Feeling Sad at These Two Times Could Hurt Your Brain Years Later
A new scientific study shows that feeling very sad or having depression at certain times in life can make it more likely to get dementia when you are older. There are many things that can raise your chances of getting dementia. These include how old you are, your family genes, and even choices you make, like smoking or drinking too much alcohol.
Dementia is not just forgetting things. It is a condition where people lose their memory, have trouble talking, and cannot solve problems the way they used to. The Alzheimer’s Association says dementia means you cannot think clearly enough to do daily things. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. This brain problem destroys memory and makes it hard to remember, think, or reason.
New Research Findings: Depression and Dementia
Right now, more than seven million people in America are living with Alzheimer’s. This number is growing. Experts think almost 13 million people will have it by 2050. In the United States, about one out of every nine people who are 65 years or older has dementia.
A team of scientists, including Jacob Brain and Maha Alshahrani, wanted to find out if depression could also raise the risk of getting dementia. They work at universities like the University of Nottingham and the University of Adelaide. Their study was published in a journal called eClinicalMedicine.
The scientists discovered that if people have depression in their 40s or 50s (called midlife), or if they have depression when they are 60 or older (later life), their risk of getting dementia goes up. Sometimes, depression can even be one of the first signs that dementia is starting.
The connection between depression and dementia is complicated. It is not just about feeling sad. It may include things like swelling in the body (called inflammation), problems with brain chemicals, how stress affects the brain, and changes in the blood flow.
Mr. Brain said about the study: "This highlights the importance of recognizing and treating depression across the life course, not just for mental health, but also as part of a broader strategy to protect brain health."
He also said: "Our findings raise the possibility that depression late in life may not just be a risk factor, but it could also be an early warning sign of dementia beginning to develop."
The scientists looked at many other studies about depression and dementia. They checked old data and added new studies to make their research stronger and more up to date. Mr. Brain explained: "We specifically focused on the timing of when depression was measured, whether it was measured in midlife or in later life, and calculated how much it increased the risk of developing dementia."
This careful work helps doctors and scientists better understand how depression at different ages may be linked to dementia. They hope this information will help with new treatments and ways to prevent dementia.
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Why Treating Depression Matters
Treating depression is important for everyone. But now, scientists say it could also help protect your brain as you get older. If you or someone you know feels sad for a long time, talk to a doctor. Getting help for depression is not only good for your mood, it may also keep your brain healthier.
Is Eating Just One Meal a Day Safe?
Some people want to lose weight quickly. They try many different diets, like counting calories or eating special foods. Some even try extreme diets. One of these is called OMAD. OMAD stands for "One Meal A Day." This means you eat all your food in just one meal and do not eat again for the rest of the day.
Many people see ads or stories online about OMAD. Some say it can help you lose weight fast. But is it safe? Does it really work?
Understanding OMAD and Its Effects
OMAD is a kind of intermittent fasting. That means you eat only during a certain time and fast (do not eat) the rest of the day. Some research says that eating less often can help some people lose about 7 to 11 pounds in 10 weeks.
One possible good thing about OMAD is losing fat. Some studies found that people who ate only one meal a day had less total body fat. Their weight did not always change much, but they had less fat. Other types of time-restricted eating, like eating all your meals in six hours and fasting for the rest, can help with blood sugar too. For example, men who ate in a shorter window saw better blood sugar numbers.
Some people also say they feel more focused and alert when fasting. Fasting can increase a brain chemical called orexin-A. This chemical can make you feel awake and help you think clearly. But this does not just happen with OMAD. It can happen with other types of fasting too.
When you eat your one meal matters. Some people eat late at night, which can make blood sugar go up in the morning. This could be risky, especially if you have diabetes or are worried about your blood sugar.
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Risks of Eating One Meal a Day
Eating only once a day is not easy. It can make you feel very hungry. Your body makes more of a hormone called ghrelin, which makes you feel even hungrier. This can make it hard to stick to OMAD.
OMAD can also be risky for your heart. People who eat just once a day may see their blood pressure and cholesterol go up. This can increase the chance of having a heart attack or stroke.
OMAD can make your blood sugar go up and down a lot. If you eat all your food at once, your blood sugar can spike. If you do not eat for a long time, your blood sugar can drop too low. This is called hypoglycemia. It can be dangerous, especially for people with diabetes.
Most people do not keep doing OMAD for long. Studies show that as many as 65 out of 100 people stop doing OMAD because it is too hard. Also, there is not enough proof that eating one meal a day is better for keeping weight off long-term than other ways.
Should You Try OMAD?
OMAD might help some people lose weight or feel more focused. But it also has many risks. It is very hard to do and not easy to keep up. If you want to try OMAD, talk to your doctor first. There may be safer ways to lose weight and stay healthy.
Citrus Fruits Can Help Your Mood
Many people know that eating fruits and vegetables is healthy. But can eating certain fruits help your mind feel better? A new study says that eating citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits might lower your risk of feeling very sad or having depression.
How Citrus Fruits Make a Difference
The study was published in a journal called BMC. The scientists wanted to see if eating more fruit, especially citrus, could help stop depression. They looked at over 32,000 women who answered questions about their food and health. The scientists watched these women for many years.
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Every two years, the women filled out forms saying what foods they ate and if they had ever been told by a doctor they had depression. The scientists looked at how often they ate grapefruit, oranges, and juice from these fruits.
They found that people who ate the most citrus fruit were 22% less likely to get depression than people who ate the least. Even eating just one medium orange a day could help!
The scientists checked if eating other fruits, like apples or bananas, had the same effect. They did not. Only citrus fruits seemed to help lower the risk of depression.
How Gut Health Is Involved
The study also looked at the gut microbiome. This means all the tiny germs that live in your stomach and help digest food. The scientists found that eating more citrus made people have more of a helpful germ called F. prausnitzii in their gut. Having more of this germ was linked to feeling less sad or depressed.
Dr. Raaj Mehta from Harvard Medical School said: "The effect seems to be specific to citrus. When we look at people’s total fruit or vegetable consumption, or at other individual fruits such as apples or bananas, we don’t see any relationship between intake and risk of depression."
The study finished by saying: "This finding supports the notion that dietary interventions can mitigate or prevent depression symptoms, and, importantly, offers new avenues for therapeutic and/or biomarker development."
Simple Ways to Eat More Citrus
If you want to try to feel happier, you can eat more oranges, grapefruits, or drink their juices. Even one orange a day might help. But remember, if you feel sad a lot, talk to someone you trust or a doctor.
Making Friends and Staying Social Helps Older People
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As people get older, they sometimes worry about losing their memory or having trouble thinking. A new study shows that being social and spending time with others can help older people keep their minds sharp and even live longer.
Why Being Social Matters
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center watched almost 2,000 older adults for about seven years. When the study started, none of them had dementia. Every year, the scientists asked them about their social activities and checked their memory and thinking skills.
They found that people who did more social things were 38% less likely to get dementia. They were also 21% less likely to have mild thinking problems. Social activities could be things like eating out with friends, going to church, joining a club, or visiting family. Even playing bingo or going on trips counted.
Dr. Bryan James explained: “Social activity challenges older adults to participate in complex interpersonal exchanges, which could promote or maintain efficient neural networks in a case of ‘use it or lose it.”
The study found that people who were least social got dementia about five years earlier than those who were most social. Delaying dementia by five years could also make people live about three years longer.
Easy Ways to Stay Social
You do not have to do anything big to stay social. Eating with friends, visiting family, volunteering, or joining a club can all help. The most important thing is to stay in touch with others and do things together.
Cancer Risk Is Rising for Younger People
Doctors have learned that younger people today are more likely to get some kinds of cancer than older generations. A new study shows that people born after 1950, like Gen X and millennials, have a higher risk of 17 different cancers.
What Scientists Discovered about Cancer
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A scientist named Hyuna Sung from the American Cancer Society led the research. Her team looked at people born between 1920 and 1990. They checked who got cancer between 2000 and 2019.
They found that for 17 kinds of cancer, younger people had higher rates than older people. For example, people born in 1990 were two to three times more likely to get pancreatic, kidney, or small intestine cancer than those born in 1955. Women born later also had higher rates of liver cancer.
Here are the 17 cancers that are happening more often in younger people:
- Cardia gastric (a kind of stomach cancer)
- Small intestine
- Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer
- Ovary
- Colon and rectum
- Leukemia
- Endometrial and other uterine cancers
- Gallbladder and bile duct
- Kidney and renal pelvis
- Pancreas
- Myeloma (a type of white blood cell cancer)
- Non-cardia gastric (another stomach cancer)
- Testicles
- Liver and bile duct (in women)
- Non-HPV oral and throat (in women)
- Anus (in men)
- Kaposi sarcoma (in men)
Experts think about 2 million Americans will get some kind of cancer this year. Some reasons for the increase may be things like being overweight, not moving enough, and eating unhealthy foods. Also, doctors now have better ways to find cancer early, so they can spot more cases.
Dr. Hyuna Sung said: "Emerging evidence suggests that early-lifetime exposures to well-established cancer risk factors, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and unhealthy diet, increase the risk of early-onset cancers."
Not all news was bad. The study showed that for 14 other cancers, the number of cases stayed the same or even went down. These included brain, lung, and cervical cancer.
What You Can Do to Lower Your Risk
If you are worried about cancer, you can make choices to help lower your risk. Being active, eating healthy, and not smoking or drinking too much can help. If you have questions or are worried about your health, you can call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or use their website chat.
Keeping Your Body and Mind Healthy
Scientists are learning more every day about how to keep our bodies and minds healthy. Taking care of your mental health, eating fruits like oranges, staying social, and making healthy choices can all help you feel your best. If you ever feel sad or worried or have questions about your health, talk to a doctor or someone you trust. Small steps can make a big difference for your future.
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