of DHEAS, a “pre-hormone” secreted by the adrenal glands, were linked to a longer life span in the men of the 940 people studied from 1978 to 2005.

There was no relationship between DHEAS and longevity in women, who generally have lower levels of DHEAS. Participants ranged in age from 21 to 88 at the beginning of the study.

Those daily cup(s) of coffee may help your heart health

A new study from Spain has found that drinking up to three cups of coffee a day won’t kill you. It may even keep your heart healthy.

Researchers from Autonoma University in Madrid studied the coffee-drinking habits of more than 125,000 healthy people from 1980 to 2004 and found that women who drank up to three cups of coffee a day had a 25 percent lower death risk from heart disease than non-drinkers. They also had an 18 percent lower death risk from other diseases, except for cancer. There was no connection found between coffee drinking and cancer, and there was no statistical difference found in men’s coffee drinking and their risk of death.

Researchers cautioned that the study was conducted on healthy people, and said that caffeine apparently played no part in the findings, as the data held true for drinkers of non-caffeinated coffee as well. The study, financed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Aging America may create chaos in the emergency room

More older people are going to hospital emergency rooms more often, according to a report in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Researchers from George Washington University studied national emergency room data from 1993 to 2003 and found that visits by people between 65 and 74 increased by 34 percent over the period, although there was no significant change in the rate that people were actually admitted into the hospital.

As the national population ages, emergency room visits will continue to increase, which could create “catastrophic” overcrowding at hospitals, the report concluded.

Sudden loss of hearing could indicate impending stroke

A sudden loss of hearing could indicate an upcoming stroke, according to a new study from Taiwan.

Researchers from Taipei Medical University School of Health Care Administration found that people who were hospitalized for sudden hearing loss were almost two times more likely to suffer a stroke than were people in a control group. The study looked at more than 7,000 people.

The research, the first that has examined a possible correlation between hearing loss and stroke, found that the stroke could come as late as two years after the hearing loss. The find-ings, which called for more study, were reported in the journal Stroke.

Big stomach increases your risk of death, study finds

A big belly may carry a big risk, say researchers from the National Institute on Aging.

In a nine-year study of almost 250,000 people between the ages of 51 and 72, researchers found that men in the top 20 percent of waist circumference were 22 percent more likely to die during the period than were people with smaller waists.

People considered to be “abdominally obese”—women with waist-lines of 35 inches or more and men with waistlines of 40 inches or more—were 20 percent more likely to die than slimmer people. The study was reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

 

Heat safety

The body becomes less capable of responding to extreme heat and cold as it ages. Be aware of days when extreme heat is predicted by paying attention to the local weather forecast. Here are some tips to help you cope on very hot days.

Drink plenty of water. Treat yourself to ice cream or drinks with ice. Take frequent cool baths or showers. The object is to keep your body temperature cool.
Avoid long stays in the sun or in unventilated rooms. Keep your fan or air conditioner on. If you need to, go to a local library, a movie theater, a senior center or a shopping mall.
Avoid exercise and vigorous activity in the sun. Reschedule your afternoon walk for the early morning or at dusk. Or move it to a shopping mall.
Wear light-colored, lightweight and loose-fitting clothes. Grab a hat and make sure you wear it when you’re out in the sun. Remember to put on your sunscreen.
Heat-related health problems:

Heat cramps are painful spasms that usually occur in the legs or abdomen and are accompanied by heavy sweating. Put firm pressure on the cramping muscles or gently massage them. Sip some water. If you become nauseous, stop drinking the water.
Heat exhaustion is characterized by heavy sweating and weakness, and the skin may become cold, pale and clammy. There’s a weak pulse and sometimes fainting. Lie down in a cool place, loosen clothing and put on some cool, wet cloths to lower your body temperature. Sip water. If vomiting occurs, get immediate medical attention.
Heat stroke is distinguished by hot, dry skin, an extremely high body temperature and probably no sweating. There is a rapid, strong pulse and possible unconsciousness. This is a medical emergency and you should get to a hospital immediately.

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