Health
Your daily coffee habit may play a role in dementia risk, study finds
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Drinking two to three cups of coffee daily could reduce the risk of dementia, according to new observational research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
American researchers analyzed four decades of data from more than 130,000 doctors and nurses, finding that moderately caffeinated coffee and tea intake can lower the risk of cognitive decline, according to SWNS.
The analysis revealed that not only did participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee have a lower risk of dementia, but there also appeared to be a “sweet spot” where it was most effective.
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Previous findings on the relationship between coffee and dementia have been inconsistent due to limited follow-up data. To address this, researchers used information from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, tracking healthcare professionals from midlife through older age.
Over a follow-up period of up to 43 years, the team analyzed self-reported dietary patterns collected through questionnaires administered every four years.
Both coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients that can reduce inflammation and cellular damage and defend against cognitive decline, the study found. (iStock)
This long-term approach allowed scientists to account for changes in coffee and tea consumption over time, while monitoring for both clinical dementia diagnoses and subtle shifts in cognitive function.
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By adjusting for variables such as smoking, physical activity and underlying health conditions, the researchers were able to isolate the specific relationship between caffeine intake and long-term brain health, SWNS noted.
Of the 131,821 participants involved in the long-term analysis, 11,033 developed dementia.
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The analysis revealed that participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of dementia compared with those who reported little or no consumption.
These participants also performed better on tests of overall cognitive function, the report noted. While higher tea intake yielded similar results, decaffeinated coffee did not, suggesting that caffeine is likely the driving neuroprotective factor.
The cognitive benefits were most pronounced in those who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of tea daily.
The long-term data analysis allowed researchers to account for changes in caffeine consumption over time. (iStock)
Dementia affects more than six million Americans and 55 million people worldwide, with the National Institutes of Health reporting more than 100,000 U.S. deaths annually.
Experts emphasize that early prevention is crucial, as current treatments offer only modest benefits once symptoms appear. This has led scientists to investigate the role that specific lifestyle factors play in cognitive decline.
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“When searching for possible dementia prevention tools, we thought something as prevalent as coffee may be a promising dietary intervention,” senior study author Daniel Wang, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, noted in a press release from SWNS.
Contrary to some previous studies, higher caffeine intake did not produce negative effects. (iStock)
Both coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols and caffeine, which may reduce inflammation and cellular damage while defending against cognitive decline. Researchers referred to these properties as “neuroprotective.”
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Contrary to some previous studies, higher caffeine intake did not produce negative effects; instead, it provided consistent neuroprotective benefits even for those with a high genetic predisposition to the disease, per SWNS.
Despite the encouraging findings, Wang cautioned that the effect size is small and should be viewed as just one of many ways to protect cognitive health during aging.
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Health
Most Americans are doing one nightly activity that’s wrecking their sleep, expert says
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If you’re not sleeping well, there could be a variety of reasons, but one habit stands out as the biggest culprit.
Dr. Wendy Troxel, a licensed clinical psychologist and senior behavioral scientist at RAND based in Utah, revealed that phone use at night is the activity that is most likely to have a negative effect on slumber.
“Most people are aware of this, but probably the No. 1 habit that’s contributing to interrupted sleep and poor-quality sleep in Americans is the use of phones at night, particularly in bed,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“About 90% of Americans are using their phones in bed, and as much as I would like to tell everybody to remove the phone entirely from the bedroom, I realize that ship has probably sailed by now.”
About 90% of Americans use their phones in bed, the sleep expert said. (iStock)
This disruption is driven by both blue light exposure and the stimulating content on phones, according to Troxel.
“There is blue light emitted from our devices, and blue light can suppress the hormone melatonin, which is the hormone of darkness.”
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“But it’s not just the blue light that is causing sleep disruptions from our phones. It’s really the stimulating content that we’re consuming … (on) social media, which is designed to be addictive, so that you can’t put that phone down,” she added.
The combination of blue light and stimulating content keeps the mind alert and interrupts quality sleep. (iStock)
This content is also “very emotionally activating,” Troxel noted, which is “antithetical to the state we want to be in as we approach sleep.”
To counteract attachment to phones, the sleep expert recommends setting a boundary with one simple rule.
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“I recommend that you try to keep your phone more than arms’ distance away from you while in bed,” she advised. “And set a rule for yourself. If you’re going to use the phone, don’t do it in bed. In fact, make your feet be on the floor if you’re going to use that phone.”
“I recommend that you try to keep your phone more than arms’ distance away from you while in bed,” the sleep expert recommended. (iStock)
Setting this boundary creates “behavioral friction,” according to Troxel.
“As a clinical psychologist, I work with people to help them … break habits that aren’t serving them,” she said. “Having that little bit of behavioral friction makes the habit of immediately grabbing for the phone and scrolling while in bed a little more difficult.
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“And when that automatic behavior is a little more difficult, it’s less likely to occur.”
Health
Giant golden spiders could spread this summer; experts downplay health risk
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Large, palm-sized spiders are spinning massive golden webs across porches and power lines, and, according to experts, they’re here to stay.
The Joro spider, which has a leg span up to 4 inches and markings of neon yellow, blue-black and red, was first recorded in Georgia in 2013.
Since its arrival — likely as a hitchhiker on a shipping container or an airplane from Asia, experts say — the arachnid has been steadily marching north.
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The spiders have so far been spotted in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
They are expected to spread throughout eastern North America, at least as far north as Pennsylvania and possibly further in warmer, coastal areas, according to Penn State.
Joro spiders can “fly” by shooting out silk parachutes that carry them on the wind. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
To travel, the spider uses a technique called “ballooning,” in which hatchlings release fine silk threads that catch air currents and carry them over long distances.
Ian Williams, an entomologist with Orkin, said he counted 200 adult spiders by September of last year on his one-acre property near Atlanta.
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“They’re quite intimidating looking spiders, and they make very large webs,” he told Fox News Digital. “The webbing itself, if it catches the sunlight, has a golden hue to it. And it’s very strong.”
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Despite the arachnid’s striking appearance, experts agree that people shouldn’t panic. Research shows the Joro is among the “shyest” spiders ever documented. When disturbed, they often sits motionless for over an hour rather than attacking.
Joro spiders like to spin their webs up high near houses, trees and even power lines, an expert said. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
“While they’re large spiders, they don’t have large fangs. And, so, it’s difficult for them to bite humans,” Williams noted.
Even in the rare event of a nip, the expert said the venom is weak, comparable to a localized bee sting, and carries “no medical importance.”
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As an invasive species, the Joro’s impact is still being weighed by scientists.
“One of the big concerns is that they potentially out-compete native species of spiders,” Williams said.
Physical removal is more efficient than pesticides, according to an expert. (iStock)
A prolific hunter, the Joro spider catches everything from mosquitoes to large, meaty insects like cicadas. It is unclear whether it steals food from native garden spiders.
To prevent Joro spiders from nesting on your porch or property, experts recommend using a broom or long pole to knock the web down.
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“Spiders may get the message, ‘Hey, I’m not going to keep remaking my same web in the same area,’” Williams said.
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Physical removal is more effective than pesticides, which often miss the spiders in their high, open-air webs.
For those who spot a Joro spider in a new area, experts suggest logging the sighting on apps like iNaturalist to help researchers track their northern migration.
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