Latest Senior Health News

9Dec
2022

Workplace Fumes, Dust Could Raise Odds for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Workplace Fumes, Dust Could Raise Odds for Rheumatoid ArthritisFRIDAY, Dec. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The air where you work could be increasing your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a new study suggests.Breathing in the fumes from commercial vapors, gases and solvents -- and even common dusts found in the workplace -- appears to increase chances of the chronic autoimmune joint disorder, researchers reported Dec. 6 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.Exposure to any of these workplace pollutants is associated with a 25% increased risk of developing a form of rheumatoid arthritis that is made worse by the presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), researchers found.That risk increased to 40% when looking at men specifically, results showed.People with ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis have a worse prognosis and tend to...

Vitamin D Might Help Shield the Aging Brain

8 December 2022
Vitamin D Might Help Shield the Aging BrainTHURSDAY, Dec. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults who harbor more vitamin D in their brains may stay mentally sharper, a new study suggests.Researchers found that when older adults had higher levels of vitamin D in their brain tissue, they tended to perform better on standard tests of memory and thinking. They were also less likely to have dementia or milder cognitive impairments.Experts stressed that the study does not prove that vitamin D, itself, protects against dementia -- a complex brain disease that has many contributors. And no one should start downing supplements based on the findings, they said.For one, too much vitamin D can be harmful. And the study did not assess how much vitamin D participants were actually getting day to day."We have no evidence that getting more...

Eating Lots of 'Ultra-Processed' Foods Could Harm Your Brain

6 December 2022
Eating Lots of `Ultra-Processed` Foods Could Harm Your BrainTUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Chips, pizza, cookies: Delicious, but a diet full of ultra-processed foods like these may contribute to brain deterioration, researchers report.Ultra-processed foods have lots of added and unhealthy ingredients, such as sugar, salt, fat, artificial colors and preservatives. Examples include frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs and cold cuts, fast food, packaged cookies, cakes and salty snacks.These foods have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome and obesity. Now, scientists in Brazil have tied them to a greater risk of declining brainpower.The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect. However, "the cognitive decline could be the result of microvascular lesions in the brain, reduced brain volume or even systemic...

Seniors Urged to Get Flu Shots as U.S. Cases Rise

6 December 2022
Seniors Urged to Get Flu Shots as U.S. Cases RiseTUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Experts are asking seniors to get their flu shots ASAP as an exceptionally nasty flu season unfolds across the United States.Already, 8.7 million flu cases have been reported, with 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the last week alone, the number of flu hospitalizations doubled.Folks who are 65 and older are more at risk of complications from the flu, and they should have high-dose vaccines, recommended geriatric specialists at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas."It is important to take action now to prevent the possibility of severe infections, especially for populations at higher risk for complications, which includes older adults," said...

Seizures Seem Tied to Faster Decline in People With Dementia

2 December 2022
Seizures Seem Tied to Faster Decline in People With DementiaFRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Dementia patients who suffer from seizures tend to decline faster and die younger, according to a new study that urges caregivers to watch for these sudden brain changes."Our hope is that controlling seizures by prescribing antiseizure medications to these patients will slow down the progression of cognitive impairment," said Dr. Ifrah Zawar, lead study author and an assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "Unfortunately, seizures are often underdiagnosed because they can be subtle and the person just seems confused, so family members often mistake them for typical signs of dementia," Zawar added in a news release from the American Epilepsy Society.In some people, a staring spell is evidence of a seizure, while...
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