Health
Listening to music after 70 may cut dementia risk by nearly 40%, new study suggests
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A new study that suggests listening to or playing music could slash the risk of dementia might have you singing a new tune.
Adults over 70 who regularly listen to music were nearly 40% less likely to develop dementia — a group of cognitive disorders that cause a decline in memory, thinking and other mental abilities — according to a new study from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Those who always listened to music showed a 39% lower risk of developing dementia and better memory performance, while those who played instruments had a 35% lower risk.
STUDY REVEALS WHY ‘SUPER AGERS’ MAINTAIN ‘OUTSTANDING MEMORY’ INTO THEIR 80S
Doing both offered an even greater protective effect against cognitive decline, the researchers, led by Monash honors student Emma Jaffa and Professor Joanne Ryan, found.
Researchers found that seniors who play an instrument or regularly listen to music may have better brain health in later years. (iStock)
“With no cure currently available for dementia, the importance of identifying strategies to help prevent or delay onset of the disease is critical,” Ryan said in a statement.
“Evidence suggests that brain aging is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one’s own environmental and lifestyle choices,” she added.
EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL LINKED TO HIGHER DEMENTIA RISK IN OLDER ADULTS, STUDY SHOWS
More than 10,800 adults aged 70 and older were tracked for several years as part of long-running Australian studies, and they were asked if they always, often, sometimes, rarely or never listened to and play music, according to the paper published last month in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Regularly engaging in both listening to and playing music also reduced the risk of mild cognitive impairment, which is less severe than dementia, by 22%, and was linked to higher scores in overall cognition and episodic memory, which helps people recall everyday events.

Playing a musical instrument later in life could help strengthen memory and thinking skills, scientists say. (iStock)
Dementia affects about 57 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and the findings suggest music may offer a simple way to help protect cognitive function, but do not prove that it directly prevents dementia.
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“Music activities may be an accessible strategy for maintaining cognitive health in older adults, though causation cannot be established,” the researchers noted.
The overall benefits of music were most pronounced among older adults with higher education levels — those who had completed at least 16 years of schooling — while results were mixed for those with a moderate level of education.
The findings add to growing research showing that creative, social and mentally stimulating hobbies such as music, reading and art may help keep the brain healthy in later life, with a 2022 meta-analysis from the U.S. and Japan reporting similar benefits for older adults who play musical instruments.

Staying mentally and socially active through hobbies like music may help keep the brain healthy. (iStock)
Dr. Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, an associate professor of aging at the University of Copenhagen, cautioned that while mental stimulation is encouraged, the science on it isn’t settled.
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“In general, it is advised to train your brain, but the data is actually not that clear,” he recently told BBC Science Focus, noting that studies on activities like music, puzzles or learning new skills have shown mixed results.
Still, he noted, “There are additional benefits to playing an instrument … including increased social interactions — which has been shown to be very important as we age.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the study’s authors for comment.
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Health
Experimental serum shows promise in reversing baldness within 20 days
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A cure for baldness could be on the horizon.
Researchers from Taiwan University say they have discovered a serum that could potentially regrow hair in just 20 days.
The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that fat cells under the skin can restart hair growth.
NEW STEM CELL THERAPY SHOWS ‘PROMISING’ RESULTS FOR TREATING HAIR LOSS IN PRECLINICAL TRIALS
The researchers used mouse skin samples to monitor changes to the fat tissue under the skin, as well as to the hair follicles and the cells that help hair grow, after they caused small injuries to trigger certain reactions, according to a press release.
Researchers discovered that applying a fatty acid topical treatment to the skin promotes hair growth after skin injury. (iStock)
After skin injury, fat cells began breaking down stored fat in a process called lipolysis. Fatty acids were then released into the skin, which acted as a signal for hair stem cells to grow.
When the scientists stopped the fat cells from breaking down fat, it prevented hair from growing.
MEN GOING BALD TURN TO ‘NEW BOTOX’ FOR HAIR LOSS TREATMENT
Fatty acids were rubbed onto the mice’s skin to determine whether it would spark hair growth in these areas. The experiment was successful, triggering hair growth.
The same pattern was recognized in multiple experiments, although the research is still early and has yet to be tested on humans, the researchers noted.

The researchers concluded that this therapy has “considerable potential for treating hair loss conditions in the future.” (iStock)
In one experiment, the scientists saw hair regrowth in mice within 20 days of applying the topical treatments once a day.
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These results were only identified after skin injury. The researchers noted that controlled skin inflammation, caused by chemical irritation or “deeper dermal injury,” has previously been shown to promote hair regrowth and is “clinically utilized in treating hair loss.”
“However, the mechanisms by which dormant [stem cells] and their niche cells sense and respond to these injuries to initiate hair regeneration remain unclear,” the scientists noted in the study.
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The experiments showed that putting monounsaturated fatty acids on the skin could help hair grow, the researchers noted. As these fats naturally occur in the body and are already known to be safe, they could become a viable option for treating hair loss in the future, they added.

A dermatologist noted that more research is needed on this method as a potential treatment option for androgenetic alopecia. (iStock)
In an interview with Fox News Digital, New York-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Brendan Camp said he considers these findings “notable” amid “intense interest” in research on hair-loss treatments.
“But they are very preliminary, and because the experiments were not performed on human scalp skin, the results may not be applicable to people,” he said.
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“This study is small, and more research is needed on this method as a potential treatment option for androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss, the most common type in both men and women).”
Until this potential method is approved for clinical use in humans, Camp encourages those experiencing hair loss to focus on currently available and “well-studied” treatments, as well as scheduling an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist for evaluation.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.
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