Baby boomers, now between 48 and 67 years old, have already shown a greater propensity to suicide than previous generations, according to a data analysis from researchers at Rutgers University and Emory University. Male boomers had abnormally high suicide rates in their teen and early 20s, peaking for many boomers at 26 suicides per 100,000 lives at an age when the rate among next older generations were below 20 suicides per 100,000 lives, data showed. Patterns were similar for women, though their rates are lower, Emory epidemiologist Ellen Idler said.
older age
Gila Monster News – From Lizard to Laboratory… and Beyond
While studying the effects of exendin-4 on the pancreas, Dr. Egan and her colleagues found that it also seemed to have beneficial effects on the brain. Specifically, GLP-1 stimulates the growth of neurites (developing neurons) in cell culture, and both GLP-1 and exendin-4 protect mature neurons against cell death. In fact, research increasingly suggests that there may be a link between some neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic dysfunction. The hope is that drugs, such as exendin-4, that enhance metabolic function may also be useful in the treatment of neurologic disease.
Building on these findings, Dr. Egan and others in the NIA Intramural Research Program have tested exendin-4 in cellular and mouse models of several neurodegenerative diseases. The results are promising. For example, using a mouse model of Huntington’s disease, they found that exendin-4 reduces the accumulation of the mutant huntingtin protein, which is implicated in the disease’s onset and progression. The treatment also improved motor function and extended the survival time of the Huntington’s disease mice.
In other studies, investigators found that exendin-4 significantly reduced levels of amyloid beta protein (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease) and its precursor molecule in mice models of the disorder. It also proved beneficial in cellular and animal models of another neurodegenerative disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
via National Institute on Aging | The Leader in Aging Research.
Consider Loneliness in Senior Health Assessments
Researchers evaluated six years of data on 1,604 people 60 and older and found that 43% were classified as lonely. Compared with other study participants, those individuals were more prone to have their mobility decline, lose upper body strength, have trouble climbing stairs and decrease their daily activities. Loneliness also was associated with an increased risk of death, the study said.
A separate study of 8,594 adults 45 and older found that those between age 45 and 65 who live alone have significantly increased risk of mortality — and particularly cardiovascular-related death — than those who don’t live alone. That study also was published online June 18 in Archives of Internal Medicine.
via Doctors asked to consider loneliness in senior health assessment – amednews.com.
Medical News: Diabetes May Speed Cognitive Decline – in Neurology, General Neurology from MedPage Today
Over 9 years, those who had diabetes had significantly worse cognitive decline on two separate tests compared with those who didn’t have the disease (P=0.008 and P=0.001), Kristine Yaffe, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues reported online in the Archives of Neurology.
New Study Examines Long-Term Care Insurance Claims – Largest Claims Reaches $1.7 Million Mark – Women Represent Two-Thirds Of Claimants – Insurance Broadcasting
The largest open long-term care insurance claim has reached $1.7 million in paid benefits, according to a just-released report from the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (www.AALTCI.org). The claimant, a woman, purchased coverage at age 43, paying an annual premium of $881. Three years later her long term care insurance claim began and has continued for almost 15 years.
Berry Good News
In the current analysis, Elizabeth Devore, an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and her colleagues addressed the gap in the research by reviewing the eating habits of a single cohort of 16,000 women participating in the Nurses Health Study. During their 50s and 60s, every four years the women answered questions by phone about what they ate. And in their 70s, they came into the lab for six different cognitive function tests. Devore and her team also had information on the women’s education, income and other socioeconomic factors that can affect cognitive function.
She and her colleagues focused their attention on berries because rodent studies showed that the key compound in berries, a flavonoid called anthocyanidin, could seep through the blood and into brain tissues — specifically concentrating in the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory. As an antioxidant, flavonoids also fight inflammation and oxidation, both processes that affect aging brain cells.
Forging Stronger Social Connections for a Longer Life
Forging Stronger Social Connections for a Longer Life – NYTimes.com.
Read those senior questionnaires very, very carefully.
Looking for a Job When You’re No Longer Young
Looking for a Job When You’re No Longer Young – Anne Kreamer – Harvard Business Review.
I present the link without further comment.
50-Year-Olds Get New Knees in Record Numbers
During the past three decades there has been a dramatic, 130-fold increase in knee replacement surgeries, particularly among individuals in their 50s, a Finnish study found.
Knee replacement cost – cost of knee replacement surgery.
After reading about the dramatic increase in the number of knee replacements I did a Google search for “average cost knee replacement” without the quotation marks in the search string. At the top of page one was the second link above.
Taiwan anyone?
The Advantages of the Middle-Age Brain -TIME.com
A study in the British Medical Journal lit up the Internet last week with the conclusion that cognitive decline begins at age 45. While it’s true that some innate skills like memory and speed of reasoning fall off as we age, other aspects of intelligence related to learning and experience actually improve.
via Patricia Cohen: The Advantages of the Middle-Age Brain | TIME Ideas | TIME.com.
Positive proof the older brain improves with time. I found an article on some positive aspects of the aging brain.
Now if I could only remember where I put my car keys…
lifeunderwriter.net 
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