Health
Men face double dementia risk if they have a hidden genetic mutation
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A hidden genetic mutation could predict a man’s likelihood of developing dementia.
That’s according to an Australian study led by Monash and Curtin Universities, which analyzed the medical data of thousands of Australians and Americans.
Men who had a certain variant in the haemochromatosis (HFE) gene — which regulates iron levels in the body — were found to be at a higher risk of dementia, the researchers found.
YOUR LATE-NIGHT TV BINGE COULD SABOTAGE YOUR BRAIN HEALTH, DOCTOR WARNS
Previously healthy men over age 70 who have two copies of the variant, which is known as H63D, are at least twice — or up to four times — as likely to develop dementia.
Having just one copy did not appear to elevate the risk.
A hidden genetic mutation could predict a man’s likelihood of developing dementia, according to a new study. (iStock)
One in 36 men carry two copies of the mutation; one in three have just a single copy.
“It is only men who have two copies of the variant that are at risk,” study co-author Professor John Olynyk from the Curtin Medical School told Fox News Digital. “Women are not affected by the abnormality – we do not know why that is at the current point in time.”
WARDING OFF ALZHEIMER’S MIGHT MEAN MAKING THESE 11 LIFESTYLE CHANGES, EXPERT SAYS
The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, used data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial, which gathered health and aging data for 19,114 healthy older adults.
Those who have the genetic variant can’t change it, but it’s possible that the “brain pathways” it affects could be treated, Olynyk noted.
“It is only men who have two copies of the variant that are at risk,” one of the researchers told Fox News Digital. Women are not affected. (iStock)
“The HFE gene is routinely tested for in most Western countries … when assessing people for haemochromatosis, a disorder that causes the body to absorb too much iron,” the doctor said. “Our findings suggest that perhaps this testing could be offered to men more broadly.”
Despite the fact that the HFE gene is responsible for controlling iron levels, the team found no direct link between iron and dementia risk.
“Our findings suggest that perhaps this testing could be offered to men more broadly.”
“This points to other mechanisms at play, possibly involving the increased risk of brain injury from inflammation and cell damage in the body,” Olynyk added.
More research is needed to determine why the heightened risk wasn’t seen in women.
“Understanding why men with the double H63D variant are at higher risk could pave the way for more personalized approaches to prevention and treatment,” added co-author Professor Paul Lacaze from Monash University in a press release.
The main limitation of the study, according to Olynyk, was that the study population was largely composed of Australians.
Previously healthy men over age 70 who have two copies of the variant, which is known as H63D, are at least twice — or up to four times — as likely to develop dementia. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
“Whether other populations exhibit the same effects is unclear,” he told Fox News Digital. “Our work should be repeated in different countries to assess this.”
“Further research will be undertaken to try and determine the likely mechanism by which this anomaly causes dementia and what more we can do to reduce the impact of it.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Beyond this specific mutation, many other genetic and environmental factors can contribute to dementia risk, Olynyk noted.
“While genetic risk factors cannot be changed, the mechanisms by which these genetic abnormalities and environmental factors cause disease may well be modifiable to some extent, through adopting a healthy lifestyle and being proactive about maintaining an overall good state of health,” he said.
To reduce risk, the researchers recommend adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes exercising regularly, eating a nutritious diet, minimizing alcohol intake and remaining mentally active. (iStock)
To reduce risk, the researchers recommend adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes exercising regularly, eating a nutritious diet, minimizing alcohol intake, remaining mentally active, and seeing a doctor to address any medical problem known to increase the likelihood of dementia.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Fiona Stanley Hospital also contributed to the study.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
What if your New Year’s resolution could fit inside a tote bag? Social media users are trying the “analog bag” trend, replacing phones with offline activities.
The trend is widely credited to TikTok creator Sierra Campbell, who posted about her own analog bag — containing a crossword book, portable watercolor set, Polaroid camera, planner and knitting supplies — and encouraged followers to make their own.
Her video prompted many others to share their own versions, with items like magazines, decks of cards, paints, needlepoint and puzzle books.
CREATIVE HOBBIES KEEP THE BRAIN YOUNG, STUDY FINDS — HERE ARE THE BEST ONES TO PURSUE
“I made a bag of non-digital activities to occupy my hands instead of the phone,” said Campbell, adding that the practice has significantly cut her screen time and filled her life with “creative and communal pursuits that don’t include doom-scrolling.”
“I created the analog bag after learning the only way to change a habit is to replace it with another,” she told Fox News Digital.
Social media users are trying the “analog bag” trend, replacing phones with offline activities like cameras, notebooks and magazines. (Fox News Digital)
The science of healthier habits
Research on habit formation supports the idea of the analog bag, according to Dr. Daniel Amen, a California-based psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics.
“Your brain is a creature of habit,” Amen said during an interview with Fox News Digital. “Neurons that fire together wire together, meaning that every time you repeat a behavior, whether it’s good or bad, you strengthen the neural pathways that make it easier to do it again.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Studies show that habits are automatic responses to specific cues — such as boredom, stress or idle time — that typically deliver some kind of reward, according to the doctor. When no alternative behavior is available, people tend to fall back on the same routine, often without realizing it.
Research suggests that replacing an old habit with a new one tied to the same cue is more effective than trying to suppress the behavior altogether.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“[When] cutting out coffee — you need to have another drink to grab for, not just quit cold turkey. It’s how the pathways in our brains work,” Campbell said.
By substituting a different routine that still provides stimulation and engagement, people can gradually weaken the original habit and build a new automatic response.
Substituting another activity instead of scrolling on your phone can help quell the impulse to reach for it. (iStock)
“Simply stopping a behavior is very challenging,” Amen said. “Replacing one habit with something that is better for your brain is much easier. That’s how lasting change happens, one step at a time.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
If alternatives are within arm’s reach, people will be more likely to use them, the doctor said. “Your brain does much better with small, simple actions than big, vague intentions.”
Instead of saying, “I’ll stop scrolling today,” the doctor recommends choosing a small habit you can do in a few moments in specific situations, like knitting 10 rows of a scarf on your commute or reading a few pages of a book while waiting at the doctor’s office.
“If alternatives are within arm’s reach, you’re more likely to use them,” a brain doctor said. “Your brain does much better with small, simple actions than big, vague intentions.” (iStock)
Campbell shared her own examples of how to use an analog bag. At a coffee shop with friends, she said, she might pull out a crossword puzzle and ask others to help with answers when the conversation lulls.
Instead of taking dozens of photos on her phone, she uses an instant camera, which limits shots and encourages more intentional moments.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
In casual outdoor settings, such as a park or winery, she brings a small watercolor set for a quick creative outlet.
“It’s brought so much joy,” Campbell said of the analog bag trend, “seeing how it resonates with so many.”
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A deadly, drug-resistant fungus already spreading rapidly through U.S. hospitals is becoming even more threatening worldwide, though there may be hope for new treatments, according to a new scientific review.
Candida auris (C. auris), often described as a “superbug fungus,” is spreading globally and increasingly resisting human immune systems, Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) researchers said in a review published in early December.
The findings reinforce prior CDC warnings that have labeled C. auris an “urgent antimicrobial threat” — the first fungal pathogen to receive that designation — as U.S. cases have surged, particularly in hospitals and long-term care centers.
DANGEROUS SPIKE IN SUPERBUG INFECTIONS SURGES ACROSS US AS EXPERTS SHARE CAUTIONS
Approximately 7,000 cases were identified across dozens of U.S. states in 2025, according to the CDC, and it has reportedly been identified in at least 60 countries.
Candida auris is a drug-resistant fungus spreading in hospitals worldwide. (Nicolas Armer/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
The review, published in Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, helps explain why the pathogen is so difficult to contain and warns that outdated diagnostics and limited treatments lag behind. It was conducted by Dr. Neeraj Chauhan of the Hackensack Meridian CDI in New Jersey, Dr. Anuradha Chowdhary of the University of Delhi’s Medical Mycology Unit and Dr. Michail Lionakis, chief of the clinical mycology program at the National Institutes of Health.
Their findings stress the need to develop “novel antifungal agents with broad-spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, to improve diagnostic tests and to develop immune- and vaccine-based adjunct modalities for the treatment of high-risk patients,” the researchers said in a statement.
GROWING ANTIBIOTIC CRISIS COULD TURN BACTERIAL INFECTIONS DEADLY, EXPERTS WARN
“In addition, future efforts should focus on raising awareness about fungal disease through developing better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries,” they added. “All these developments should help improve the outcomes and prognosis of patients afflicted by opportunistic fungal infections.”
Candida auris can survive on skin and hospital surfaces, allowing it to spread easily. (iStock)
First identified in 2009 from a patient’s ear sample in Japan, C. auris has since spread to dozens of countries, including the U.S., where outbreaks have forced some hospital intensive care units to shut down, according to the researchers.
The fungus poses the greatest risk to people who are already critically ill, particularly those on ventilators or with weakened immune systems. Once infected, about half of patients may die, according to some estimates.
FLU BY STATE: WHERE THIS SEASON’S HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS VARIANT IS SPREADING THE MOST
Unlike many other fungi, C. auris can survive on human skin and cling to hospital surfaces and medical equipment, allowing it to spread easily in healthcare settings.
“It is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, and it tends to spread in hospital settings, including on equipment being used on immunocompromised and semi-immunocompromised patients, such as ventilators and catheters,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone, previously told Fox News Digital.
Scientists say the unique cell wall structure of C. auris makes it harder to kill. (iStock)
It is also frequently misdiagnosed, delaying treatment and infection control measures.
“Unfortunately, symptoms such as fever, chills and aches may be ubiquitous, and it can be mistaken for other infections,” Siegel said.
In September, he said intense research was ongoing to develop new treatments.
Only four major classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, and C. auris has already shown resistance to many of them. While three new antifungal drugs have been approved or are in late-stage trials, researchers warn that drug development has struggled to keep pace with the fungus’s evolution.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
Despite the sobering findings, there is still room for cautious optimism.
The fungus can cling to skin and hospital surfaces, aiding its spread. (iStock)
In separate research published in December, scientists at the University of Exeter in England discovered a potential weakness in C. auris while studying the fungus in a living-host model.
The team found that, during infection, the fungus activates specific genes to scavenge iron, a nutrient it needs to survive, according to their paper, published in the Nature portfolio journal Communications Biology in December.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Because iron is essential for the pathogen, researchers believe drugs that block this process could eventually stop infections or even allow existing medications to be repurposed.
“We think our research may have revealed an Achilles’ heel in this lethal pathogen during active infection,” Dr. Hugh Gifford, a clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
New research is underway to develop better treatments and diagnostics for C. auris. (iStock)
As researchers race to better understand the fungus, officials warn that strict infection control, rapid detection and continued investment in new treatments remain critical.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Health experts emphasize that C. auris is not a threat to healthy people.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CDI researchers and additional experts for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed reporting.
Falcons fire Raheem Morris after choosing him over multiple successful coaches
Robots learn 1,000 tasks in one day from a single demo
‘Stranger Things’ finale turns box office downside up pulling in an estimated $25 million
Tommy Lee Jones’ daughter reportedly found dead at San Francisco hotel on New Year’s Day
Possible measles exposure detected in Ky. after unvaccinated traveler visits Ark Encounter
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Trump’s abduction of Maduro escalates concerns over potential war with Iran
Cuba says 32 Cuban fighters killed in US raids on Venezuela
Dan Bongino officially leaves FBI deputy director role after less than a year, returns to ‘civilian life’
Hundreds march in silence to honour Crans-Montana fire victims
Here’s a partial list of U.S. elected officials opposing Trump’s invasion of Venezuela
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
Business1 week agoGoogle is at last letting users swap out embarrassing Gmail addresses without losing their data
-
Southeast1 week agoTwo attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them
-
Politics1 week agoMost shocking examples of Chinese espionage uncovered by the US this year: ‘Just the tip of the iceberg’
-
News1 week agoRoads could remain slick, icy Saturday morning in Philadelphia area, tracking another storm on the way
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
News1 week agoMarijuana rescheduling would bring some immediate changes, but others will take time