Brain autopsies reveal fewer Alzheimer’s signs in woman who took menopause drug

Fewer hot flashes and night sweats may not be the only upside. A new study suggests women taking a drug used to ease menopause symptoms may also face a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The finding comes as scientists continue to investigate why women are more likely than men to develop the memory-robbing illness, … Read more

People who avoid 3 key things live nearly 13 years longer without dementia: study

People who avoid 3 key things live nearly 13 years longer without dementia: study

Want to keep your brain sharp as you age? Three simple characteristics in middle age likely play a major role in cognitive health as you get older, a new study suggests. In fact, researchers found that people who check these three boxes lived about 30 years without dementia — compared to 17 years for people … Read more

Your husband (or wife) may increase your risk of dementia by up to 70%

Your husband (or wife) may increase your risk of dementia by up to 70%

Could your spouse’s dementia be contagious? Being married has been shown to help sustain many aspects of health. Married people with heart disease are less likely to have a heart attack or die from cardiovascular disease, they have a lower risk of obesity and they’re also likely to live longer. But the story is actually … Read more

Middle-aged TV watchers hit with urgent warning as California study unveils ominous brain risk

Middle-aged TV watchers hit with urgent warning as California study unveils ominous brain risk

Are they watching Graying Anatomy? The idea of TV rotting your brain is apparently not just an old wives tale. Spending too much time watching TV in middle age may literally shrink the brain, increasing the risk of dementia and other complications, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. This screen-induced cerebral shrinkage … Read more

Can weed help dementia patients? Study finds surprising upsides

Can weed help dementia patients? Study finds surprising upsides

High hopes for those with dementia. New research has found an unexpected benefit for a common symptom in those with late-stage Alzheimer’s and other dementias from a cannabis treatment after a matter of weeks. The results mark a major step in dementia treatment, especially as more than 7 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s, a number … Read more

Can nicotine make you smarter? Why biohackers — and conservative pundits — are embracing the controversial habit

Can nicotine make you smarter? Why biohackers — and conservative pundits — are embracing the controversial habit

“Are you over the age of 21?” the perky representative asked as she handed me two tins of ALP nicotine pouches. We were at Dave Asprey’s Beyond Biohacking Conference, where attendees crowded around the booth to get their hands on the brand’s fruity and minty “lip pillows.” Nicotine has long been viewed as a vice, … Read more

Blood test may detect Alzheimer’s risk in healthy people, study finds

Blood test may detect Alzheimer’s risk in healthy people, study finds

A blood test may predict if apparently healthy older adults are likely to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms in the next five or 10 years, researchers reported Wednesday. That information could be reassuring or terrifying, but for now it’s a potential tool to speed drug development by helping to identify and enroll high-risk people into studies of possible Alzheimer’s treatments or … Read more

Scientists discover an infuriating thing ovaries may start doing after menopause: study

Scientists discover an infuriating thing ovaries may start doing after menopause: study

It’s not called “The Big Change” for nothing. When menopause strikes, changes come in many shapes and forms, both surprising — how our voices sound — to unsurprising, like how the ovaries work. But new research has found the reproductive system goes through a surprising change that’s detrimental to women’s health in the long run. … Read more

Why you should be brushing your teeth with your left hand to prevent dementia

Why you should be brushing your teeth with your left hand to prevent dementia

The secret to a better brain workout might already be sitting in your bathroom. That matters as more and more people experience memory concerns. About one in 10 adults ages 45 and older report worsening memory loss or cognitive decline, according to the CDC, and many more are caring for someone experiencing cognitive challenges. There … Read more

Popular pain supplement can speed up Alzheimer’s decline — and death

Popular pain supplement can speed up Alzheimer’s decline — and death

Pain is temporary, but a pain relief pill could have detrimental effects on the brain. Around 42% of Americans will experience dementia after the age of 55 — nearly the same amount of older adults with arthritis. But while many turn to a popular supplement to ease joint pain, new research suggests they could actually … Read more

Common vitamin may influence brain aging in ways scientists didn’t expect

Common vitamin may influence brain aging in ways scientists didn’t expect

Higher levels of vitamin C were linked to healthier brain structure in older adults, suggesting a potential role for nutrition in brain aging. That’s according to new research from Japan, published in the journal PLOS ONE. The observational study included 2,044 participants living in Hirosaki City, Japan, who were originally included in a study exploring dementia and … Read more

The 3 sleep behaviors linked to brain damage that can lead to dementia: study

The 3 sleep behaviors linked to brain damage that can lead to dementia: study

Don’t sleep on a few troubling behaviors that could increase your risk of developing dementia. Known risk factors for dementia include age, high blood pressure, hearing loss, smoking, high cholesterol, genetics and sleep — and a new study has found that a few key behaviors related to how we rest up can impact our brain … Read more

Alzheimer’s patient gets back speech, continence and memory after 5 grams of experimental drug

Alzheimer’s patient gets back speech, continence and memory after 5 grams of experimental drug

What a trip. After a decade of cognitive and functional decline, an 80-year-old patient with advanced Alzheimer’s disease showed remarkable signs of recovery. All it took was a single dose of an experimental hallucinogen to get her speaking more than she had in years — and that’s just the top of the list of her … Read more

2 subtle signs of Alzheimer’s may appear as early as age 45

2 subtle signs of Alzheimer’s may appear as early as age 45

Clues to a degenerative disease could be showing up sooner than we realize. Alzheimer’s disease primarily affects people over the age of 65, but a couple of subtle signs could come up to two decades before. And both could provide insight into how and when the disease develops over our lifetimes. While many aren’t diagnosed … Read more

Supplement long recommended to prevent dementia may actually speed up brain decline: study

Supplement long recommended to prevent dementia may actually speed up brain decline: study

Something fishy may be going on with a daily pill trusted by millions of Americans. Across the country, older adults have embraced a popular supplement often touted as a way to support brain health and possibly even help ward off dementia. But new research is turning that idea on its head, suggesting people who regularly … Read more

Simple blood test may predict dementia risk before symptoms even appear

Simple blood test may predict dementia risk before symptoms even appear

Age is the greatest known risk factor for dementia — though it seems to go beyond the number of candles on the birthday cake. New research out of the UK reports that biological age, the age of our organs, tissues and cells, plays a major role in dementia risk. “Our findings suggest that biological aging … Read more

Staying up all night can fill your brain with Alzheimer’s proteins — why it can create a vicious cycle for older people

Staying up all night can fill your brain with Alzheimer’s proteins — why it can create a vicious cycle for older people

Don’t sleep on good sleep. Recent research suggests skipping shuteye can cause issues that are shockingly similar to those found in Alzheimer’s disease patients. A team of researchers from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria analyzed sleep-centric medical studies published over the last quarter century to better understand how a lack of sleep affects the … Read more

Former ‘bad for you’ food can actually lower your Alzheimer’s risk by up to 27%

Former ‘bad for you’ food can actually lower your Alzheimer’s risk by up to 27%

Incredible, edible, scientifically credible? A humble food, once thought to be bad for the heart, has now been linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For decades, eggs have been divisive, with protein proponents praising ova and cholesterol-conscious maligning them. Now, new research in The Journal of Nutrition suggests that those who routinely eat eggs … Read more

‘Pinky time’: The couch-friendly wellness trick everyone’s talking about

‘Pinky time’: The couch-friendly wellness trick everyone’s talking about

Pinkies up for brain health! A TikTok demonstrating “pinky time” has gone viral with the promise that this simple daily digit exercise can stave off cognitive decline. In the clip, creator Daniela Paez-Pumar films herself and friends as they wrap their middle and pointer fingers together, touch their ring fingers to their thumbs and move … Read more

New ‘game changer’ blood test could signal how quickly dementia will progress

New ‘game changer’ blood test could signal how quickly dementia will progress

A glimpse into the future may already be flowing through our veins. In a major breakthrough, researchers have developed a simple blood test that may one day help doctors predict how fast early-onset dementia will progress. “[It] can give us a window into how aggressively the disease is likely to behave — and that’s information … Read more