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Gerontology
The man on a quest to live forever
America’s Bryan Johnson (46) is working on “the most significant revolution in the history of homo sapiens” in pursuit of a singular goal: to...
Time to rethink what we call ‘old age’
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta believes you should make the most of whatever age you are, and that changing your mindset can...
Old age weight loss linked to early death – Australian cohort study
A recent study, which assessed healthcare records of more than 16 000 pensioners and followed them for four-and-a-half-years, found that elderly men who lose...
Men could live to 140 as human lifespan increases, say scientists
Human lifespan has been increasing over recent decades and is expected to swell again after a setback caused by the pandemic, with one scientist...
Reduced calories slows down ageing – US trial
Trials monitoring long-term calorie restriction showed a slowing down of biological ageing, with participants, who restricted their daily intake of food and drink by...
Smell sense can determine frailty risk – Johns Hopkins study
A recent study has added to a growing body of evidence that loss of smell is a predictive marker for an increased risk of...
Psychological factors substantially contribute to biological ageing – CHARLS study
Feeling unhappy, depressed or lonely could escalate the ageing processes more rapidly than smoking or even certain diseases, suggests the findings from an “ageing...
Mystery of why humans die around 80 may finally be solved – Cambridge study
The mystery of why humans die at around 80, while other mammals live much shorter or longer lives, may finally have been solved by...
Gut microbe metabolism implicated in longevity — Japan study of centenarians
In people over the age of 100, an enrichment in a distinct set of gut microbes that can generate unique bile acids might contribute...
Gut microbe metabolism implicated in longevity — Japan study of centenarians
In people over the age of 100, an enrichment in a distinct set of gut microbes that can generate unique bile acids might contribute...
Hyperbaric oxygen: Clinical trial reverses 2 cellular processes linked to ageing
An Israeli study indicates that hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) in healthy ageing adults can stop the ageing of blood cells and reverse the shortening...
Two studies examine lifestyle factors in becoming a centenarian
Not smoking and remaining socially engaged are significant markers of living past 100, according to a New Zealand analysis of 292 centenarians, while a...
Diluted blood rejuvenates tissue and reverses signs of ageing — animal study
A US study found that age-reversing effects found that the rejuvenating effect of “young” blood on old mice can be achieved by simply diluting...
Mortality risk increases in older patients with low BP
A large-scale study led by the University of Exeter and funded by NIHR, analysed 415,980 electronic medical records of older adults in England. The...
Widowhood accelerates cognitive decline in those at risk for Alzheimer's disease
The death of a spouse often means the loss of intimacy, companionship and everyday support for older adults. A study finds that widowhood can...
Deal me in — playing games can protect cognitive skills in old age
People who play non-digital games – such as cards, crosswords and board games – are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life,...
Rethinking old age: 70 is the new 65, says UK Office of National Statistics
It may be time to rethink how we measure and define old age in the UK because more people are surviving into their late...
Slow walkers at age 45 have older brains and bodies
The walking speed of 45-year-olds, particularly their fastest walking speed without running, can be used as a marker of their ageing brains and bodies,...
Age as a litmus test for choosing the next US president
With three Democrats in their 70s vying to challenge the 73-year old Donal Trump, the oldest first-term president in US history, age’s importance will...
Losing hearing in middle age may increase dementia risk
Hearing loss in middle age is associated with higher odds of cognitive decline and dementia in later years, Reuters Health reports a large study...
Daily 'tickling' of the vagus nerve may improve mood and sleep
Scientists found that a short daily therapy, stimulating the vagus nerve with an electrical current, delivered for two weeks led to both physiological and...
Master athletes demonstrate what is physically possible in later life
A growing band of of "master athletes" demonstrate that "we often confuse the effects of inactivity with the ageing process itself", write Stephen Harridge and Norman...
Poor sense of smell in older adults linked to 50% increased mortality risk
A new Michigan State University study suggests that older adults with poor sense of smell may see an almost 50% increase in their risk...
Hypertension linked to regular sleeping pill use in older people
Older adults with hypertension followed from 2008-2010 through 2012-2013, using sleeping pills on a regular basis was linked with use of an increasing number...
Human mortality 'plateau' more likely statistical error than hint of immortality
Human error, not human biology, largely accounts for the apparent decline of mortality among the very old, according to a report by Saul Newman...
Sleep disturbances increase risk of falls in the elderly
Disturbances during sleep decreases capability to control posture and balance according to researchers from the department of engineering and Warwick Medical School at the...
Half of older patients exposed to potentially inappropriate prescribing
Around half of older patients are exposed to potentially inappropriate prescribing, each year, and hospitalisation is independently associated with an increased risk, finds a...
Back pain associated with 24% increased mortality in older women
Researchers at Boston Medical Centre found that frequent, persistent back pain is associated with earlier death in a study of more than 8,000 older...
Lacking resilience makes men more vulnerable to depression
Men who lack resilience are exponentially more vulnerable to becoming severely depressed after their spouse dies, according to a study from Florida State University...
Increased happiness links to reduced mortality in older people
Happy older people live longer, according to researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. The authors of the study found that an increase in...
You can reach 110 – if you survive the perilous 90s
The chances of reaching the ripe old age of 110 are within reach – a you survive the perilous 90s and make it to...
Chronic inflammation in middle age linked to increased frailty when older
A study, led by Johns Hopkins Medicine investigators, of nearly 6,000 Americans followed for 24 years from middle to late adulthood found that having...
Neglect widespread in English care homes
The largest-ever survey of care home staff in England, led by University College London (UCL) researchers, has found that neglectful behaviours are widespread. For...
'Fateful Life Events' affect ageing and mortality risk
A sudden substantial financial loss in middle-age or older people, is associated with an up to 50% higher risk of death, found a US...
'Boomerang generation' reduces parents' quality of life
Adult children who return to live with their parents, the so-called “boomerang generation”, cause a significant decline in parents' quality of life and well-being,...
Discovering why the 'super-agers' live long and well
'Super-agers' have long puzzled scientists, but now researchers say they are unpicking why some people live beyond 80 – and still appear to be...
Heavy drinking and smoking linked to visible ageing
Heavy drinking and smoking are linked to four visible signs of physical ageing, and looking older than one's years, found a long-term Danish observational...
Mushrooms producing high amounts of antioxidants
Mushrooms may contain unusually high amounts of two antioxidants that some scientists suggest could help fight ageing and bolster health, according to a team...
Healthy gut is a biomarker for healthy ageing
In one of the largest microbiota studies conducted in humans, researchers at Western University, Lawson Health Research Institute and Tianyi Health Science Institute in...
Reaction time variation may be a marker of mortality in old age
An individual's variation in reaction times, when completing a single cognitive task across several trials, has been identified in an Australian study as an...