Depression may do more than darken your mood, with new research suggesting it might also sap your memory. “Since symptoms of depression can be treated, it may be possible that treatment may also reduce thinking and memory problems,” said study author Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri, from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. The…

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Exercising may keep you young at heart. Researchers found that people who make regular exercise a lifelong habit appear to slow the aging of their heart and blood vessels. The finding stems from a comparison of exercise histories and heart health among 102 people over age 60. Those who had exercised two to three times…

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You go to the gym to make your muscles bigger, but what if you want to bulk up your brain to help you stay sharp? New research suggests you might want to head to the produce aisle. People who ate diets full of vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish had bigger brains than their less well-nourished…

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Can’t recall that word that’s on the tip of your tongue? Exercise might help. Physical activity is tied to a host of benefits. Now, a small study finds that healthy older people who exercise regularly have fewer problems with word retrieval. “Tip-of-the-tongue moments are very noticeable. They are irritating and embarrassing,” said lead researcher Katrien…

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Older adults, drink up. You need plenty of water during exercise so your brain gets the full benefits of working out, researchers say. “Middle-age and older adults often display a blunted thirst perception, which places them at risk for dehydration, and subsequently may reduce the cognitive [mental] health-related benefits of exercise,” said Brandon Yates, of…

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Hearing aids may mean fewer visits to the hospital for seniors, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data from more than 1,300 adults aged 65 to 85 with severe hearing loss, and found that only 45 percent of them used a hearing aid. Those who did use a hearing aid were less likely to have…

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With aging often comes worry about falls and the bone fractures they cause. Now, a panel of U.S. experts has new advice on what helps and what doesn’t when it comes to staying upright. For starters, get off the sofa. And don’t rely on vitamin D to keep you from falling. In a change from…

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Eating lots of vegetables may help older women keep their blood vessels healthy, Australian researchers report. The biggest benefit seems to come from cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. Eating these strong-smelling veggies was linked to less thickening of the carotid arteries, located in the neck. Thickening of this major blood vessels…

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Sharp increases in Alzheimer’s disease cases, deaths and costs are stressing the U.S. health care system and caregivers, a new report reveals. About 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease — 5.5 million of them aged 65 and older. By 2025, the number of seniors with Alzheimer’s could reach 7.1 million, up nearly 29 percent. And,…

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Older adults who are sleepy during the day might have harmful plaque building in their brain that is a sign of impending Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report. A hallmark of Alzheimer’s is the accumulation of a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid. It’s believed that one benefit of sleep is to clear beta-amyloid, and poor sleep…

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