Mood & Mind

Brief doze may delay brain shrinkage, which occurs faster in people with neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists have developed a machine learning model that predicts Alzheimer's onset up to seven years early, identifying high cholesterol and osteoporosis as key predictors, especially in women. Published in Nature Aging, this study marks a significant step toward early diagnosis and understanding of Alzheimer's.

Hye Kyung Baek*, Young Jun Kim, Yeon Sun Lee, Hye Ri Jo, Mi So Park, Dong Guk Shin, Hyun A Shim. Journal of Acupuncture Research 2022;39:275-82. https://doi.org/10.13045/jar.2022.00206

Heading to the bar? Read this first.

"Following this diet is associated with lower risk of cognitive decline.”

But if I told you this two decades ago, you’d think I’m crazy.

The number of older people, including those living with dementia, is rising, as younger age mortality declines. However, the age-specific incidence of dementia has fallen in many countries, probably because of improvements in education, nutrition, health care, and lifestyle changes. Overall, a growing body of evidence supports the nine potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia modelled by the 2017 Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care: less education, hypertension, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, and low social contact.