Telomeres, Or How Your DNA Shrinks Over Time
When it comes to aging, many factors are at play, from lifestyle choices to genetic makeup. One of the key players in this complex process is something you might not have heard much about: telomeres. These tiny structures, found at the ends …
A Quick Guide To ‘Social Health,’ And Why You Should Care About It
Experts talk at length about the importance of physical health: we need to exercise and follow healthy diets, otherwise we risk running into chronic illnesses like cancer or heart disease. The concept of mental health has also been normalized, and with it, …
Breakthrough Reveals New Treatment Target For Alzheimer’s
Despite being the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease globally, Alzheimer’s has been notoriously challenging to prevent, let alone cure. The biggest hurdle for delivering drugs into the brain is the blood-brain barrier. These tiny blood vessels form tight junctions between brain cells to …
Meet The ‘Super-Agers’: Seniors Who Defy Cognitive Decline
It is no secret that cognition begins to decline with age. That one friend’s birthday becomes more and more difficult to remember, and you might start forgetting where you put your glasses or your wallet. Our thinking also begins to slow, occasionally …
Is Long Life Without Disease Possible? A Rare Genetic Syndrome May Point The Way
We hear the words “genetic mutation” and tense up: if it’s a mutation, it has to be a bad thing, right? Not always. In some cases, a mutation can offer protective or beneficial effects. These types of gene variants are a hotspot …
Healthy Lifestyle Can Offset “Unlucky” Genes, Study Finds
Some people live to be a hundred or older still. Others aren’t quite so lucky. What separates the two groups? Part of the answer boils down to simple luck: we know that genes play a prominent role in shaping lifespan. For some, …
Toward Ageless Muscles: The Stem Cell Solution
Thirty marks the spot. Starting at this age, we begin to lose approximately three to eight percent of muscle mass per decade. With it, we also lose strength and mobility. Left unaddressed, this loss of muscle —called ‘sarcopenia’ in the technical lingo— …
Harnessing Myokines To Preserve Muscle Power As We Age
Muscles keep us moving — they are the engine of the body. But as we age, we naturally begin to lose muscle mass, and with it, strength. Slowing this process down is key to a healthy and long life. A recent study offers exciting …
Battling Loneliness: The New Public Health Crisis
There’s a pandemic underway. No, it has nothing to do with viruses or bacteria, or any other pathogen, for that matter. This is a silent pandemic — the pandemic of loneliness. The health consequences, however, are just as serious: social isolation has …
A College Degree Contributes in a Major Way to a Healthier, Longer Life
This story is part of a series on health inequities in the United States and their impact on length of life. These articles will focus specifically on factors related to poverty, race, and geography. In an increasingly competitive job market, many recent …
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