#Constipation Associated with #Cognitive #Aging and Decline

Key Takeaways:Chronic constipation — one bowel movement every three days or more — could signal worsening cognition.People who were chronically constipated had worse cognition equal to three years of aging, according to the study, which is the first to look at constipation’s potential impact on the aging brain.The new findings add to mounting research aligning… Continue reading #Constipation Associated with #Cognitive #Aging and Decline

Inequalities in urban greenness and epigenetic aging: Different associations by race and neighborhood socioeconomic status

Slower epigenetic aging is associated with exposure to green space (greenness); however, the longitudinal relationship has not been well studied, particularly in minority groups. We investigated the association between 20-year exposure to greenness [Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)] and epigenetic aging in a large, biracial (Black/white), U.S. urban cohort. Using generalized estimating equations adjusted for… Continue reading Inequalities in urban greenness and epigenetic aging: Different associations by race and neighborhood socioeconomic status

Hip Fractures in Institutionalized Elderly People: Incidence Rates and Excess Mortality

It is assumed that nursing homes are the setting with the highest incidence of hip fractures. This observation is, however, based on very little data. The aim of this study was to analyze hip fracture rates and the associated excess mortality in a large nursing home population. A cohort of >69,000 women and men newly… Continue reading Hip Fractures in Institutionalized Elderly People: Incidence Rates and Excess Mortality

Longer-term mixed nut consumption improves brain vascular function and memory: A randomized, controlled crossover trial in older adults

Nut consumption may reduce age-related cognitive decline, but underlying mechanisms are unclear ObjectiveTo investigate in older adults longer-term effects of mixed nut consumption on brain vascular function, which may underlie improvements in cognitive performance.MethodsTwenty-eight healthy individuals (age [mean ± SD]: 65 ± 3 years; BMI: 27.9 ± 2.3 kg/m2) were included in a randomized, single-blinded, cross-over trial with a 16-week intervention (60 g/d… Continue reading Longer-term mixed nut consumption improves brain vascular function and memory: A randomized, controlled crossover trial in older adults

Moderate protein intake percentage in mice for maintaining metabolic health during approach to old age

Nutritional requirements for maintaining metabolic health may vary with each life stage, such as young, middle, and old age. To investigate the appropriate ratio of nutrients, particularly proteins, for maintaining metabolic health while approaching old age, young (6-month-old) and middle-aged (16-month-old) mice were fed isocaloric diets with varying protein percentages (5%, 15%, 25%, 35%, and… Continue reading Moderate protein intake percentage in mice for maintaining metabolic health during approach to old age

Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and habitual flavanol consumption

Dietary flavanols are food constituents found in certain fruits and vegetables that have been linked to cognitive aging. Previous studies suggested that consumption of dietary flavanols might specifically be linked to the hippocampal-dependent memory component of cognitive aging and that memory benefits of a flavanol intervention might depend on habitual diet quality. Here, we tested… Continue reading Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and habitual flavanol consumption

Successful aging of musicians: Preservation of sensorimotor regions aids audiovisual speech-in-noise perception

Musicianship can mitigate age-related declines in audiovisual speech-in-noise perception. We tested whether this benefit originates from functional preservation or functional compensation by comparing fMRI responses of older musicians, older nonmusicians, and young nonmusicians identifying noise-masked audiovisual syllables. Older musicians outperformed older nonmusicians and showed comparable performance to young nonmusicians. Notably, older musicians retained similar neural… Continue reading Successful aging of musicians: Preservation of sensorimotor regions aids audiovisual speech-in-noise perception

Oral nicotinamide riboside raises NAD+ and lowers biomarkers of neurodegenerative pathology in plasma extracellular vesicles enriched for neuronal origin

Declining nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) concentration in the brain during aging contributes to metabolic and cellular dysfunction and is implicated in the pathogenesis of aging-associated neurological disorders. Experimental therapies aimed at boosting brain NAD+ levels normalize several neurodegenerative phenotypes in animal models, motivating their clinical translation. Dietary intake of NAD+ precursors, such as nicotinamide riboside… Continue reading Oral nicotinamide riboside raises NAD+ and lowers biomarkers of neurodegenerative pathology in plasma extracellular vesicles enriched for neuronal origin

Rilmenidine extends lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans via a nischarin I1-imidazoline receptor

Repurposing drugs capable of extending lifespan and health span has a huge untapped potential in translational geroscience. Here, we searched for known compounds that elicit a similar gene expression signature to caloric restriction and identified rilmenidine, an I1-imidazoline receptor agonist and prescription medication for the treatment of hypertension. We then show that treating Caenorhabditis elegans with rilmenidine… Continue reading Rilmenidine extends lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans via a nischarin I1-imidazoline receptor