Health
Scientists reveal the one practice that could prevent dementia as you age
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A lack of socializing may be a major risk factor for neurological disorders in older adults.
New research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, has considered how “social frailty” can be a predictor of dementia.
The study, published in The Journals of Gerontology, looked at data from 851 people over the age of 70 in Sydney’s suburbs who did not have dementia at the time.
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The researchers evaluated social frailty using measures of social support, frequency of social interactions, sense of purpose, engagement in community or volunteer activities, and the individual’s perceived social roles and connectedness, according to a press release.
Based on this analysis, participants were classified as socially frail, pre-frail or non-frail.
Researchers considered levels of social connection among nearly 900 Australian seniors. (iStock)
The participants were followed for over 12 years, undergoing neuropsychological tests every two years to diagnose any new dementia cases. The researchers adjusted for other factors like physical frailty, psychological frailty and health history.
The study concluded that social frailty was associated with a higher risk of dementia, with socially frail individuals facing about a 47% increased risk compared to those in the non-frail group.
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In most socially frail people, the factors that were most strongly associated with this risk included low financial and family satisfaction, infrequent social contact and limited participation in social activity.
Study co-author and clinical psychologist Dr. Suraj Samtani, UNSW Sydney postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, emphasized the consequences of aging people lacking in social connections.
“Social isolation is the biggest risk factor for dementia” late in life, the lead researcher said. (iStock)
“In midlife, risk factors like hearing loss and metabolic syndromes like hypertension and diabetes are very important to prevent and manage,” he said in the press release. “But in late life, social isolation is the biggest risk factor for dementia.”
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, co-author and postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Annabel Matison noted that the study population was “generally healthy, well-educated and Caucasian.”
While the researchers would like to confirm these findings among a broader group, Matison commented that the strength of the association between socialization and cognitive decline is “noteworthy.”
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“We hope these findings raise awareness that poor social connections, resources and support are risk factors for dementia,” she said. “We encourage older adults to stay socially active with family, friends and neighbors, and to consider volunteering.”
Aging slowly and staying active
Another recent study by researchers at Cornell University found that social relationships can actually slow cellular aging.
Lead study author Anthony Ong, psychology professor and director of the Human Health Labs in the College of Human Ecology in New York, shared with Fox News Digital how the “depth and consistency” of social connection across a lifetime “matters profoundly.”
“Strong social ties appear to work in the background over many years, building a more resilient body by reducing the chronic, low-grade inflammation that is a key driver of accelerated aging,” he said.
Staying socially engaged and attached to loved ones is key to healthy aging, experts say. (iStock)
In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, longevity experts David Cravit and Larry Wolf, the Canada-based authors of “The SuperAging Workbook,” shared several aspects of “super-aging,” including attachments to others.
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“I’m lucky enough to have been married to the same wonderful lady for almost 60 years,” Wolf said. “Cultivating contact with people you love, with people you like, and expanding your social network, are all very critical.”
The experts noted that mental and physical exercise are also crucial for keeping the brain young and sharp.
The ‘loneliness epidemic’
Multiple studies have shown that loneliness can be hazardous to humans’ health. In fact, a previous Harvard study found that being lonely is as detrimental as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
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U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an updated notice on the loneliness epidemic in September, reporting a growing decrease in social connection, especially among young people.
Americans have fewer friends than ever before, especially among younger groups, the surgeon general warns. (iStock)
Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, founder of Amen Clinics in California, also commented on the grave impact that loneliness may have on human health.
“The number of friends people have has dropped 40% since 1990,” he said in a previous interview with Fox News Digital. “Why? We’re more connected online, but we’re more disconnected in person.”
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“Loneliness increases stress hormones, making you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression, and it’s just bad for you,” he went on.
“When you’re face-to-face with actual people, your brain has to work so much harder, which ultimately is working out your brain.”
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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