Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk in new research
For years, the shingles vaccine has been recommended to older adults as protection against a painful viral flare-up that can follow anyone who has had chickenpox. New research now suggests that protection may extend well beyond nerve pain. A study published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that elderly nursing […]
Alzheimer’s disease research finds new promise in an old psychiatric drug
Alzheimer’s disease affects roughly 32 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to climb to 152 million by 2050. Despite decades of research and billions in pharmaceutical investment, there is still no cure. The medications that exist today manage symptoms, and mostly in the early stages. They do not stop the disease from progressing. […]
Flossing your teeth — the surprisingly powerful habit linked to a longer and healthier life
Flossing is one of the most consistently skipped steps in daily health routines, yet research increasingly suggests that this single habit carries consequences that extend well beyond the condition of the gums. While cold plunges, supplements, and wearable health trackers dominate the wellness conversation, the humble roll of dental floss sitting unused in most medicine […]
Cognitive truths about what keeps your brain sharp
Cognitive health is not something most people think about seriously until they notice something is wrong. A word that will not come. A name that slips away. A thought that feels slower than it should. By the time those moments appear, the biological processes behind them have typically been underway for years, sometimes decades, operating […]
Creative pursuits can slow aging as much as exercise
Most conversations about slowing biological aging circle back to the same familiar habits. Eat well, move more, sleep enough. Those pillars remain important, but a compelling new study is expanding the picture in a direction few expected. Engaging regularly in creative pursuits, whether making art or simply experiencing it, appears to slow the pace of […]
Olive oil is quietly protecting your brain and it all starts in your gut
The connection between what we eat and how our brains age has never been clearer, and one of the most consistently supported foods in that research is one that has been sitting in kitchens for thousands of years. Extra virgin olive oil, according to a board-certified neurosurgeon with more than three decades of clinical experience, […]
Shingles vaccine linked to 20% lower dementia risk in landmark study
A Stanford Medicine study tracking 296,000 people in Wales found vaccinated individuals were 20% less likely to develop dementia over a seven-year period. The shingles vaccine has long been recommended for older adults as protection against a painful viral flare-up. Researchers did not set out to study dementia. The data led […]
Dangerous hearing loss habits that may raise dementia risk
A growing body of research is drawing a clearer line between how well people hear and how well their brains age. A new study found that two specific middle ear conditions cholesteatoma, an abnormal skin growth in the ear, and eardrum perforation are both associated with a meaningfully higher risk of developing dementia. While researchers are […]
Loneliness may quietly damage memory in older adults
Feeling lonely could be doing more damage to the aging brain than previously understood but perhaps not in the way most people would expect. A new study involving more than 10,000 older adults across 12 European countries found that those who reported higher levels of loneliness performed worse on memory tests from the outset. Notably, […]
How broken sleep cycles harm your brain
Most people know that a bad night’s sleep leaves them feeling foggy the next morning. But new research suggests the consequences of consistently disrupted sleep rhythms go far deeper reaching into the brain itself and quietly accelerating structural changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline. A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal […]