Latest news with #MaastrichtUniversity
NDTV
28-04-2025
- Health
- NDTV
How This 77-Year-Old Woman Has A Body As Fit As That Of A 25-Year-Old
A 77-year-old woman has secured the first position in the 75-79 age group at the 2025 Boston Marathon. Jeannie Rice completed the marathon, her 134th, in 4 hours, 27 minutes, and 17 seconds. Ms Rice's aerobic fitness and endurance capacity are on the same level as a 25-year-old woman, according to a report published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. What her body tells us about ageing is that age doesn't have to limit physical abilities. Asked how she managed to train consistently over 30 years, she said, "I love running and being an example for younger athletes," adding, "I feel as young as when I was 50, and I'd like to be doing this well into my 80s. That's my personal goal." She added that she has a rich social life and enjoys going out to dance. She said, "A lot of runners are so serious they don't do anything socially. But I like to have fun. I'm the last one to go home." Ms Rice is considered a "medical marvel." She has often turned heads not only for breaking world women's records in her age group but also for outperforming the fastest men in that category. Not only this, she has the highest VO2max (maximum oxygen uptake), a measure of aerobic fitness, ever recorded for women over 75. High VO2max was probably the primary physiological characteristic explaining her success across an array of running distances, the study said. Ms Rice, for her age, showed a very high cardiorespiratory fitness, as indicated by a VO2max of 47.9 mLkg-1min-1, the study added. Untrained women of this age group typically have a VO2max of 17.5-27.4 mL kg 1 min-1, it added. Bas Van Hooren, an assistant professor of nutrition and movement sciences at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said that researchers are examining Ms Rice to learn how people can maintain their fitness as they age, despite lower levels of physical activity frequently observed in the elderly. Mr Hoorens said that researchers study Ms Rice's body fat, muscle structure, and how well her body uses energy while running at her marathon pace. He said Ms Rice proves it's never too late to start exercising.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Massive Study Links 15 Factors to Early Dementia Risk
While dementia is much more common in older adults, hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed with young-onset dementia (YOD) each year, and an extensive study published in 2023 sheds some considerable light on why. Most previous research in this area has looked at genetics passed down through generations, but here, the team was able to identify 15 different lifestyle and health factors that are associated with YOD risk. "This is the largest and most robust study of its kind ever conducted," said epidemiologist David Llewellyn from the University of Exeter in the UK, when the results were published in December 2023. "Excitingly, for the first time it reveals that we may be able to take action to reduce risk of this debilitating condition, through targeting a range of different factors." The research team analyzed data collected on 356,052 people aged under 65 in the UK. Low socioeconomic status, social isolation, hearing impairment, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and depression were all associated with a higher risk of YOD. Vitamin D deficiency and high levels of the C-reactive protein (produced by the liver in response to inflammation) also meant a higher risk, as did having two of the ApoE4 ε4 gene variants (a genetic scenario already linked to Alzheimer's disease). The researchers described the relationship between alcohol and YOD as "complex". While alcohol abuse led to an increased risk, moderate to heavy drinking correlated with a reduced risk – possibly because people in this second group are usually healthier in general (bear in mind that those who abstain from alcohol often do so on medical grounds). Higher levels of formal education and lower physical frailty (measured through higher handgrip strength) were also associated with a lower YOD risk. This all helps to fill in some of the knowledge gaps around YOD. "We already knew from research on people who develop dementia at older age that there are a series of modifiable risk factors," said neuroepidemiologist Sebastian Köhler from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. "In addition to physical factors, mental health also plays an important role, including avoiding chronic stress, loneliness, and depression." While the results don't prove dementia is caused by these factors, they help build a more detailed picture. As always in this kind of research, knowing more about the causes can help develop better treatments and preventative measures. Many of these factors are modifiable, which offers more hope for those working to find ways to beat dementia rather than just manage it. Ultimately, dementia may be something we can reduce the risk of by living healthier lives. "Young-onset dementia has a very serious impact, because the people affected usually still have a job, children, and a busy life," said neuroscientist Stevie Hendriks, from Maastricht University. "The cause is often assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don't actually know exactly what the cause is. This is why we also wanted to investigate other risk factors in this study." The research has been published in JAMA Neurology. A version of this article was first published in January 2024. Mattresses Could Be Exposing Kids to Dangerous Chemicals While They Sleep Just 15 Extra Minutes of Sleep Is Linked to Brain Benefits in Young People Study Reveals The Optimal Number of Daily Steps to Offset Sitting Down
Washington Post
24-04-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Earworms, intermittent fasting and aging well: The week in Well+Being
You are reading our weekly Well+Being newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Happy Thursday! This week, we're writing about catchy songs, intermittent fasting and lessons on aging from a 77-year-old runner who's as fit as a 25-year-old. Plus, we've got our weekly 'joy' snack. But before that … That song stuck in your head is never gonna give you up — unless you read this fun story by reporter Richard Sima, a former neuroscientist. He writes that catching an earworm, or having 'involuntary musical imagery' in psychological parlance, is exceedingly common and universal. In his piece, Richard writes about the science of how songs worm their ways into our heads and includes evidence-based ways of deworming yourself (musically). Warning: Some of the songs featured in the story are highly contagious. Check them out here! And if you have a song that often runs on repeat in your head, let me know. Most runners see substantial performance losses after they turn 70. Not Jeannie Rice, who just turned 77 and ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, reports Washington Post contributor Marlene Cimons. Marlene writes: Researchers are studying Rice to understand how humans can stay fit as they age, regardless of natural ability and the reduced physical activity often seen in older people, said Bas Van Hooren, assistant professor in nutrition and movement sciences at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and one of the study authors. 'She exemplifies how consistent training, and perhaps favorable genetics, can partly defy conventional aging processes,' he said. To learn more about Rice, who started running at age 35, and lessons on staying fit as we age, read the story here. Our Ask a Doctor columnist is Trisha S. Pasricha, a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Many of my friends have been trying intermittent fasting for weight loss. Does it work, and is it better than other diets? Intermittent fasting has been shown to lead to some weight loss in several studies. But it might not work better than other dieting practices. When scientists compared intermittent fasting with simply eating fewer calories throughout the day, they found that intermittent fasting wasn't more effective in helping people shed pounds. Conventional dieting focuses on what you eat, but intermittent fasting focuses on the time you eat it — within an eight-hour window per day, for example. Because intermittent fasting doesn't typically require monitoring calories or changing what you eat, it can feel easier to stick with. Interest in the practice took off in the past decade or so, after experiments in animals showed that eating restricted to certain times had a profound impact on metabolic health and the microbiome. But in people, the weight-loss benefits linked to intermittent fasting may be because they took in less food in general — up to 550 fewer calories per day. Read her full response here. And use our Ask a Doctor form to submit a question, and we may answer it in a future column. Here are a few things that brought us joy this week. Let's keep the conversation going. We want to hear from you! Email us at wellbeing@ Want to know more about 'joy' snacks? Reporter and former neuroscientist Richard Sima explains. You can also read this story as a comic.
