RETIREMENT & HEALTH
Can caffeine protect against Alzheimer's?
13/11/07 15:10
By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY
Connie Lesko's not looking for the jolt that a cup of hot java offers.
Instead, she's hoping new research that shows caffeine may protect against Alzheimer's pans out: The 56-year-old from Wimauma, Fla., has two parents with this incurable disease.
KIM PAINTER: Good news, coffee lovers
"I've never been much of a coffee drinker," she says. "But now I'm thinking — what the heck — I'll have a cup."
Lesko and others are betting on research suggesting that caffeine will offer protection not just against Alzheimer's, but also against Parkinson's. Together these degenerative brain diseases affect about 6 million people in the USA. Cases of both diseases are expected to explode in the next few decades.
"Boomers are coming of age, and large numbers of them will develop neurodegenerative diseases," says Zaven Khachaturian, president and CEO of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas and the former director of the Alzheimer's unit at the National Institute on Aging.
The coming epidemic has fueled a search for drugs and other interventions that might slow the onset of these diseases, he says. If research by Gary Arendash and others holds up, boomers might be able to get some protection simply by enjoying an espresso.
"Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world," says Arendash, a researcher at the Byrd Alzheimer Institute in Tampa. "We think it might protect against Alzheimer's."
Connie Lesko's not looking for the jolt that a cup of hot java offers.
Instead, she's hoping new research that shows caffeine may protect against Alzheimer's pans out: The 56-year-old from Wimauma, Fla., has two parents with this incurable disease.
KIM PAINTER: Good news, coffee lovers
"I've never been much of a coffee drinker," she says. "But now I'm thinking — what the heck — I'll have a cup."
Lesko and others are betting on research suggesting that caffeine will offer protection not just against Alzheimer's, but also against Parkinson's. Together these degenerative brain diseases affect about 6 million people in the USA. Cases of both diseases are expected to explode in the next few decades.
"Boomers are coming of age, and large numbers of them will develop neurodegenerative diseases," says Zaven Khachaturian, president and CEO of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas and the former director of the Alzheimer's unit at the National Institute on Aging.
The coming epidemic has fueled a search for drugs and other interventions that might slow the onset of these diseases, he says. If research by Gary Arendash and others holds up, boomers might be able to get some protection simply by enjoying an espresso.
"Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world," says Arendash, a researcher at the Byrd Alzheimer Institute in Tampa. "We think it might protect against Alzheimer's."
Retirement outlook not as bleak as many think, AgeLab head says
06/11/07 07:29
Retirement outlook not as bleak as many think, AgeLab head says
by Robert Powell
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
provided by MarketWatch
Most retirement gurus are extremely pessimistic about the future. Some are modestly hopeful. But there is one who is "wildly optimistic" about what's in store for the millions upon millions of aging baby boomers. Meet Joseph Coughlin, Ph.D., director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab.
In short, the AgeLab is working on a future where older citizens not just add years to their life but add life to their years. And it's a life that will include fun, purpose, health, wealth and -- not surprisingly -- technology. "We see that it will be a great time to grow old," said Coughlin, who last week released, along with The Hartford, research about retirement rationalizations.
more
by Robert Powell
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
provided by MarketWatch
Most retirement gurus are extremely pessimistic about the future. Some are modestly hopeful. But there is one who is "wildly optimistic" about what's in store for the millions upon millions of aging baby boomers. Meet Joseph Coughlin, Ph.D., director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab.
In short, the AgeLab is working on a future where older citizens not just add years to their life but add life to their years. And it's a life that will include fun, purpose, health, wealth and -- not surprisingly -- technology. "We see that it will be a great time to grow old," said Coughlin, who last week released, along with The Hartford, research about retirement rationalizations.
more
Today's Seniors Are Smarter
09/10/07 12:26
Today's Seniors Are Smarter
Tests Suggest Less Mental Decline for Current Generation of Elderly
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Oct. 5, 2007 -- Senior moments notwithstanding, elderly people are smarter today than they were less than a generation ago, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that when it comes to mental acuity, 74 is the new 59
Tests Suggest Less Mental Decline for Current Generation of Elderly
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Oct. 5, 2007 -- Senior moments notwithstanding, elderly people are smarter today than they were less than a generation ago, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that when it comes to mental acuity, 74 is the new 59