Healthy ageing & wellness

Veteran male athletes may face higher heart risk during exercise if they have existing heart scarring, new research suggests. The study found that male endurance athletes aged over 50 were more likely to experience abnormal heart rhythms during training if scarring was present. Nine in 10 sudden cardiac deaths during sport occur in older male [...]

Childhood exposure to indoor air pollution may have long-term effects on brain health, with cognitive impairment appearing decades later, new research suggests. The study analysed data from over 7,000 Chinese adults aged 45 and above using machine learning techniques. Nearly 30 per cent of the global population, roughly 2.4bn people, still cook without clean fuels [...]

SimpleC has launched Wellby, an AI companion for unpaid dementia carers, offering round-the-clock emotional support and practical guidance. Announced at CES in Las Vegas, Wellby is designed for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Some 63 million people in the US provide unpaid care to older adults, including 12 million specifically caring [...]

Routine vaccines for adults may reduce dementia risk, a review of more than 100 million people suggests. The research found both flu and shingles vaccines were associated with a lower risk in adults aged 50 and over. The shingles (herpes zoster) jab was linked to a 24 per cent lower risk of any dementia and [...]

Higher intake of some food preservatives is linked with increased risks of type 2 diabetes and cancer, two studies suggest. The findings were based on diet and health data from more than 100,000 French adults in the NutriNet-Santé study between 2009 and 2023. Of 17 preservatives analysed individually, higher consumption of 12 was associated with [...]

Weaker, fragmented body clocks are linked to higher dementia risk, new research suggests. The study also found that people whose activity levels peaked later in the day, rather than earlier, faced a higher risk. Circadian rhythm is the body’s internal clock, regulating the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle and other processes including hormones, digestion and body temperature. [...]

UK adults consume as much salt as 155 crisp packets a week, raising risks of heart failure, diabetes and dementia. The NHS advises adults to eat no more than 6g of salt a day, about a teaspoon, including salt already in foods and any added. However, most adults consume around 8.4g daily, about 40 per [...]

The UK has banned junk food adverts on TV before 9pm and online at all times to tackle childhood obesity. The rules are expected to remove up to 7.2bn calories from children's diets each year, reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around £2bn in health benefits over time. Evidence [...]

Exposure to natural light through a window appears to improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, a small study suggests. Our cells and tissues follow circadian rhythms, 24-hour cycles of metabolic activity that regulate functions such as blood sugar levels. Previous studies have shown that exposure to artificial light at night disrupts [...]

Adopting a few healthy habits could reduce brain age by up to eight years, new research suggests. Scientists at the University of Florida found that optimism, good deep sleep, stress control and strong social support were linked to a younger-looking brain on scans. The study tracked 128 adults in midlife and older age from four [...]