Individuals with no dementia risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes or hearing loss, have similar brain health as people who are 10 to 20 years younger than them, according to a new Baycrest study. The study found that a single dementia risk factor could reduce cognition by the equivalent of up to three years of aging.
"Our results suggest lifestyle factors may be more important than age in determining someone's level of cognitive functioning. This is great news, since there's a lot you can do to modify these factors, such as managing diabetes, addressing hearing loss, and getting the support you need to quit smoking," says Dr. Annalise LaPlume, Postdoctoral Fellow at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and the study's lead author.
The study is one of the first to look at lifestyle risk factors for dementia across the entire lifespan.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment, and Disease Monitoring, a journal of the Alzheimer's Association, included data from 22,117 people aged 18 to 89.
The researchers looked at participants' performance on memory and attention tests, and how this was impacted by eight modifiable risk factors for dementia: low education (less than a high school diploma), hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, alcohol or substance abuse, hypertension, smoking (currently or in the past four years), diabetes and depression.
Each factor led to a decrease in cognitive performance by as much as three years of aging, with each additional factor contributing the same amount of decline. For example, having three risk factors could lead to a decrease in cognitive performance equivalent to as much as nine years of aging. The effects of the risk factors increased with age, as did the number of risk factors people had.
Research shows that drinking Matcha tea can reduce anxiety
Kumamoto University (Japan), July 9, 2022
Many different countries have a tea culture, and Japanese Matcha tea is growing in popularity around the world. A group of Japanese researchers from Kumamoto University has shown that anxious behavior in mice is reduced after consuming Matcha powder or Matcha extract. Its calming effects appear to be due to mechanisms that activate dopamine D1 receptors and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors, both of which are closely related to anxious behavior.
Matcha is the finely ground powder of new leaves from shade-grown (90% shade) Camellia sinensis green tea bushes. In Japan, historical medicinal uses for Matcha included helping people relax, preventing obesity, and treatment of skin conditions. The researchers, therefore, sought to determine its various beneficial effects.
The "elevated plus maze" test is an elevated, plus-shaped, narrow platform with two walled arms that provide safety for the test subject, typically a mouse. It is used as an anxiety test for rodents with the idea that animals experiencing higher anxiety will spend more time in the safer walled-off areas. Using this test, researchers found that mouse anxiety was reduced after consuming Matcha powder or Matcha extract.
Spirituality linked with better health outcomes, patient care
Harvard School of Public Health, July 13 2022
Spirituality should be incorporated into care for both serious illness and overall health, according to a study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
"This study represents the most rigorous and comprehensive systematic analysis of the modern day literature regarding health and spirituality to date," said Tracy Balboni, lead author and senior physician at Harvard Medical School. "Our findings indicate that attention to spirituality in serious illness and in health should be a vital part of future whole person-centered care, and the results should stimulate more national discussion and progress on how spirituality can be incorporated into this type of value-sensitive care."
According to the International Consensus Conference on Spiritual Care in Health Care, spirituality is "the way individuals seek ultimate meaning, purpose, connection, value, or transcendence." This could include organized religion but extends well beyond to include ways of finding ultimate meaning by connecting, for example, to family, community, or nature.
According to the researchers, the simple act of asking about a patient's spirituality can and should be part of patient-centered, value-sensitive care. The information gleaned from the conversation can guide further medical decision-making, including but not limited to notifying a spiritual care specialist. "Overlooking spirituality leaves patients feeling disconnected from the health care system and the clinicians trying to care for them," said Koh. "Integrating spirituality into care can help each person have a better chance of reaching complete well-being and their highest attainable standard of health."
Kids Who Play Sports Are Happier, Healthier Than Those Who Go Straight To Their Screens
University of South Australia, July 11, 2022
Kids who go straight onto their screens after school are more miserable and feel less healthy than those who do homework or play outside, a new study reveals.
Researchers from the University of South Australia say those who meet up with friends, practice sports, or take music lessons feel much better about themselves. They also found that kids didn’t have to get out and exercise to feel more positive than those on screens, as doing their homework or reading also contributed to better well-being.
The team analyzed data from 61,759 school students in fourth through ninth grade to see what they did between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Results show most students watched TV about four days a week and spent time on social media about three times a week.
Researchers measured the activities against well-being factors such as happiness, sadness, worry, engagement, perseverance, optimism, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction.
Overall, the study found that children’s well-being improves when they participate in extracurricular activities but drops when they spend time on social media or using screens. Lead researcher Dr. Rosa Virgara says the research highlights an acute need to encourage children to participate in activities and cut down on screen time.
“Our study highlights how some out-of-school activities can boost children’s well-being, while others – particularly screens – can chip away at their mental and physical health,” Virgara says in a university release. “Screens are a massive distraction for children of all ages. Most parents will attest to this. And whether children are gaming, watching TV or on social media, there’s something about all screens that’s damaging to their well-being.”
The study, published in the journal BMC Pediatrics, shows that students in lower socioeconomic backgrounds who frequently played sport were 15 percent more likely to be optimistic, 14 percent more likely to be happy and satisfied with their life, and 10 percent more likely to be able to regulate their emotions.
