A study by researchers at UC Davis examined over 1,300 participants, with the average age of 54 years.   The individuals medical histories were followed to identify vascular disease risk factors, and elevated body mass index, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and smoking.

The researchers acquired measures of vascular disease that are linked with increased vascular damage. The scientists looked at changes in total brain volume, cognitive tests of verbal and spatial memory together with decision-making capabilities measurements.

According to the findings, people with high blood pressure had a faster decline in scores on tests of executive function or decision and planning making, in comparison to those with normal blood pressure.   The researchers noted that their findings revealed that obese participants in the study data were more prone to being in the top 25% of people with a greater decline rate in scores on tests of executive functioning abilities later in life.

The investigation discovered lost brain volume in the hippocampus brain region was faster in participants with diabetes during mid-life, than those without diabetes when they were older. Participants who smoked, lost overall brain volume faster, and were more likely to have a rapid increase in white matter hyper-intensities than non-smokers. 

Over five percent of American adults over age 65 have one or more cognitive disorders according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance  <a href> http://www.aaltci.org </a>.  “These studies continue to point out the importance of healthy lifestyles because millions of Americans will now live into their 80s and 90s,” explains Jesse Slome, AALTCI’s director.

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New research finds that many extremely old people appear to have indulged in poor health habits during their younger years. 

“Millions of Americans are living into their 80s, 90s and even past 100,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  The national organization focuses on educating consumers about the importance of planning for long-term care.

“The research is welcome news for those of us who have difficulty resisting temptation,” Slome notes.  “But of course, your lifestyle choices matter so I wouldn’t drop the gym membership quite yet.”  According to the scientists, genes seem to provide an extra boost to those who end up living the longest. 

They note that the genetic component that allows people to survive into extreme old age is probably a very powerful one.  In their report, they explain that genes and hereditary factors even counteract the effects of unhealthy lifestyle choices. 

The study focused on the genes of extremely old people living independently at ages 95 to 109.  Researchers  asked them to recall things such as their weight, height, alcohol consumption, smoking and their physical activity at age 70.  Those participating were also asked whether they ate a low-calorie, low-fat or low-salt diet at that age. 

All the subjects were Ashkenazi Jews, who share a similar genetic heritage.  The researchers then compared the responses to those from a group of over 3,000 people who took part in a survey in the 1970s. At the time, they were at about the same ages as the elderly subjects who appear in the new study. 

The scientists found that our centenarians by and large did not adhere to any specific healthful diet more than the other population did. It was the same for smoking and exercise. Only 43 percent of men aged 95 and older, for example, reported engaging in regular exercise of moderate intensity, compared with 57 percent of men in the comparison group. 

However, there was one interesting difference. Researchers found that although men and women aged 95 and older were just as likely to be overweight as their counterparts in the general population, the centenarians were significantly less likely to become obese. 

One-third reported a history of family longevity, while 20 percent believed that physical activity also played a role in their long life. Others attributed a positive attitude (19 percent), a busy or active life (12 percent), less smoking and drinking (15 percent), good luck (8 percent), and religion or spirituality (6 percent) to their centenarian status.

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“Cognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s are a leading cause of costly long-term care each year for millions of Americans,” Slome explains, “and few Americans are taking planning steps in terms of health or finances to prepare.”

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that damages and destroys brain cells.  The prevalence of dementia increases with advancing age and affects about 30 percent of people over 80 years of age, costing more than $40,000 per patient annually in the United States, according to AALTCI.

The new RAND study is the largest of its type to examine whether living in a poor neighborhood is associated with lower cognitive function.

Researchers noted that their findings provide the best evidence yet that living in a neighborhood with lower socioeconomic standing can have an impact on women’s cognitive abilities in late life.  Researchers analyzed information collected from over 6,000 women from across the United States who were surveyed as a part of the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study, an ancillary study to the Women’s Health Initiative hormone therapy trials.

The women from nearly 40 locations nationwide who were 65 years old or older and free of dementia were enrolled in the memory study over a three year time period. All the women in the study were given a standard test that measures cognitive function by assessing items such as memory, reasoning and spatial functions.

Researchers found that women who lived in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status were substantially more likely to have low cognitive scores than similar women who lived in more affluent neighborhoods.

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According to a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology these factors appear to cause the brain to lose volume.  Some 38.7 million Americans age 65 and older reported having one or more cognitive disorders according to the 2011 Long-Term Care Insurance Almanac published by the American Association for long-Term Care Insurance. 

Health conditions increased the development of lesions secondary to presumed vascular injury, and also appeared to affect its ability to plan and make decisions as quickly as 10 years later.  The findings provide evidence that identifying these risk factors early in people of middle age could be useful in screening people for at-risk dementia and encouraging people to make changes to their lifestyle before it’s too late. 

The study involved over 1,300 people without dementia with an average age of 54.  Participants had body mass and waist circumference measures taken and were given blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes tests. They also underwent brain MRI scans over the span of a decade, the first starting about seven years after the initial risk factor exam. Participants with stroke and dementia at baseline were excluded, and between the first and last MRI exams, 19 people had a stroke and two developed dementia. 

Researchers found that people with high blood pressure developed small areas of vascular brain damage, at a faster rate than those with normal blood pressure readings.  They also had a more rapid worsening of scores on tests of executive function, or planning and decision making, corresponding to five and eight years of chronological aging respectively. 

People with diabetes in middle age lost brain volume in the hippocampus at a faster rate than those without diabetes. Smokers lost brain volume overall at a faster rate than nonsmokers and were also more likely to have a rapid increase in white matter hyperintensities. 

“Unhealthy habits come back to haunt millions at older ages,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the long term care insurance association.  “It creates an increased risk of needing long term care in your 80s and 90s a reason why planning prior to retirement is a must especially for those still in good health.”

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A new report issued by the American Heart Association explains the link.  Cognitive impairments are also known as dementia and include difficulty with thinking, reasoning and memory.  They noted the impairment can be caused by vascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, a combination of both and other causes.

Medical experts explain that atherosclerosis is a build- up of plaque in the arteries associated with elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and other risk factors.   According to the study, when it restricts or blocks blood flow to the brain, it is called cerebrovascular disease, which can result in vascular cognitive impairment, explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  “Cognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s are the leading cause of costly long-term care for millions of Americans,” Slome explains, “and few are taking steps in terms of health or finances to prepare.”

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that damages and destroys brain cells.  The medical experts reported that cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease may work together to cause cognitive impairment and the mixed disorder may be the most common type of dementia in older persons.

The prevalence of dementia increases with advancing age and affects about 30 percent of people over 80 years of age, costing more than $40,000 per patient annually in the United States, according to AALTCI.

Treating risk factors for heart disease and stroke with lifestyle changes and medical management may prevent or slow the development of dementia in some people, the report’s authors noted.  Generally speaking, what is good for the heart is good for the brain they noted. 

Reducing high blood pressure is recommended to reduce the risk of vascular cognitive impairment. High blood pressure in mid-life may be an important risk factor for cognitive decline later in life.  In addition, smoking cessation could lessen the risk of vascular cognitive impairment.

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The research revealed that over a third (36 percent) of U.S. baby boomers are obese.  The study found that only a quarter (25 percent) of  the two generations directly above and below boomers are obese.

According to Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, a  baby boomer is somebody born between 1946 and about 1965.  “Boomers make up almost one in five U.S. citizens and have a significant impact on the economy,” Slome explains.  “Their impact of health care and long-term care costs could be more than this nation can bear.”

The study also found that a significant proportion of baby boomers who are not obese are overweight.  Health experts note that if baby boomers continue with present levels of weight and physical inactivity, they are going to become expensive.  “Experts know their medical costs due to obesity-related illnesses and conditions will grow,” Slome explains.  

“Baby boomers who are not obese and younger generations are going to have to foot the trillions of dollars in health care costs for the millions of unhealthy boomers,” Slome explains.  “Healthy boomers approaching retirement have very little time left to develop a plan so they are not left depending on already strapped government programs or forced to deplete whatever retirement savings they managed to squirrel away.”

Medical experts report that obesity raises the risk of developing some cancers, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, osteoarthritis, diabetes and coronary heart disease.  Obese Medicare beneficiaries are estimated to cost 34% more than their non-obese/overweight peers. According to the Poll, approximately 77 million US baby boomers may be eligible for Medicare coverage.

Researchers interviewed over one thousand men and women who were born between 1946 and 1964.  According to their findings over a fourth (28%) said the worst thing about getting older are changes that occur in their physical ability.  Being physically independent and being able to pay for medical costs is a major concern. 

Approximately one in every three baby boomers is actively doing something about the effects of aging, which may include efforts on physical health and mental abilities. Of those, only eight percent are making major moves to improve their looks.   The majority are sure they will live longer than their parents did.

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The medical scientists found that action by the enzyme histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) could be targets for potential treatment options in obesity-related diseases.

Researchers were really interested in the tie between increased HDAC9 levels in fat tissue of mice and the caloric overload.  Fat tissues from these obese mice showed dysfunction, with increased expression of pro-inflammatory agents and decreased expression of hormones responsible for maintaining whole body lipid and glucose stability.

HDAC9 level in fat cells is the underlying molecular culprit for dysfunctional fat tissue during obesity.

The researchers are currently examining HDAC9 knockout mice subjected to chronic high-fat feeding and think that HDAC9 gene removal will protect mice from obesity-linked adipose tissue dysfunction and associated metabolic disorders.

The team is pursuing studies to understand how diet regulates HDAC9 levels in fat tissue and how HDAC9 up-regulation can be prevented during diet-induced obesity through pharmacological means.  Their findings may help lead researchers to targeted therapies that may prevent the development of obesity-related disorders in humans reports the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance which tracks scientific research impacting the long-term health of Americans.

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