Despite having higher rates of inflammation and such chronic diseases as obesity and diabetes, Latinos in the United States have a longer average life span than do non-Latino whites. Why is that? A new method of measuring how humans age suggests that Latinos withstand life’s wear and tear better than non-Latino Caucasians, and their Native American ancestors may be the reason.
Read the full article at The Washington Post.
An aging United States reduces the economy’s growth — big time. That’s the startling conclusion of a new academic study, and if it withstands scholarly scrutiny, it could transform our national political and economic debate.
Read the full article at The Washington Post.
The older people get, the more challenging it can be to make friends, and that’s especially true after retirement as work is one of the most common ways to meet people.
Research from the Stanford Center on Longevity shows of all the age groups, baby boomers show the most signs of disengaging from traditional modes of social relationships, said Laura Carstensen, founding director of the center and a psychology professor at Stanford University.
Read the full article at Chicago Tribune.
A team of researchers says it has created what could become the world’s first viable vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease, although others in the field remain skeptical.
Read the full article at MarketWatch.
Germany’s Bundesbank said raising the legal retirement age to 69 by 2060 could ease some of the pressure on the country’s state pension system as the population ages.
Read the full article at Bloomberg.
Many older people, like Ms. Beskind, are forgoing high-tech gadgetry in favor of common – and usually much cheaper – items from office supply and hardware stores, repurposing them to solve everyday problems.
Read the full article at The New York Times.
Diets matter — but so does the work you do.
It’s well known by now that sitting at a desk all day is dangerous to your health. Now it turns out that what you’re doing while you’re parked there matters, too. With about half a million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease occurring each year in the U.S. alone, and no cure in sight, researchers are racing to figure out what causes the condition — and which kinds of behavior can prevent it. A known risk factor is the so-called “Western” diet, including processed meats, potatoes, white bread, and sweets.
But if you love that stuff, here’s some good news: Both higher education and a mentally stimulating job might help you avoid Alzheimer’s even if you can’t resist bacon, hot dogs, or candy.
Read the full article at Fortune.
Read the full article at Forbes.
A recent Pew Research Center analysis of federal employment data lays out the numbers. In May 2000, 12.8 percent of those older than 65 held a job. By this May, the number had climbed substantially, to 18.8 percent.
Read the full article at The New York Times.
Learning requires more than the acquisition of unfamiliar knowledge; that new information or know-how, if it’s to be more than ephemeral, must be consolidated and securely stored in long-term memory. Mental repetition is one way to do that, of course. But mounting scientific evidence suggests that what we do physically also plays an important role in this process.
Read the full article at The New York Times.