We round up the big ageing research news from the past week

Researchers uncover surprising link to stroke risk

Divorce can take a toll on children’s mental health, but new research reports that its effects may last far longer than expected, potentially increasing the risk of serious health issues decades later.

According to findings, Americans aged 65 and older who experienced their parents divorcing as children were more likely to suffer a stroke compared to their peers—one in nine as compared to one in 15 whose parents did not divorce.

Associate Professor Philip Baiden is from the University of Texas at Arlinton (UTA).

The researcher said: “Even when taking into account common risk factors of a stroke, such as smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, depression, income and education, older adults whose parents divorced when they were children were much more likely to have a stroke than their counterparts whose parents were not divorced.

“From a biological perspective, experiencing parental divorce as a child could lead to sustained levels of stress hormones that could have a lasting influence on the brain.”

Record breast screening level as NHS campaign urges millions more to take up potentially life-saving invites

A record number of women in England are up to date with their breast screening yet almost a third of invitees did not attend last year, according to new NHS figures.

The NHS England annual data shows the number of women who are up to date with their screening (screened within the last three years) has increased to the highest on record (4.61m).

However nearly three-quarters of a million women (748,233) still didn’t attend a screening appointment in 23/24, with almost one in four first-time invitees not acting on their invite.

It comes as the NHS launched its first-ever national campaign to support more women to attend breast screening earlier this week, to help detect thousands more cancers earlier and save lives.

NHS Director of Screening Michelle Kane said:“It’s really encouraging that more women took up their invitation to breast screening compared with last year, but there is still much more to do to reach more eligible women and encourage them to come forward.

“If more women come forward, we can catch thousands of cancers earlier when they are more treatable and ultimately save lives.”

Fitness apps fuelling disordered eating

New research has revealed potential links between health and fitness apps and disordered eating, body image concerns and excessive exercise.

Flinders University researchers reviewed 38 studies to examine the links between the use of diet and fitness apps and the risk of users becoming obsessive about weight loss, body image, calorie counting, and excessive exercise.

The research found that those who use health and fitness apps regularly were more likely to have problematic habits related to food and exercise.

Flinders researcher Ms Isabella Anderberg is from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work.

She said: “We found that young adults who use diet and fitness apps have greater disordered eating symptoms, such as harmful or restrictive diets, and have negative thoughts about body image when compared to those that don’t use them.

“The focus on dietary restriction and weight-loss in these apps may feed into restrictive or excessive behaviours raising concerns for those people who have pre-existing concerns about their weight or body image.

“While some users reported positive experiences such as increased awareness and motivation, the broader implications for mental health need careful consideration, especially among vulnerable populations like adolescents”

Biological clock plays critical role in driving teens’ late eating habits

In a new US study, teens with obesity ate more later in the day than their peers of healthy weight, and their eating behaviours were strongly influenced by their internal body clock.

The research reveals a distinct relationship between circadian rhythms, weight, and eating habits in teens, a vulnerable age group whose eating patterns influence their life-long health.

In the study, adolescents who had overweight or obesity consumed more calories later compared to participants with healthy weights, with results demonstrating that circadian rhythms play a critical role in explaining later caloric intake in individuals at risk for obesity.

Frank A.J.L. Scheer, PhD is a professor of Medicine and director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.

The researcher said: “Going into this study, we knew that the circadian system affects hunger and metabolism.

“What remained unclear, however, was whether the circadian system—when isolated from influences of environmental and behavioral cycles, including the light, sleep, and activity cycles—directly influences food consumption.

“This study is the first to demonstrate that food intake itself is regulated by our internal body clock.”

Research links smoking to unexplained stroke in younger adults

Smoking, particularly heavy smoking, is linked to some unexplained strokes in younger adults, mainly in male individuals and in people ages 45 to 49, according to a recent study.

A stroke with no known cause, called a cryptogenic stroke, is a type of ischemic stroke caused by a blockage of blood flow, but it is unclear what has caused the blockage.

For the study, researchers looked at 546 people ages 18 to 49 who had an unexplained stroke.

They were matched for age and sex with 546 people who did not have stroke.

Participants answered questions about their smoking habits, alcohol use, education level, physical inactivity and other health conditions.

Researchers reviewed responses to determine which factors may be linked to unexplained stroke.

Researchers found that people who had an unexplained stroke were more likely to smoke.

Of those with unexplained stroke, 33 per cent smoked compared to 15 per cent of those who didn’t have a stroke.

Keele University researcher Phillip Ferdinand said: “Our findings suggest that continued public health efforts around preventing smoking, especially heavy smoking, may be an important way to help reduce the number of strokes happening to young people.”