New research highlights how to potentially slowdown Alzheimer's progression
One study found that walking helps produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein vital for brain cell survival, growth, and stronger connections, supporting memory and learning.
These lifestyle modifications appear to be particularly beneficial for individuals carrying the APOE4 gene variant, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's.
Research indicates that APOE4 carriers could experience up to four times greater benefit from interventions such as exercise and dietary counselling.
Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle and the consumption of refined sugars may negatively impact brain health, especially for those with the APOE4 gene.
Alzheimer's progression could be slowed by these changes to lifestyle
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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
A single injection for newborns could protect them against HIV for years, study suggests
A single injection at birth could shield children from HIV for years, a study has suggested. The study is one of the first to show that the first weeks of life offer a critical window where the immune system is naturally more tolerant, meaning it is the optimal time to deliver gene therapies that would otherwise be rejected at older ages. Researchers hope the gene therapy jab could be used in the future to fight against paediatric infections in high-risk areas. 'Nearly 300 children are infected with HIV each day,' said first author Amir Ardeshir, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in the US. 'This approach could help protect newborns in high-risk areas during the most vulnerable period of their lives.' The study, published in the journal Nature, created a gene therapy that programs cells to produce HIV-fighting antibodies. An animal study that tested the injection on non-human primates found it protected them from infection for at least three years without the need for a booster shot. But this was only if the injection was administered in the first month of life. In comparison, those that received the gene therapy between eight and 12 weeks after birth did not tolerate the treatment, study authors explain. 'This is a one-and-done treatment that fits the critical time when these mothers with HIV in resource-limited areas are most likely to see a doctor,' Dr Ardeshir said. 'As long as the treatment is delivered close to birth, the baby's immune system will accept it and believe it's part of itself.' Globally, an estimated 1.3 million women and girls living with HIV become pregnant every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). But if they do not receive medication, the rate of transmission of HIV from the mother to her child either during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding ranges between 15 per cent and 45 per cent, according to WHO data. Although antiviral treatments can suppress the virus and limit transmission, adherence to treatment and doctor visits decline after childbirth, particularly in areas with limited access to healthcare, the study authors noted. This gene therapy uses a harmless virus that can deliver genetic code to cells, but is different to a vaccine. This virus was injected into muscle cells and delivered instructions to produce antibodies that are capable of neutralising multiple strains of HIV. Researchers explained that previous studies have found repeated infusions of the injection are needed for it to work. But by injecting it into muscle cells, researchers say they become 'micro-factories that just keep producing these antibodies'. Newborns showed greater tolerance to the jab, which prevented infection during breastfeeding. However, older infants and juveniles were more likely to have produced anti-drug antibodies that shut down the treatment. In addition, exposing a foetus to the antibodies from the gene therapy before birth helps older infants accept the therapy. However, because it has only been tested on animals, researchers still do not know if it will work on human children. If successful, this treatment could dramatically reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission rates in high-risk regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, where 90 per cent of paediatric HIV cases can be found. 'Nothing like this was possible to achieve even 10 years ago,' Dr Ardeshir said. 'This was a huge result, and now we have all the ingredients to take on HIV.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Cancer-causing chemical hiding in incredibly common coffee machines should be 'avoided at all costs'
Your at-home coffee machine may be pushing you toward a cancer-related death, doctors say. Experts are warning against using coffee makers made of black plastic over fears the material contains high levels of cancer-causing chemicals and flame retardants. Kitchen utensils, electronics and coffee machines are made of recycled plastic that is melted together from different colored items, which gives it a messy and unappealing color. As a result, manufacturers commonly add a dye known as carbon black to the recycled products to turn them into a consistent black color to look sleeker and uniform. Studies have shown that carbon black contains numerous compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), that are carcinogenic. As a result, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified carbon black as a carcinogen in 2020, despite limited evidence on its effects on human health. To ensure that their now-black plastic products are immune to electrical fires, they also add in brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) during production A 2024 Chemosphere study has also found that exposure to items containing high levels of BFRs and OPFRs can increase the risk of cancer, cause neurotoxicity and hormone disruption. Megan Liu, study co-author and science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, said: 'Companies continue to use toxic flame retardants in plastic electronics, and that's resulting in unexpected and unnecessary toxic exposures. 'These cancer-causing chemicals shouldn't be used to begin with, but with recycling, they are entering our environment and our homes in more ways than one. The high levels we found are concerning.' Experts believe that if your black plastic coffee maker is damaged or is consistently exposed to boiling water for long periods of time, the cancerous chemicals may start melting during the coffee-making process and slowly trickle down into your coffee cup. Once they enter the body, these chemicals act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with the body's hormonal system. This causes damage to cells and could lead to mutations that may become cancerous. While there is no risk with occasional or rare exposure to carbon black, BFRs and OPFRs, all three of these carcinogens can accumulate in the body and cause damage to vital organs such as the thyroid, breasts, lung and heart. A 2022 Environmental Pollution study found that long-term carbon black exposure might damage lung cell DNA, cause inflammation and pave the way for lung cancer development. A 2017 Duke University study also noted that due to excessive exposure to BFRs and OPFRs through kitchen products such as coffee machines, doctors are now finding these chemicals in the blood, breast milk and urine in nearly all of the Americans they tested. An April 2024 study that tracked over 1,000 Americans over two decades found people with high levels of flame retardants in their blood had a 300 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than people with low levels of the substances in their blood. They also found people were most susceptible to developing thyroid and breast cancer, which are known to be linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Similarly, research from Harvard School of Public Health found that 80 percent of women who were undergoing the fertility treatment in vitro fertilization to get pregnant had higher levels of flame retardants in their urine as compared to those who were not. Those with the highest levels of the chemicals in their body had a harder time getting pregnant, staying pregnant and giving birth to a live child than people with lower levels of the chemicals in their body. Apart from damage to American adults, the NIH also warns that flame retardants and their byproducts are especially harmful to children as their organs are still developing and they are more likely to be repeatedly exposed to them by placing plastic items in their mouth or playing with them. 'The health of women and children must be prioritized over the chemical industry profits. We need less poison plastic, more safer chemicals and materials, and an end to plastic ingredient secrecy,' Liu said. To avoid exposure, experts suggest opting for shorter, cooler brews that are BPA-free and made of stainless steel or glass parts. Furthermore, they suggest cleaning your machine and using filtered water to stop mineral and dirt build-up to limit exposure.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘There are times I feel I hate them': how siblings can clash over end-of-life care for elderly parents
When Anna's* parents came to visit last year, she was determined to give them a relaxing holiday in her Queensland beach town. She'd been worried about them – her Mum had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and her dad had been having frequent falls. For years she'd been trying to get them to talk about whether they needed to move to aged care, to assess their financial situation and face what was coming next, but they'd dismissed her, saying they were fine. On the first day of their visit, Anna's dad fell and broke his leg, badly. 'He went into hospital and Mum came and stayed with me. I realised what they'd been covering up. Mum was so confused she was walking around the house without any pants on, which was confronting for my teenage boys. She didn't know what day it was and she couldn't read a clock. Then the hospital told me Dad was withdrawing from alcohol and had some dementia.' Anna moved her parents to a nearby aged care centre while her sister packed up the family home. The sisters had always had some issues in their relationship but the stress of seeing their parents so vulnerable, of selling the house and working through the financial situation, led to harsh words and hurtful accusations. Anna's sister told their parents they were arguing. 'They were distraught. It was awful. I had to set some boundaries, and I just stopped all communication.' Caregiving can expose cracks in families and widen them to caverns. Since I've been working in this area, I've heard many stories like Anna's and spoken to experts about how families can fall apart just when they need to come together. There's often resentment about the burden of care on one child, conflict around the pressure of making huge decisions and the horror of the 'sad-min' of form filling. Issues around money are particularly messy. And families who have had past conflict and trauma are particularly at risk. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Research released on Thursday by online care platform Violet reveals the depth of anxiety surrounding Australia's ageing population and gives insights into families who love deeply but plan poorly. Its poll of a thousand people found more than three-quarters of Australians are concerned that caregiving will damage their relationships with family members and 70% worry about managing past family conflicts and unresolved trauma when caregiving. Previous studies have shown 45% of caregivers experience relatively serious conflict with another family member, usually because one sibling tends to carry the heaviest load. Each statistic tells a unique and personal story of relationship breakdown, resentment and real anguish. But the consequences affect us all, because the conflict often plays out in publicly funded late-stage hospital care. A study published in the British Medical Journal in 2019 found patients whose families are in conflict were nearly 10 times more likely to receive unbeneficial treatment towards the end of their life. Ken Hillman, professor of intensive care at the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of New South Wales, has been warning about the cost of misaligned care in the last moments of life since the 1980s. His most recent research in the Internal Medicine Journal cited overtreatment as a major contributor to decreased capacity of hospitals, reduced ability to conduct elective surgery, increased attendances at emergency departments and ambulance ramping. Hillman says family conflict is the biggest cause of non-beneficial treatment at the end of life. 'I'm not too sure if it's guilt or existing conflict or just not facing the problem, but one sibling will often demand life support because they want to believe in hope or a miracle.' Professor Imogen Mitchell also sees the cost of conflict in her job as an intensive care specialist at Canberra hospital. She says most families haven't even thought about whether they'd want their loved one going to intensive care and this can lead to panic. 'Often sons are more wedded to keeping them alive, saying, 'She's a fighter', whereas it's often a daughter who does more of the care who will say 'I'm not sure Mum would want all this.' Often, a new wife and the children of the patient will be in conflict – the wife wants all treatment that is possible, and the children will be more pragmatic. Meanwhile, we hold a patient in suspension while family members get on the same page.' Often this can take time because all sorts of family issues can play out. Mitchell urges people to know their loved one's wishes before they are in a hospital corridor or get a call from a specialist. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion 'I could count on one hand families that have had this conversation ... it can bring a family together if they all know what would Mum want.' Professors Mitchell and Hillman recommend comprehensive planning for life's final years. Families need guidance to navigate complex medical decisions and care coordination. Different states have different recommendations for health directives, but clearly we need better guidance and fundamental planning tools. Parents hate it when their children fight – setting the rules around ageing with clear direction and communication may be the best gift they can give their children and themselves. Not all conflict can be avoided, but some plain old appreciation for those who do the hard work in caring is a good place to start. Sharon* in Sydney spends half her week driving her father to appointments, cooking his meals and cleaning his flat. She does it with love but concedes the lack of the slightest bit of interest from her two siblings has lessened her love for them. 'Just an acknowledgment and a pat on the back would go a long way. There are times I even feel I hate them.' Often healing old wounds in families is too difficult. But at least putting them aside or not developing new divides is the least we can do for those people who gave us life. *Names have been changed Sarah Macdonald is a writer, broadcaster, an advocate for the sandwich generation and an ambassador for Violet organisation
