Latest Ageing Stories

FOLSOM, Calif., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you recall what you ate for breakfast today or dinner last night? According to new research, you may have a better chance of remembering if you include walnuts. Recent findings published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease report walnut consumption in a Mediterranean diet is associated with better memory scores and cognitive function. The results suggest that antioxidants present in walnuts and other Mediterranean dietary...

Researchers from The University of Nottingham have demonstrated how a species of flatworm overcomes the ageing process to be potentially immortal. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) and may shed light on the possibilities of alleviating ageing and age-related characteristics in human cells. Planarian worms have...

Telome Health, Inc.™, a privately held biotechnology company focused on the role of telomere biology in human health, has announced that co-founder and Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn has been awarded Innovator of the Year by Silicon Valley Business Journal. Menlo Park, CA (PRWEB) February 23, 2012 Telome Health, Inc.™, a privately held biotechnology company focused on the role of telomere biology in human health, has announced that co-founder and Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn...

Study shows resilient cells lengthen telomeres by other means; identifies targets to defeat effect Inhibiting telomerase, an enzyme that rescues malignant cells from destruction by extending the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, kills tumor cells but also triggers resistance pathways that allow cancer to survive and spread, scientists report in the Feb. 17 issue of Cell. "Telomerase is overexpressed in many advanced cancers, but assessing its potential as a therapeutic target...

Study employs mouse models, genomic analysis of human tumors, to identify genetic changes Genomic instability caused by an erosion of the protective caps on chromosomes, followed by activation of an enzyme that reinforces those caps, allows malignant cells to evade destruction and acquire more deadly characteristics, researchers report in an Online Now article at the journal Cell. In a strain of mice engineered to develop prostate cancer, all mice that went through this two-step process...

Every cell in the body has chromosomes with so-called telomeres, which are shortened over time and also through lifestyle choices such as smoking and obesity. Researchers have long speculated that the shortening of telomeres increases the risk of heart attack and early death. Now a large-scale population study in Denmark involving nearly 20,000 people shows that there is in fact a direct link, and has also given physicians a future way to test the actual cellular health of a person. In an...

New research suggests that overeating may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), in people age 70 and older. US scientists have shown that a high caloric intake can substantially increase the risk of developing MCI, which is the stage between normal memory loss that comes with aging and early Alzheimer’s disease. The findings were released today at aan.com and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans in...

Research just published by a team of demographers at the social science research organization NORC at the University of Chicago contradicts a long-held belief that the mortality rate of Americans flattens out above age 80. It also explains why there are only half as many people in the U.S. age 100 and above than the Census Bureau predicted there would be as recently as six years ago. The research is based on a new way of accurately measuring mortality of Americans who are 80 years of...

CHICAGO, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The chances to reach extreme old age are much lower than previously thought, new research shows. Research just published by a team of demographers at the social science research organization NORC at the University of Chicago contradicts a long-held belief that the mortality rate of Americans flattens out above age 80. It also explains why there are only half as many people in the U.S. age 100 and above than the Census Bureau...

A Wayne State University researcher believes studying people's ability to find their way around may help explain why loss of mental capacity occurs with age. Scott Moffat, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and gerontology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Institute of Gerontology at WSU, said studies have demonstrated reliable differences in navigation and spatial learning tasks based on age. Younger adults tend to outperform their elders in spatial navigation, Moffat...