All posts tagged: aging

Scientists Intrigued by Nasal Spray That Reverse Brain Aging in Mice, Say It May Work on Humans as Well

Scientists Intrigued by Nasal Spray That Reverse Brain Aging in Mice, Say It May Work on Humans as Well

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech A team of scientists at Texas A&M University say they’ve developed a nasal spray that improves the working memory of older lab mice. They believe the feat works by reducing markers of inflammation, a common feature of aging brains. And, with many caveats, say they suspect that it could one day be used on older humans, as a non-invasive method to tackle adult-onset brain fog and neurological diseases such as dementia. The spray is made up of special biological particles derived from stem cells, the scientists wrote in a new paper published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. An estimated 69.2 million people worldwide have dementia, and that figure is slated to increase to 82 million in 2030, making the development of this type of medicine urgent. “Our approach redefines what it means to grow old,” Ashok Shetty, neuroscience professor and the paper’s principal investigator, said in a university statement about the research. “We’re aiming for successful brain …

6 Rare Traits Of Super-Agers Who Keep Their Bodies And Minds Younger For Longer

6 Rare Traits Of Super-Agers Who Keep Their Bodies And Minds Younger For Longer

Published by Jenni Sidey

As we grow older, our memory tends to fade. But for the lucky few, this may not always be the case. Family physician and best-selling author Dr. Mark Hyman specializes in all things health-related. In an Instagram post, he identifies who these people, referred to as super-agers, are, and the rare traits we can cultivate to live like them. What is a super-ager? According to the National Institute on Aging, “Some people remain cognitively sharp into their 80s, 90s, and beyond, defying the common assumption that cognitive decline is a natural part of aging.” These people are known as super-agers, and there’s a lot we can all learn from them. For starters, super-agers do not exhibit the same degree of wear and tear found in other people around their age. Instead, researchers found that the memory, attention, cognitive control, and motivation regions of their brains are thicker in super-agers compared to their counterparts. According to the study, “Researchers found that super-agers’ brains contained a much higher density of a particular type of cell called Von …

The DNA Fix for Aging

The DNA Fix for Aging

Published by Sam Flores

On his son’s fourth birthday, Michael Prescott had his first heart attack. Prescott, who worked as a civil engineer designing bridges in Tennessee, was in his 30s, and until that day, he had appeared to be in excellent health. But within two years of that first heart attack, he had four more. His doctors, who were baffled by his repeated medical crises, decided that he needed a heart transplant. In 2001, he underwent the procedure in Nashville. But a few years later, he needed a kidney transplant too. No one could explain why his organs were failing him. As time dragged on, Prescott’s symptoms became more outwardly visible. His skin began wrinkling like that of someone decades older than him, and he developed cataracts. By his early 40s, Prescott looked like he was in his 60s. When he attended baseball games with his son, Carter, people would mistake him for the boy’s grandfather. Frustrated, Prescott decided to diagnose himself. He would sit for hours in the living room in his favorite chair, his slim form …

6 Rare Habits Of Men Who Avoid A Midlife Crisis And Don’t Completely Ruin Their Lives | Greg Boudle

6 Rare Habits Of Men Who Avoid A Midlife Crisis And Don’t Completely Ruin Their Lives | Greg Boudle

Published by Jenni Sidey

Midlife has a reputation for making men do impulsive, life-altering things: quitting stable jobs, and ruining perfectly good relationships in search of something more. But not everyone goes down that path.  Some men go through this phase with clarity, which is often the result of a few habits that keep them tethered to real life.  Here are the six rare habits of men who avoid a midlife crisis and don’t completely ruin their lives: 1. Men who avoid a midlife crisis regularly practice mindfulness Mindfulness is the first step for a reason. You must let go of the beliefs and judgments you learned from your outer world. You’ll need to sit quietly and learn to be an observer rather than a first responder. One of the most powerful shifts a person can make is learning to think about their own thinking instead of just reacting to it, says psychologist Nick Wignall. That gap between a thought and your response to it is exactly where a meditation practice lives, and it is where real self-knowledge starts …

People In Their 50s And 60s Who Feel Decades Younger Ignore One Outdated Rule About Aging | Allura Joy

People In Their 50s And 60s Who Feel Decades Younger Ignore One Outdated Rule About Aging | Allura Joy

Published by Jenni Sidey

Maturity can be a good thing, especially when it comes to fine wine, aged cheese, or ripe, delicious fruit. But as a state of mind, maturity can sometimes be prudish and boring. Exactly the reason why Peter Pan never wanted to grow up. To “defy maturity” is to forget about what age you are and how you are supposed to act. Do and say whatever you want (as long as it’s not offensive). Wear stripes and polka-dots together. Laugh out loud in the movie theater, even if you’re the only one. Fly a kite out of your sunroof while driving down the highway. Spend the day at a water park, get wet, dirty, sweaty, and stinky. Have fun. It really doesn’t matter how old you are or what quirky things bring you joy. It is all about the attitude and how you feel when you’re thoroughly enjoying yourself. Science agrees that smiling and laughing are vital for healthy aging, as they give others permission to express joy and share happiness. People in their 50s and …

I Haven’t Looked At My Aging Face The Same Since Seeing Something I Couldn’t Unsee | Sue Johnson

I Haven’t Looked At My Aging Face The Same Since Seeing Something I Couldn’t Unsee | Sue Johnson

Published by Jenni Sidey

At the end of the summer, sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville, I suddenly found myself mesmerized by the faces of the women in front of me. They were so perfect. Not one flaw, bump, wrinkle. Their makeup was also perfect. Their eyelashes are long enough to sweep the floor with, their lips botoxed out into space. I found myself wondering, how many hours a day does it take to look like that?  I haven’t looked at my aging face the same since seeing something I couldn’t see: how alike everyone looks now Frank Flores / Unsplash+ But I suddenly felt sad. I remembered some of the words from my own book — about how Botox freezes our faces so that we cannot communicate properly with others through our facial expressions or even pick up the emotional cues outlined in others’ faces by imitating their message and feeling it in our bodies. And it is not just theory. Research on facial expression and emotional attunement shows that when we reduce our …

Women Over 40 Who Go To Electronic Dance Music Events Are Living Their Best Lives

Women Over 40 Who Go To Electronic Dance Music Events Are Living Their Best Lives

Published by Jenni Sidey

Society tends to give older women strict expectations to follow. They’re told to take on family and career responsibilities as they outgrow their youthful phases, but who says it truly has to end? Some women are fighting these expectations in favor of continuing to do things they’re passionate about, and science says this gives them an advantage. There’s no age limit when it comes to hobbies and fun, and women who embrace that are living life right. Research says that women over 40 who still go to electronic dance music events experience a mental health boost. According to a recent study, attending electronic dance music events isn’t just a young person’s game. It turns out, women over 40 reap quite a few physical and psychological benefits as well.  Jacob Lund | Shutterstock Electronic dance music, often referred to as EDM, is most popular at festivals and nightclubs. It’s been around since the ’70s, characterized by rhythmic beats and synthesized sounds. Despite its age, the events where EDM music is played are typically associated with young …

At 52, I’m Officially Too Old For These 8 Things And Honestly, I’m Just Too Tired To Care Anymore

At 52, I’m Officially Too Old For These 8 Things And Honestly, I’m Just Too Tired To Care Anymore

Published by Jenni Sidey

At 52, I look back 25 years and think about the information available to me then as compared to now, and I realize why my ADHD brain swirls like one of the cheap pinwheels my husband puts on our deck.  I was still decades away from caring about headlines that had to do with aging. Back then, I just scanned headlines in Cosmo for “3,609 Ways To Please Your Man” articles. (Hint: Say yes. That’s really all it takes.) For the record, I just lied. I never scanned for those articles. They annoyed me all those years ago. Now I find them unworthy of contemplating. Today? I can read one of thousands of articles on aging, ranging from reasons it stinks (no, it doesn’t) to age-appropriate ways to wear eye shadow (you can have my black eyeliner when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers). At 52, I’m officially too old for these things, and honestly, I’m too tired to care anymore: 1. Shutting up I love getting older. I spent a lifetime filled with …

5 Reasons Later-In-Life Love Is Way More Fun Than It Has Any Right To Be

5 Reasons Later-In-Life Love Is Way More Fun Than It Has Any Right To Be

Published by Jenni Sidey

So often we fear growing old, or think of it as a time when life’s possibilities will be closed to us. But an article in the New York Times reminds us that later life can be a time of discovery and joy. All too often, we imagine that life seems to end at the nursing home door, that it is loveless and lonely, with death hovering close by. We make this mistake when we refuse to see the need for love, even in the most debilitated elderly. Research has explored how our youth-centered culture equates love with being young through body image. In contrast, later-in-life love can be an endlessly blossoming flower, felt and expressed in hundreds of ways: A friend’s mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, has fallen in love with another patient. They walk around holding hands and snuggling with a newfound innocence that perhaps only their memory loss restored. Here’s why growing old together and later-in-life love is something to look forward to.  Here are five reasons later-in-life love is way more fun …

The Aging Class | Trevor Jackson

The Aging Class | Trevor Jackson

Published by Jenni Sidey

We know how long a human life span is, but what about the life span of a policy regime? If modern retirement was born in 1935 with the passage of the Social Security Act, it is now entering its ninth decade. Over that time retirement has been diminished and degraded; Social Security in particular has survived several assassination attempts. It is once again in the crosshairs: congressional Republicans have proposed raising the full retirement age to sixty-nine and changing the benefit formula, while Social Security offices and staff have been cut, and like the rest of the federal machinery, the system is being weaponized to enforce the Trump administration’s agenda. So are we closer to the end or to the beginning? For the historian James Chappel, there is reason for hope: the idea of retirement has been different before and can be different again. Taken to an extreme, an ever-evolving idea of retirement could outlive drastic institutional change, perhaps enduring longer than the institutions of American democracy or beyond climate disaster. For the economist Teresa …