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Study Of 14,000 Nonagenarians Says Alcohol, Java Drinkers, Those Overweight In Their 70s Live Longer

nonagenarians neurological disorders

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#1 Engadin

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Posted 15 May 2019 - 09:16 PM


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What allows people to live to age 90 and beyond?” Researchers at the University of California Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) have been asking nonagenarians that very question for the last 15 years. And the results may surprise you.

 

For more than 30 years, researchers at UCI MIND—the University’s center for aging and dementia research—have attempted to understand the causes leading to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia and Huntington’s disease. Also home to one of 30 NIH-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers in the United States, UCI MIND researches genetic, clinical and lifestyle factors that promote successful brain aging.

 

In an ongoing study,  researchers, including co-principal investigators, Claudia Kawas, MDand Maria Corrada, ScD, have studied more than 1,600 of the oldest-old, the fastest growing age group in the United States. They initiated the 90+ Study in 2003, and it remains one of the largest studies of the oldest-old in the world. “Because little is known about people who achieve this milestone,” say researchers, “the remarkable increase in the number of oldest-old presents a public health priority to promote the quality as well as the quantity of life.”

 

Initial participants in The 90+ Study were also once members of The Leisure World Cohort Study (LWCS), which was started in 1981.  Researchers in this study mailed surveys to every resident of Leisure World, a large retirement community in Orange County, California (now incorporated as the city of Laguna Woods).

 

Examining the impact of physical activity on survival beyond age 75, researchers in the LWCS found that time spent being active, even ½ hour/day, resulted in significantly lower mortality risks compared with no time in physical activities and concluded that participation in leisure-time activities is an important health promoter in aging populations.

 

Then begining in 2003, some 14,000 subjects from the LWCS were used for the 90+ Study, in which they were asked, “What allows people to live to age 90 and beyond?”

 

In the new study, participants of are visited every six months by researchers who perform neurological and neuropsychological tests. Researchers at the Clinic for Aging Research and Education (CARE), located in Laguna Woods, gather information about participants’ diet, activities, medical history, medications and other factors. Participants are also given a series of cognitive and physical tests to determine how well people in this age group are functioning.

 

 

According to UC MIND, the goals of the study include:

 

  • Determining factors associated with longevity:  What makes people live to age 90 and beyond?  What types of food, activities or lifestyles are associated with living longer?

 

  • Examining the epidemiology of dementia in the oldest-old: How many people aged 90 and older have dementia?  How many become demented each year?  What are ways to remain dementia-free into your 90s?

 

  • Examining rates of cognitive and functional decline in the oldest-old: How do memory loss and disability affect those in their 90s?  How can people prevent memory loss and disability at this age?

 

  • Examine clinical pathological correlations in the oldest-old:  Do the brains of people in their 90s show evidence of memory loss and dementia?  Do people with dementia have differences in their brains that can be detected and treated?  Determining Modifiable Risk Factors for Mortality and Dementia: What kinds of things can people change in their lives to live longer?  Can people change their risk of dementia through diet, exercise or supplements?

 

Researchers have published several papers in premier journals to date. According to UC Mind, some of the major findings include:

 

  • People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained.

 

  • People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did.

 

  • Over 40% of people aged 90 and older suffer from dementia while almost 80% are disabled. Both are more common in women than men.

 

  • About half of people with dementia over age 90 do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brain to explain their cognitive loss.

 

  • People aged 90 and older with an APOE2 gene are less likely to have clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, but are much more likely to have Alzheimer’s neuropathology in their brains.

 

The 90+ Study regularly seeks new participants. If you are at least 90 years old and are willing to participate in twice annual visits and donate your brain to research after death, you may be eligible to enroll in The 90+ Study. For more information, call 949-768-3635 or email study90@uci.edu.

 

Researchers at UCI MIND engage in a variety of activities, including:

 

  • Conducting longitudinal research that follows individuals with and without cognitive impairment to evaluate their clinical, neuropsychological, and biological changes over time.

 

  • Performing clinical trials of promising investigational medicines, lifestyle interventions, and other treatment modalities.

 

  • Sharing biological resources such as human brain tissue, serum, DNA and cerebrospinal fluid from well-characterized clinical subjects with researchers worldwide.

 

  • Delivering community outreach with the goal of public education and increased participation in research.

 

  • Training and educating the next generation of clinicians and scientists in the fields of brain aging and neurodegeneration.

 

  • Stimulating research through individual and collaborative grants and philanthropy.

 

  • Sponsorng seminars and meetings to promote scholarship and information exchange.

 

  • Partnering with community-based organizations serving individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to provide scientific and clinical expertise.

 

 

S O U R C E : Forbes


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