Author: Midlife Maverick

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Does Higher Late-Life Cholesterol Lower the Risk of Cognitive Decline?

Does Higher Late-Life Cholesterol Lower the Risk of Cognitive Decline?. (Source: Hartford Courant)
Does Higher Late-Life Cholesterol Lower the Risk of Cognitive Decline? (Source: Hartford Courant)

High cholesterol versus low cholesterol. Good cholesterol versus bad cholesterol. Mid-life high cholesterol versus late-life high cholesterol… Sometimes understanding the cholesterol big picture is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”!

Now you can add another curious twist: there may be an important correlation between higher late-life cholesterol levels and lower risks of of dementia and general cognitive decline.

A new study published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia links high cholesterol with a lower risk of cognitive decline for people over 85 years old. But that might not necessarily mean that having high cholesterol prevents dementia…

They were surprised to find that for people aged 85 to 94 years old, having higher late-life than midlife cholesterol was correlated with a 32 percent lower risk of cognitive decline. In other words, higher cholesterol among the very old was associated with a reduced chance for dementia. (Source: Hartford Courant)

It may be a little premature (and several degrees short of definitive) but it’s heartening to consider the possibility that higher late-life cholesterol could lower the risk of cognitive decline. Watch this space…

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Your College Major Might Predict Your Midlife Health

Business and biology majors tend to be in strong physical shape a quarter-century after graduation. Psychology majors, not so much. (Source: PSMag.com)
Business and biology majors tend to be in strong physical shape a quarter-century after graduation. Psychology majors, not so much. (Source: PSMag.com)

So it turns out Underwater Basket Weaving wasn’t just a four-year junket with a diploma souvenir. It was actually an investment in your midlife health. Really? Really.

It turns out that your college major might predict your midlife health.

New research suggests another telling indicator could be added to that list: What was your college major?

A first-of-its-kind study finds one’s chosen field of undergraduate study “is a statistically significant, and substantively important, predictor of health status in midlife.”

“Compared to adults who majored in one of the most health-advantaged fields—business—adults majoring in some fields, such as psychology/social work and law/public policy, have nearly twice the odds of poor health,” reports a research team led by Syracuse University sociologist Jennifer Karas Montez. (Source: PSMag.com)

Humbug. Curious if your college major did / didn’t set you up for a midlife crisis? Read the full article HERE.

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Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Brain
(Credit: Newsweek, LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

“An experimental treatment completely reversed Alzheimer’s disease in mice by reducing the levels of a single enzyme in the animals’ brains. The results further bolster the theory that amyloid plaques are at the root of this mysterious brain disease, and that addressing these plaques could lead to an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s.” (Newsweek)

Although the promising results of this study may show that research is on the right track, mice are too different from humans for the results to mean a sudden cure and it would be a minimum of five to seven years researchers would know if the same approach is helpful in humans.

For more information about the study (published Feb. 2018 in Journal of Experimental Medicine) and its findings read the full article, “Alzheimer’s Disease is Completely Reversed by Removing Just One Enzyme in New Study.”

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Is Midlife Obesity an Alzheimer Disease Risk Factor?

There are many detrimental effects a person can experience from being overweight or obese and new studies find that they may be potential contributors to the development of Alzheimer’s later in life.

There is particularly strong evidence for midlife obesity as a risk factor for AD [Alzheimer Disease]. A cross-sectional study published in Obesity found an inverse relationship between BMI and cognitive function among healthy late middle-aged adults, and various observational studies have reported that obesity in midlife increased the risk for late-life dementia.4 In research recently published in JAMA, high BMI in midlife was the only midlife vascular risk factor that demonstrated a significant association with increased late-life brain amyloid deposition (odds ratio, 2.06).5 (Source: Obesity and Alzheimer Disease: Exploring Risk Modification)

Learn more about these studies and their findings, including direct reference links to individual studies, in the full article here: “Obesity and Alzheimer Disease: Exploring Risk Modification.”

 

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Midlife Women Gain Sexual Wisdom

Although most would likely think of the menopausal transition when considering the effects of aging on a women’s sexual function as they enter midlife and beyond, and the negative associations with that transition, there can be positive benefits for women due to their life experiences and how they adapt to their changing bodies and lives. A new study took that premise as their focus, learn more:

Midlife, which is defined as 40 to 60 years old, can bring physical, psychological, social and partner-related changes… [that] may lead to negative changes in sexual function for some women. Additional contributing factors such as career, financial and family stress, and concerns about changing body image, may add to decreased frequency of sex, a low libido and orgasm difficulties. However, not all changes are negative.

The positive psychological changes aging brings—such as decreased family concerns, increased self-knowledge and self-confidence, and enhanced communication skills in the bedroom—may lead to improvements in sexual satisfaction with aging. (Source: With midlife comes sexual wisdom—research shows women’s sexuality adapts with aging)

 

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5 Midlife Career Changes (and Triumphs)

5 Midlife Career Changes and Triumphs (Source: Entrepreneur.com)
5 Midlife Career Changes and Triumphs (Source: Entrepreneur.com)

By middle age many people have reached a successful career plateau. And by midlife, some professionals’ careers are still ascendant, providing plenty of security, positive affirmation, and comfort. So why should you consider midlife career changes? Why switch horses mid race? (Insert your favorite euphemism.)

Midlife Career Changes

“Career anxiety is our latent talent howling through our minds, desperate not to go to the grave unspent.”

These beautiful words are from The Book of Life, an online collection of thoughts about what constitutes emotional intelligence. But they also carry a bit of truth, which sometimes hurts, sometimes scares. It can even get scarier when, at midlife, you find yourself thinking about leaving your 20-year-old job or building a business from scratch. To effect this kind of change is not an easy decision to make. However, it does not mean it cannot be done. (Source: Entrepreneur.com)

Midlife Career Changes

If/when you’re bold enough (and ambitious enough) to take the leap, the rewards can be exponential. Check out these successful encore career examples that prove middle age may be the perfect time to make a professional change.

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Aerobic Exercise Slows Aging

“Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.

‘The study has a very pro-exercise message,’ said James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study’s senior author. ‘If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.'” (Source: Running slows the aging clock, Stanford researchers find)

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