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Tag: Aging

  • The Longevity Gap: How Aging Research Leaves Women Behind

    As longevity shifts to A.I. and predictive health, male-biased data risks repeating old inequities at scale. Unsplash+

    Longevity has become one of the defining cultural fixations of our time. Biohackers are tracking every heartbeat, billionaires are sequencing their genomes and wellness influencers are touting the latest “life-extending” protocols as if they’re new commandments. Yet for all its promises, the modern longevity movement remains built on a narrow foundation: men’s health.

    The paradox is hiding in plain sight. Women live, on average, five to seven years longer than men, but far fewer of those years are spent in good health. While women make up half the population, the frameworks shaping the future of aging rarely center on their biology or lived reality. Instead, women spend six to eight of their later years in poorer health, often cycling through unanswered symptoms, inadequate treatments and delayed or missed diagnoses. 

    Women are diagnosed an average of four years later across hundreds of diseases, and nearly three-quarters say they have felt dismissed, disbelieved or “medically gaslit” by the healthcare system. They are also 50 percent more likely than men to experience adverse drug reactions, a reflection of decades of dosing studies based almost exclusively on male physiology. This is not longevity. It’s a prolonged wait for the care women should have received earlier, and equitably, in the first place.

    Men built this, women paid the price

    The roots of these inequities are not solely theoretical; they’ve been baked into the system. Women were not required to be included in U.S. clinical trials until 1993, decades after many of the physiological baselines that still inform diagnostics, treatment protocols and risk models were established. “Normal” lab ranges, diagnostic checklists and predictive algorithms were built around male bodies and male aging patterns. The consequences are ongoing. Even now, women experiencing a heart attack are more likely to be misdiagnosed than men, in part because symptoms such as nausea, fatigue or jaw pain do not match the male-coded archetype of chest pain. Today’s longevity sector risks repeating this history by designing testing, biomarkers and interventions that default, again, to the male body. The leadership demographics of the field make this imbalance difficult to ignore: roughly 85 percent of decision-makers in healthcare are men.  

    The effects compound over a lifetime. Nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women, not simply because women live longer, but because hormonal, mitochondrial changes and immune differences unique to women meaningfully affect aging at the cellular level. Autoimmune diseases, which overwhelmingly impact women, remain among the most underfunded and least understood areas of medical research. 

    Ironically, the very biology that makes women distinct is also deeply relevant to longevity itself. Estrogen, for example, is not just a reproductive hormone; it plays a key role in enhancing mitochondrial energy production, antioxidant defense, bone density, cardiovascular health, cognitive function and immune regulation. When estrogen declines during menopause, biological aging accelerates across multiple systems at once—cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic and immune. Ovarian aging, in particular, is one of the earliest and most predictive indicators of whole-body aging. Yet it remains absent from most mainstream longevity models, which prioritize metrics like muscle mass, VO₂ max, or epigenetic clocks without accounting for sex-specific biological timelines. 

    We’ve made progress, but not enough

    There are signs of momentum. Investment in women’s health technology is growing. Menopause is finally entering public conversation. Researchers are increasingly vocal about sex-specific data gaps. But progress remains fragile and incomplete. As longevity pivots toward A.I.-driven insights and predictive analytics, the risk of embedding historical bias into advanced systems grows. Algorithms trained on male-dominant datasets will inevitably generate male-default recommendations. Without intervention, the future of health will replicate the inequities of the past, only faster and at a greater scale.  

    Another force still shaping this landscape and distorting priorities is cultural stigma. Entire domains of women’s health—hormones, menopause, vaginal health—are still marginalized or treated as niche or taboo concerns. The clitoris was not fully mapped until 2005. Only a small fraction of biomedical R&D funding is directed toward female-specific conditions. 

    This imbalance persists despite market realities. Analysts project the global longevity market will exceed $500 billion by 2030, but women-focused solutions currently capture less than one percent of that total investment. Even the vaginal microbiome, which influences fertility, immune function, preterm birth and gynecologic cancers, rarely features in discussions about systemic aging, despite its clear relevance to lifelong health. 

    A new blueprint for longevity

    We now stand at a critical inflection point. With billions flowing into aging research, biotech and consumer health tools, there is an unprecedented opportunity to build longevity systems that include women from the ground up. That requires concrete shifts:

    • Sex-specific clinical trials that reflect the diversity of female physiology across life stages.
    • A.I. and wearable technologies trained on menstrual cycles, menopause trajectories and sex-specific biomarker patterns.
    • Standardized measurement of ovarian aging treated as a core healthspan metric.
    • Major investment in female-specific research, including autoimmune diseases, ovarian aging and the vaginal microbiome.
    • Medical education reforms that mandate sex-specific diagnostic criteria and symptom recognition.

    Most importantly, it requires reframing the goal itself. Women do not simply need longer lives, but better and healthier ones—lives defined by clarity rather than confusion, care rather than dismissal and dignity rather than decades of uncertainty. 

    Longevity was never meant to be a mirror of the past. It was meant to be a blueprint for a healthier future. But that future will remain incomplete until women’s biology is treated not as an exception, but as a foundation. It’s time to reclaim longevity, not as a male-coded aspiration, but as a universal right that finally places women at its core.

    The Longevity Gap: How Aging Research Leaves Women Behind

    Priyanka Jain and Kayla Barnes-Lentz

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  • More Americans will die than be born in 2030, CBO predicts—leaving immigrants as the only source of population growth | Fortune

    For the first time in modern history, the United States is on the brink of losing its most basic engine of growth: more births than deaths.

    According to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) Demographic Outlook, released Tuesday, the year 2030 marks a tipping point that will fundamentally reshape the  economy and social fabric. That’s the year the “natural” U.S. population—the balance of births over deaths—is projected to vanish. 

    “Net immigration (the number of people who migrate to the United States minus the number who leave) is projected to become an increasingly important source of population growth in the coming years, as declining fertility rates cause the annual number of deaths to exceed the annual number of births starting in 2030,” the CBO writes. “Without immigration, the population would begin to shrink in 2030.”

    From that point on, every additional person added to the U.S. population will come from immigration, a demographic milestone once associated with aging countries like Italy and Japan. 

    The shift is striking not only for what it says about America’s rapidly aging society, but also for how soon it is expected to arrive. Just a year ago, many demographic forecasts—including the CBO’s own forecast—placed this crossover well into the late 2030s or even the 2040s. The updated outlook from CBO moves the timeline forward by nearly a decade.

    This rapid acceleration, the CBO said, is driven by the “double squeeze” of declining fertility and an aging populace, combined with recent policy shifts on immigration. CBO analysts have drastically lowered their expectations for the total fertiility rate, now projecting it to settle at just 1.53 births per woman — well below the 2.1 “replacement rate” needed for a stable population. At the same time, the massive “Baby Boomer” generation is reaching ages with higher mortality rates, causing annual deaths to climb.

    The timeline further compressed following the passage of the 2025 Reconciliation Act, which increased funding for more ICE agents and immigration judges to process cases faster, resulting in approximately 50,000 immigrants in detention daily through 2029, CBO said. The office calculated that these provisions will result in roughly 320,000 fewer people in the U.S. population by 2035 than previously estimated.

    The new projections show that U.S. population growth will steadily decelerate over the next three decades until it finally hits zero in 2056. For most of the 20th century, the population grew at close to 1% a year: a flat population would represent a historic break from that norm. 

    The economic consequences of this shift are hard to overstate. While the number of retirees swells, the pool of workers funding the social safety net — and caring for the aging population —  is narrowing. Americans aged 65 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the population, pushing the “old-age dependency ratio” sharply higher. In 1960, there were about five workers for every retiree. Today, that ratio is closer to three-to-one. By the mid-2050s, the CBO projects it will fall to roughly two workers per retiree. The contraction will have “significant implications” on the federal budget, including outsized effects on Social Security and Medicare, placing pressure on those trust funds which rely on a robust base of payroll taxes that a stagnant population cannot easily provide.

    Further, because national GDP is essentially the product of the number of workers multiplied by their individual productivity, the loss of labor force growth means the American economy will have to rely almost entirely on technological breakthroughs and AI to drive future gains. This may be happening ahead of schedule, as continued weak employment growth in December showed a “jobless expansion,” in the words of KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk, as Fortune previously reported.

    Eva Roytburg

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  • Antonei Csoka: Aging Is Not Something We Have to Accept as Inevitable

    SHARYL ATTKISSON: Leading the charge are visionary scientists whose work is transforming theory into tangible advances.

    Visionary scientist David Sinclair has popularized supplements that boost levels of a crucial coenzyme, potentially delaying age-related decline.

    At the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, researcher Eric Verdin explores how metabolic shifts can extend healthy years.

    Maria Blasco of Spain’s National Cancer Research Center focuses on telomeres, a piece of DNA at the end of animal chromosomes protecting them from degradation.

    Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is leading a study testing the diabetes drug metformin as an anti-aging agent.

    And Vadim Gladyshev at Harvard is investigating rejuvenation by reprogramming or “resetting” cells without turning them cancerous.

    As researchers work to crack the code on aging and how to slow or stop it, there’s a philosophical and scientific divide: Is aging a natural, programmed part of life, or a treatable condition akin to a disease that can be “cured”?

    ANTONEI CSOKA: I see aging as a kind of great challenge to humanity. It’s not something that we have to accept as inevitable.

    SHARYL ATTKISSON: Antonei Csoka is an associate professor at Howard University who studies the cell and molecular biology of aging.

    Do you see it as an illness, a disease, a common process that could be reversed?

    ANTONEI CSOKA: Great question. So I actually call it a meta-disease, in the sense that it is the cause behind almost every other disease. So it’s like the molecular damage, the DNA mutations, the telomere loss, even the epigenetic changes accumulate over lifespan and lead to these diverse diseases. But they’re all really being caused by aging. So it’s like the generative mechanism behind all of them. It’s the cause and the diseases are the effect.

    SHARYL ATTKISSON: Whatever the theory, advances are arriving at breakneck speed. And there’s been an explosion in the practice of medicine surrounding aging and longevity.

    Csoka says he hopes we’re on the cusp of virtual immortality.

    Do you think in your lifetime we’ll be seeing people live to what age, you know, more people living to 120?

    ANTONEI CSOKA: I think it’s quite possible. Yeah. I think we’re actually in an incredibly unique time. Like maybe a time that only happens once in human history. And that time is where the people alive today could determine whether they live a very long time, you know, potentially like, you know, extreme long old age, you know, a thousand years, for example.

    SHARYL ATTKISSON: You think that’s possible that people can live a thousand years?

    ANTONEI CSOKA: Yeah, I do. Yeah. I don’t think there’s any like, biological law that, that denies that possibility. But in the past, you know, people dreamed of, of immortality and the fountain of youth and so on, but it was basically impossible. Like the, the science didn’t exist. And in the future, I think it will be solved. Like it will be, you know, say a hundred years from now, the aging will be fully understood and potentially fully reversible. So we’re kind of in a very unique, very unique sliver of time.

    Antonei Csoka, Full Measure

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  • The Science Behind Chris Hemsworth’s Alzheimer’s Documentary

    When actor Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor in the Marvel series, agreed to join a documentary exploring longevity several years ago, he figured he would learn about how to live better so that he could live longer. But he never anticipated he would find out something that could dramatically affect what those future years could look like.

    In the documentary series Limitless, released in 2022 by National Geographic, Hemsworth took a battery of tests to learn what he could do to extend his healthy years. A genetic test revealed, however, that he has two copies of the risk gene for Alzheimer’s. While the genes aren’t a guarantee he will develop the neurodegenerative disease, carriers have an eight to 10-fold higher risk.

    The diagnosis wasn’t a total surprise; Hemsworth’s grandfather had the condition, and his father Craig is living with it as well. While Hemsworth hasn’t developed any symptoms yet, his father is showing the first signs of memory loss. In a new National Geographic documentary film called A Road Trip to Remember, he and his father explore the growing science around potential interventions for the brain disease, and ways that research is showing to slow down its progression. The hope is that these could help people at higher risk stay as healthy and resilient for as long as possible.

    Since learning of his genetic risk, Hemsworth has made changes to his life, slowing down his acting career to prioritize time with his family, as well as taking steps to keep his body and mind healthy. Sharing his elevated risk status is part of his response to the life-changing news; in a 2022 Vanity Fair interview, he said, “If this is a motivator for people to take better care of themselves and also understand that there are steps you can take—then fantastic.”

    In the latest film, Hemsworth focuses on a side of Alzheimer’s care that doesn’t typically receive the spotlight: the role that diet, exercise, sleep, and staying socially active can have on the progression of the disease. Evolving research shows that improving nutrition, exercising more, sleeping well, reducing stress, and staying socially engaged can slow the risk of progressing to more advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. In an effort to help his father, Hemsworth zeroes in on social connection and takes a road trip with his father to their former home in the outback of Australia. There, he helps his father reconnect with old friends and reminisce, in hopes of keeping memories from fading away.

    Read More: The Best Years of Your Life Are Probably Still Ahead

    The idea for the literal and figurative trip down memory lane came from Suraj Samtani, a psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at the University of New South Wales in the Center for Health Brain Aging, who served as a scientific consultant for the film. Samtani studies so-called social frailty, or the extent to which a lack of social interactions can impact the progression of their disease. It’s not a new concept, but one that is gaining traction in the medical community as a potentially important factor in addressing Alzheimer’s risk as early as possible in the disease course. Combining strategies that involve maintaining or building social connections with Alzheimer’s medications could become a critical way for people like Hemsworth and his father to stay mentally alert for longer.

    “We knew from previous research that loneliness is as bad for brain health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” Samtani tells TIME. “And that social connections are the most important factor in delaying the onset of many chronic health conditions. But we wanted to know: what was the recipe for brain health using social connections? And do social connections still matter after you’ve accounted for all of the other known risk factors of dementia?”

    Samtani dove into the Sydney Memory and Aging Study, which includes data on more than 1,300 people, some of whom had brain scans, blood tests, or cognitive tests over a period of 14 years. The participants also provided information on their diet, social connections, and other lifestyle factors. Samtani and his colleagues recorded the number of dementia cases—including Alzheimer’s, the most common form—in the group.

    “We found that social connections are incredibly protective,” he says of the results, which he and his colleagues published in 2022. “For people who have good social connections, the risk of dementia was half compared to everyone else,” Samtani says. “That shocked us. We knew these were important but didn’t expect it to be this powerful a protective factor.” Social engagement seemed to “put the brakes on cognitive decline,” he says, for people who had already started experiencing cognitive issues.

    A year later, they reported that not only do people with stronger social connections have a lower risk of developing dementia, but they also have lower overall mortality from any cause compared to those with weaker social networks.

    Samtani is now working with an AI bot to mimic the impact that social connections and conversations can have for people with Alzheimer’s—especially those who may be increasingly isolated and without strong networks of friends or family. Called Viv and Friends, the bots connect with people on iPads and are designed to have conversations specifically designed to stimulate the memories of people with dementia. He’s planning to publish the findings from the first small study with 12 older people living in a residential facility who don’t have regular visitors. “Viv is designed to talk to people about lots of different topics in order to stimulate the mind, and also to provide people with emotional support when they feel distressed,” he says. While they are still analyzing the results, he says that one resident who conversed with Viv for five weeks reported that those were the longest conversations she had had in a long while. “The idea is to replace the loneliness people may feel and provide them instead with cognitive stimulation,” says Samtani.

    Why social connections benefit the brain

    There are several key features of good social connections, Samtani says. The quality of these relationships matters more than the quantity: People could have an extensive network of social connections but still feel lonely if they’re not getting adequate emotional support.

    In his research, Samtani also identified two factors that seemed to distinguish people with good quality interactions. One was having connections to people outside of friends and family—and outside of the home. That’s because your brain doesn’t have to work as hard when interacting with the people you live with.“You’re talking about a diversity of topics,” which “stimulates the brain and leads to cognitive reserve, or how much capacity the brain has to keep functioning. Sometimes this cognitive reserve can protect from Alzheimer’s.”

    The second feature of strong interactions is whether a person has someone they can trust and lean on during stressful times. Stress can increase inflammation, particularly in the brain, which can be detrimental and contribute to Alzheimer’s processes.

    One way to build these types of connections is through reminiscence therapy, or reactivating memories of the past. Looking at photo albums and reliving experiences with family or friends can keep memory circuits active and help with retaining cognitive reserve.

    Read More: How to Deal With Brain Fog During Menopause

    That’s the approach that Hemsworth takes with his father when they return to Bullman, in Australia’s Northern Territory, a remote town where the family lived when Hemsworth and his brothers were young. “I know for my dad’s cognitive health, going back to Bullman should be powerful therapy,” says Hemsworth in the film. There in the rustic outback, Craig helped to wrangle buffalo, barely dodging their horns, and his fearlessness earned him the nickname “Chuck Norris” in the community.

    Reactivating old memories forces the brain into a mental workout to revive feelings, smells, sounds, and more, says Samtani, and this process can keep those circuits active and hopefully protect them from more rapid decline.

    Upon returning to Bullman, Craig and Chris reunite with old friends, and as the memories flood in, Craig becomes more animated and engaged. Chris notices that his father becomes more present, although he still experiences brief moments of confusion when he starts talking to an old friend. Samtani says the sense of belonging, trust, and, love is one reason why social connections can help to combat the neurodegeneration of Alzheimer’s.

    Hemsworth and his father, Craig reminisce about the years that the family lived in Bullman, Australia National Geographic/Craig Parry

    In the film, Hemsworth says that being back in Bullman is like “pieces of a puzzle” coming together. “I think there was a greater sense of engagement for my dad,” he says of the experience of returning to their former home. “He was much more comfortable and outspoken by the end of this trip than he was at the beginning. Something was ignited in there.”

    “This is reminiscence therapy at a supercharged level combined with the power of social connections,” Samtani says in the film.

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    Hemsworth and his father Craig take part in a spiritual welcome ceremony with an old friend National Geographic/Craig Parry

    Reawakening old memories and strengthening social ties may be just one potential way to chip away at Alzheimer’s disease, and it highlights the power of intervening as early as possible in the disease to hopefully slow down its relentless progress.

    Following the trip with his father, Hemsworth notes one of the great paradoxes of Alzheimer’s: that the disease gradually robs people of the social connections and bridges that people make with others, but that those very networks are important tools to combat that deterioration. It’s a realization that could help more people like his father, who are in the early stages of the disease, or even like Hemsworth himself, who are at high risk but not yet showing symptoms, to be better prepared to confront the brain changes that could otherwise be so devastating.

    Alice Park

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  • The Role of Interactive Toys in Reducing Anxiety and Aggression in Dogs | Animal Wellness Magazine

    It’s hard on pet parents when dogs act out of aggression or anxiety, but these behaviors communicate a problem you must address. Sometimes, the problem might be physical, like pain or discomfort. However, these behaviors can also stem from stress. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to relieve stress-related aggression and anxiety, and interactive toys are an excellent tool at your disposal.

    Supporting Dogs with Anxiety

    Canine anxiety comes in many forms, and outward signs and symptoms include:

    • Hiding or retreating to a corner or safe spot
    • Constant whining
    • Physical signs like their ears down or their tail between the legs
    • Abnormal behavior, such as chewing destructively or pacing

    Common anxiety triggers are loud noises like fireworks or being left alone. However, it can also be related to trauma, stress, pain, or aging. If your dog shows symptoms, talk to your veterinarian.

    Typical solutions to anxiety include providing immediate comfort, using calming tablets or sprays to reduce stress, and ensuring your dog gets enough mental and physical stimulation. For example, dogs with separation anxiety may find comfort in a cuddly or squeaky toy that helps them feel less alone and more secure. What’s more, squeaky toys excite a dog’s prey drive, giving them positive feedback and stimulation when they play with the toy.

    Managing Aggression in Dogs

    Aggression is always a worrying behavior. Canine aggression can be caused by lack of stimulation, boredom, and anxiety. Again, consult with your veterinarian, a trainer, or a dog behaviorist for professional advice, but part of the solution for managing aggression can include using interactive toys to provide:

    • More exercise to burn off excess energy.
    • Entertainment to stave off frustration and b
    • Greater socialization to build animal and human bonds.
    • Anxiety and stress relief because interactive toys and games stimulate and distract.
    • Comfort and security, as dogs can develop positive emotional connections with toys through learned association.
    • Lessons in impulse control that help prevent dogs from hoarding or acting aggressively if people try to interact with their toys.

    What To Look for in Interactive Toys for Dogs

    The world of dog toys is a huge business with endless varieties, and buying the right one for your dog requires some consideration. Here are some tips:

    • Your dog’s size will determine the type of toys you can get, but most are available in multiple sizes. Just make sure there are no small parts a dog can break off and swallow.
    • Age also plays a key part in the selection process. For example, an older dog won’t have the reflexes to catch a high-velocity rubber ball and may prefer something softer and less unpredictable.
    • Consider how a toy will impact their behaviour and address anxiety or aggression. Durability should be high on the list for aggressive dogs.
    • Toys that deliver treats are a great way to support a dog that’s anxious around food.
    • For dogs with trouble sleeping, try a cuddly toy that doesn’t have uneven shapes or hard parts.
    • Some toys make a noise through squeakers or rattles or have different materials to provide textures and grab points to make them easy to carry and fling.
    • Clicker training can be a valuable complement to toys, helping to reinforce positive behaviors and reduce anxiety or aggression through consistent, reward-based methods.
    • Whatever type of toy you buy, make sure it’s durable and made with safe, non-toxic materials.

    Aggression and anxiety can be a challenge in dogs, but consistent training and socialization, positive reinforcement, and interactive toys can address the root cause and help your dog become calmer and more balanced.


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    Jennifer Sy

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  • Advocates call for action from Colorado lawmakers as older population grows and care becomes more expensive

    DENVER — With Colorado’s population of older adults projected to surge nearly 30% by 2035, advocates gathered Friday at the State Capitol to discuss the biggest problems facing the fastest growing demographic in our state.

    The rally came as the Colorado Fiscal Institute released its latest “Cost of Aging in Colorado” report, which warns of rising demand — and inadequate funding — for programs like home-delivered meals, transportation and in-home care. In 2023, more than 50,000 older Coloradans relied on such services, most of which are funded through state and federal dollars.

    “We’re going to have a billion-dollar shortfall in ’25, probably about a billion-dollar shortfall in ’26, and they’re [state lawmakers] going to have to look at the biggest line items on their budget, including Medicaid,” said Emily Peterson, executive director of PACE Programs.

    Peterson said the financial uncertainty is rippling through senior communities, leaving many hesitant to make life changes — even for the better — out of fear they could lose benefits.

    “One of the things that hurts me the most is when a senior tells me, ‘I’m afraid to make a change, even if it’s a change for the better because of uncertainty. They’re not sure if their government benefit will be there next year,’” Peterson said.

    Colorado receives $22 million annually in federal funding for older adult programs, but advocates say that amount falls far short of meeting the growing need.

    Colorado Fiscal Institue

    Since 2021, Colorado has received $22 million in federal funding. Advocates say it is not keeping up with demand and cost of care.

    “There’s no way [funding] is keeping up,” Peterson said. “It’s going to call on a lot of private individuals, foundations, businesses even to help with some of that, because the government’s never going to be able to keep up with it.”

    Advocates like Peterson and Steve Olguin, executive director of Bright Leaf Inc., say collaboration among agencies is key.

    “If we are doing our own thing, I mean, we’re never going to be able to make things happen,” Olguin said. “If we’re not all together and we’re trying to make this push, I don’t think anything’s going to get done.”

    Peterson agreed, emphasizing that “relationships are everything” when it comes to creating trusted spaces for seniors. “Let’s not leave our vulnerable seniors in the shadows when they have earned the right to live in the sunshine,” she said.

    The state has unveiled a plan this year to address aging-related challenges. Advocates hope it will lead to urgent, meaningful changes.

    “This might be the opportunity to make it work. I can’t really say, but I do know that more and more people are getting engaged,” said Bob Bocker, founder and president of AgeWise Colorado. “It’s really important for people to pay attention to what’s going on and notice your neighbors.”

    As Colorado’s senior population grows, advocates say visibility will be critical.

    “Once you have gray hair, you often become invisible,” Peterson said. “Raising the visibility is key.”

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    Denver7

    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Colin Riley

    Denver7’s Colin Riley is a multimedia journalist who tells stories impacting all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on transportation and our state’s population of older adults. If you’d like to get in touch with Colin, fill out the form below to send him an email.

    Colin Riley

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  • 3 signs you need to take control of your parents’ finances – MoneySense

    These episodes, combined with my mother’s observations about increasing forgetfulness and compulsive behaviours, led us to get him medically tested. The diagnosis was direct: early-stage dementia. His doctor suspended his licence and directed me to take immediate control of his finances. That moment introduced my family and me to a harsh reality. While we all expect our parents to age and need help, the sudden immersion into managing someone’s declining health can be shocking and leave us unprepared for the caregiving responsibilities ahead.

    Warning signs you may need to step in

    Many of the signs may at first seem quite innocent and subtle, but if you notice them occurring frequently and consistently, they could be flags to get a diagnosis. These can include:

    • Repetitive conversations: Constant circling around the same pattern of compulsive thoughts. 
    • Failing to recognize familiar faces: Several times my father failed to recognize long-time family friends he once spoke to on regular basis. There were times he even failed to understand who I was, which was so disheartening.  
    • Social withdrawal: As health difficulties progress, the person’s social circles shrink slowly but then dramatically. As my father’s condition progressed, both my parents detached themselves from their fairly large social networks. COVID-19 accelerated the process. 

    A job you never applied for

    These behaviours are often more dismaying to family members than to the person with the health issues. 

    If you’re reading this and thinking about your own aging parents—or if you’re already in the thick of it like I still am—you’re not alone. According to a 2022 report from Statistics Canada, around one in four Canadians aged 15 and older (7.8 million people) provided care to a family member or friend with a long-term health condition, a disability, or problems associated with aging. These 2018 figures likely underestimate the true prevalence of caregiving, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased the demand for elder-care services.

    Managing your parents’ finances can feel like a full-time job. I’m now six years into this journey and it’s been a never-ending roller-coaster of phone calls, emails, and appointments with banks and service providers. It is hard enough to stay on top of your own and immediate family’s finances. You must now understand all of your parents’ financial quirks, ranging from their income sources and recurring expenses to what investments they have, if any. At times it feels like an endless scavenger hunt searching for documents, bank accounts, invoices, legal documents, insurance policies, and online accounts. 

    Have a personal finance question? Submit it here.

    Levels of caregiving

    In most cases, you are not undertaking this in a bubble. You must navigate through family dynamics, often resulting in difficult and emotional conversations with your parents and other family members. You may need to consider difficult decisions, likely creating resistance as pride and independence are tested. From my experience, this has been the most draining part of this experience, both emotionally and physically. 

    Financial caregiving can fall into different levels depending on the capabilities of your parents. It could be simply providing your parents with advice and guidance in the form of reviewing and explaining financial accounts and documents. It could fall in the form of suggesting methods for better organizing their financial affairs. 

    If your parents’ health impairments are more advanced, an active participation may be necessary in the form of paying bills, filing tax returns on their behalf, or accompanying them to appointments with their bank or financial advisor. At the most extreme level—which is what I had to go through with my father—legal interventions using a power of attorney to make financial and health-related decisions on their behalf may be required, which require a high level of commitment and attention to detail.

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    More lessons to come

    In our upcoming series on MoneySense, I’ll be sharing the practical lessons learned from my journey: the essential documents you need to locate, the conversations to have before they become urgent, the financial red flags to watch for, and the systems that can help preserve your parent’s independence while protecting their financial security.

    While we can’t prevent our parents from aging, we can certainly be better prepared for the financial realities that come with it that hopefully will allow them to retain some dignity in their lives and set a positive example for our younglings to pay it forward. 

    Get free MoneySense financial tips, news & advice in your inbox.

    Read more about planning for (and in) retirement:


    Aman Raina, MBA

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  • On the Move: As DC region gets older, talent supply isn’t growing – WTOP News

    The D.C. region is aging, a shift that experts say is the result of a declining birth rate, expensive housing and flexibility that comes with hybrid or remote work opportunities.

    This story is Part 2 of WTOP’s three-part series “On the Move: The D.C. region’s population trends.” Read Part 1 on the D.C. region becoming more diverse here. 

    The D.C. region is aging, a shift that experts say is the result of a declining birth rate, expensive housing and flexibility that comes with hybrid or remote work opportunities.

    Neighborhoods across the area added more people 65 and older than under 18, according to a WTOP analysis of local census data from the midway point of 2024. The data, released this summer, showed similar trends nationally. Overall, the U.S. population 65 and older rose by over 3%, while the under 18 population decreased by 0.2%, the Census Bureau said.

    In some cases, the result is a war for talent, according to Hamilton Lombard, a demographer at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

    “The talent supply is not really growing,” Lombard said. “We have some immigration, but the number of people turning 18 is going to start shrinking. You’re having communities focusing more on trying to attract workers, and some areas have historically done better than the D.C. area, at least the last decade or so, because they have a lower cost of living, and it makes them more attractive.”

    Major metropolitan areas across the country are aging in similar ways, and it’s a shift that’s partially the result of losing families. The increase in housing prices during the pandemic “just didn’t come back down, and that’s made the D.C. area particularly unaffordable for a lot of families,” Lombard said.

    Some families are moving to the outskirts of the D.C. region, to places such as Hagerstown, Fredericksburg or Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In some cases, those places are seeing a drop in median age, which Lombard described as unusual.

    “There’s just not enough housing, and so housing costs have gotten really expensive in Maryland as a whole, and especially in some of the D.C. suburbs, but also in many of the Baltimore suburbs as well,” said Michael Bader, director of the 21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University. “So that has diminished opportunities here.”

    According to census data as of July 1, 2024, in D.C. 2,013 more people over 65 were added last year, compared to 499 people under 18. In Montgomery County, Maryland, there were over 7,000 more people 65 and older compared to 2023. There were over 1,200 more people under 18 added in 2024. Prince George’s County reported over 350 more people under 18 compared to 2023. Conversely, it added over 6,100 people 65 and older.

    In Fairfax County, Virginia, there were almost 7,000 more people 65 and older compared to 2023. There were 751 more people under 18. Loudoun County reported over 3,017 more people 65 and older, and a drop of over 800 people under 18.

    In Fairfax, Lombard said the number of births is down 20% over the last eight years of data available, double what’s been reported in Virginia.

    “That’s really been driven by families moving out,” Lombard said. “Fairfax County has some of the highest housing prices in the country, definitely some of the highest on the East Coast.”

    Remote and hybrid work schedules provide more flexibility, but Lombard said the region aging comes with consequences.

    “That’s going to be a really big issue when you look at the D.C. area going forward, is how can they continue to bring in young workers when you have all these other areas really competing effectively,” Lombard said.

    When the D.C. area reaches the point when the number of people turning 18 is declining, “if you don’t have more immigration, ultimately you’re going to see the labor force shrink,” Lombard said.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Opinion | Japan Gets New Kind of Leader

    Sanae Takaichi, a hawkish nationalist, wants to make her country great again.

    Walter Russell Mead

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  • Growing Old Is Nothing New for Humans. So Why Are We So Bad at It Now?

    Aging is inevitable, but it hasn’t always looked the same throughout the long history of humankind. That’s one of the core premises behind Michael Gurven’s just-released new book, Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer.

    Gurven is an anthropologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has spent much of his career studying and living alongside communities like the Tsimané of South America, indigenous groups who largely subsist off a combination of farming small crops, hunting, and gathering. Though these people have increasingly started to come into contact with the modern world, they still provide a glimpse into humanity’s past prior to widespread industrialization.

    Building off his and others’ work with today’s subsistence communities, Gurven makes the compelling case that while the typical lifespan of the average person today has greatly expanded and our health has generally improved, there’s nothing particularly new about human longevity itself. Older people have always existed, even in past eras when survival was much more perilous than it is today. Moreover, he adds, there’s plenty we can learn about how best to grow older in our modern times by studying how our ancestors did it so many eons ago.

    Gizmodo spoke to Gurven about his decision to not address longevity drugs, the most common misconceptions about aging, and how groups like the Tsimané might better help us better appreciate our elders. The following conversation has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

    Ed Cara, Gizmodo: I think many people who pick up a book about aging would expect to read about the breakthroughs around the corner that will supposedly and significantly prolong our lives. What made you want to focus more on the evolution of human aging?

    Michael Gurven: Thanks for asking that, because I always worry that the first question I’m gonna get is exactly that: “What are the secrets? What are the hidden gems?”

    Everything’s about the potential of where we can end up—the power of regenerative medicine and technology. But I wanted to actually kind of look back in order to look forward. One of the premises of the book is that longevity is not something that is so incredibly recent, but that it’s built into our DNA. It’s built into our biology. We’ve already accomplished the potential for longevity.

    And because of that, I see a different type of optimism. There’s this scare over the silver tsunami and everything that goes along with the global population aging. I wanted to point out that this is not a new type of problem. It’s not that there were never old people and now all of a sudden there are tons of old people. So I wanted to give a history of understanding that we have already lived with older people as part of our population.

    And I wanted to argue that rather than longevity being a consequence of our success as a species, the causal arrows may actually be in the opposite direction. That we’ve been a very successful species because of our potential for longevity.

    We’ve solved problems before, and we can solve this one moving forward, but it’s not going to be a problem that’s going to be solved just with new technology and improvements in molecular medicine. There are lessons to be learned here by appreciating our natural history.

    Gizmodo: Your book covers many different aspects and attitudes about how people today age now compared to the past. What would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions about human longevity and aging?

    Gurven: The biggest one is just a misunderstanding of what life expectancy is in general.

    When people say that life expectancy was much shorter in the past and maybe even as low as the 30s, that doesn’t mean everyone lived to age 30 and then died. Even with shorter life expectancies, you can have people who are much longer-lived than that, because it’s an average. And because we used to have lots of deaths early in life, that basically lowers that average.

    Gizmodo: Conversely, are there ways that people can romanticize the past and how we lived and died back prior to industrialization?

    Gurven: Everyone looks to hunter-gatherers, and they see what they want to see. Either they see the hellish landscape of “all against all” and how life was really awful, or some people see a very romantic scenario, where everyone was vegetarian and hugging trees and in tune with nature, that kind of thing.

    So actually paying attention to how hunter-gatherers live is an important kind of lesson that I’m trying to convey, with firsthand experience having worked and lived with these kinds of groups. Which of those myths are somewhat off base, and which ones might actually be true?

    Gizmodo: Getting to that, what are some of the things that we’ve learned from studying longevity and elder members in communities like the Tsimané?

    Gurven: One thing, which maybe goes along with the thinking that no one really lived that long, is just the idea that so many diseases of aging we take for granted are just going to befall us no matter what, because it’s hard to think of aging without thinking about heart disease and dementia and those kinds of things. But the very fact is that in these fairly high mortality populations [like the Tsimané], you don’t see those kinds of diseases, and it’s not because no one is living to those ages when those diseases typically manifest. Even when we follow people from age 40 onwards, we can see that people are not developing heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or diabetes.

    So that’s like a really important kind of lesson because that tells us there’s so much to learn about these diseases, which are our major sources of mortality in the industrialized world.

    We already know that if you don’t smoke, are physically active, maintain a reasonable weight, and eat well, you can live a healthier life. But when you can see that at a whole population level, where almost an entire population can live without heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s, that’s pretty amazing. And so it does demonstrate that these big risk factors—the smoking, physical inactivity, excess weight, etcetera—account for the vast majority of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, which is over half the deaths, basically, that we experience today; it demonstrates that those deaths are actually preventable with things that whole populations are already doing.

    I also think there are just broader lessons about what older people are doing and their expectations. There’s no formal retirement at age 65 or at any age in hunter-gatherers. There’s no expectation that you now have a life of leisure; you know, pick your cruise. And so, I certainly like the idea that, with this kind of growth mindset, learning is a lifelong process, right? And aging is not just the reverse of growth. It’s not just decline; there’s continued growth.

    It doesn’t mean that everyone just keeps doing the exact same thing until they die. In fact, there are great shifts in what men and women tend to do in these societies. But the important point, kind of zooming out, is that they stay relevant, they stay engaged, and they stay involved.

    Gizmodo: What do you hope people most take away from this book—those reaching their elder years as well as those who have grandparents or other older people in their lives?

    Gurven: I hope to inspire, kind of a new type of optimism. Not an optimism that’s just based on maximizing our lives, our longevity, or even our health span. I mean, those things are critical, and I’m glad that there are other books and other people working on that. But what I’m trying to get is people thinking at a deeper level about where we’re at now and where we’re headed in the next couple decades.

    There are no medical solutions that are going to make 85-year-olds biologically like 35-year-olds, right? And so realistically, in the next couple decades, I’m hoping that people get newly inspired about how to rethink elderhood and respectfully think about our older adults as elders, realizing that we have something to learn from them, that there’s a place for them, and that it’s not just a service to those elders, but that we all benefit from having them in our lives.

    Part of the looking back in this book is to show all the different ways that we’ve already done this throughout our evolutionary history.

    Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer is being published by Princeton University Press and is available online or in hardcover.

    Ed Cara

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  • Microplastics Could Be Weakening Your Bones, Research Suggests

    Microplastics could be a factor in driving up cases of osteoporosis worldwide, according to recently published research. The study reveals that when these tiny plastic particles enter the body, they disrupt the functioning of bone marrow stem cells, which are essential for maintaining and repairing bone tissue.

    Throughout your life, your bones are replenished. Osteoporosis is a condition where this process goes wrong, with the breakdown of bone outstripping the rate at which it is replaced. This leads to bones weakening over time and becoming more likely to fracture. The condition has many risk factors—age, sex, medications, diet, smoking and drinking, and genetics are all known to influence it—with the disease developing slowly over time. Often people don’t realize they have the condition until they break a bone.

    This new analysis, published in the journal Osteoporosis International, adds exposure to microplastics as a potential new risk factor. The research reviewed 62 scientific articles that had run various laboratory and animal tests on the possible effects of micro- and nanoplastics on bone. Analysis of lab experiments showed that microplastics stimulate the formation of osteoclasts, cells created by stem cells in the bone marrow that degrade bone tissue to promote resorption, the process in which the body breaks down and eliminates old or damaged bone.

    The study also found that, in relation to bones, plastic particles can reduce the viability of cells, induce premature cellular aging, modify gene expression, and trigger inflammatory responses. The combination of these effects generates an imbalance in which osteoclasts destroy more bone tissue than is regenerated, causing an accelerated weakening of bone structure.

    When then looking at animal studies, the researchers found that the accumulation of microplastics in the body decreases the white blood cell count—which is suggestive of alterations in bone marrow function. In addition, these animal studies suggested that the impact of microplastics on osteoclasts may be associated with deterioration of bone microstructure and the formation of irregular structures of cells, increasing the risk of bone fragility, deformities, and fractures.

    “In this study, the adverse effects observed culminated, worryingly, in the interruption of the animals’ skeletal growth,” said coauthor Rodrigo Bueno de Oliveira in a press release. “The potential impact of microplastics on bones is the subject of scientific studies and isn’t negligible.”

    Oliveira, who is the coordinator of the Laboratory for Evaluation of Mineral and Bone Disorders in Nephrology at the State University of Campinas in Brazil, is now working with his team to further prove in practice the relationship between exposure to microplastics and bone deterioration. This research will begin by evaluating the effects of microplastic particles on rodents’ femurs.

    “Although osteometabolic diseases are relatively well understood, there’s a gap in our knowledge regarding the influence of microplastics on the development of these diseases. Therefore, one of our goals is to generate evidence suggesting that microplastics could be a potential controllable environmental cause to explain, for example, the increase in the projected number of bone fractures,” Oliveira said.

    Microplastics and nanoplastics are small fragments of plastic—some so small that they’re invisible to the naked eye—that become detached from everyday objects when sunlight, wind, rain, seawater, or abrasion degrade them. The main difference between the two lies in their size: microplastics measure from 1 micrometer (one-thousandth of a millimeter) to 5 millimeters, while nanoplastics are smaller than 1 micrometer. These particles have been detected all over the world in natural environments, as well as throughout the human body and in meat, water, and various agricultural products.

    Studies have started to show that this type of plastic contamination can damage health. Experts argue that this means the world urgently needs to reduce its use of plastics. Every year more than 500 million tons of the material are produced worldwide, but only 9 percent is recycled, with much of the remainder spreading into the environment and degrading.

    This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.

    Fernanda González

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  • Could These Eye Drops End the Need for Reading Glasses?

    The Stats don’t lie: after age 65, most people will struggle to focus visually on close-up objects. You might have seen this among your friends and relatives or even experienced it yourself, holding books, magazines, or your phone farther away from your face to try to bring words and pictures into focus. Many of those affected start using reading glasses. But a new treatment could become available: eye drops.

    This deterioration of vision is called presbyopia. It is not a disease but a natural, physiological change caused by aging—specifically by the loss of elasticity and flexibility of the crystalline lens at the front of the eye, which impairs the ability of the eye to change the curvature of the lens to bring objects into focus. This stiffening begins in middle age and tends to stabilize around age 65. For people with shortsightedness, or myopia, who struggle to see faraway objects clearly, the onset of presbyopia may at first lead to improved vision by compensating for their existing condition. For those with farsightedness, or hyperopia, the effects of presbyopia often present earlier than in the rest of the population.

    Living with presbyopia can cause fatigue and headaches, and in rare cases double vision, but generally it isn’t something to be worried about. But correcting it can make daily activities easier and help maintain good quality of life. The classic means of correction are reading glasses, though in some cases people opt for eye surgery—either laser refractive surgery to reshape the cornea to compensate for the loss of flexibility of the lens or intraocular surgery to replace the lens with an artificial one. The latter is often proposed when there is also some clouding in the lens (a cataract).

    But recently, researchers have been working on eye drops that, in different ways depending on the active ingredient used, improve near focus. Two types have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration: one based on a substance called aceclidine, the other on pilocarpine.

    Pilocarpine is the star molecule, with multiple trials of new formulations underway. It is a natural alkaloid that interacts with parts of the nervous system, which has the effect, in the eye, of inducing miosis—the narrowing of the pupil diameter—and contraction of the ciliary muscle, the ring of muscle that controls the shape of the lens. The two effects combined improve the elasticity of the lens and the ability to focus on nearby objects.

    A recent trial conducted in Argentina has tested a pilocarpine eye drop at different concentrations (1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent) in combination diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory that soothes the adverse effects of pilocarpine such as irritation and discomfort. (The FDA-approved pilocarpine eye drops are concentrated at 1.25 percent.)

    In a two-year retrospective study of 766 people, average age 55 years, the researchers found that the eye drops enabled the majority of patients to improve their vision. “Our most significant result showed rapid and sustained improvements in near vision for all three concentrations,” said lead researcher Giovanna Benozzi when presenting the research at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

    Mara Magistroni

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  • Woman defies aging fear-mongering by sharing 72 is her “favorite year yet”

    A 72-year-old woman has gone viral on TikTok after declaring this stage of life her “favorite yet,” delighting viewers with a video that challenges the negative stereotypes around aging gaining traction online.

    The clip, shared on September 2 by fashion designer and artist Sigrid Olsen (@beachtobistro), has been viewed more than 996,000 times. It shows Olsen in an aspirational setting aboard a boat, dressed in breezy coastal clothing, surrounded by fresh food and tranquil scenery.

    “For all the fear-mongering around aging, I never imagined 72 would be my favorite year yet, and yet, here I am,” an overlaid text read. Her show of pride has been applauded by viewers online; some of whom shared they are used to seeing people as young as 30 being shamed for their age on the platform. Olsen has offered them a fresh perspective.

    Olsen, a mother of two, grandmother of three, and stepmother to what she calls “countless more,” told Newsweek she is living life on her own terms. Based in Palmetto, Florida, she spends summers with her partner Mark on their 48-foot offshore yacht in New England.

    Sigrid Olsen drinks on her yacht (L); and reads on the deck (R).

    @beachtobistro / @sigridolsen_design

    Her career, too, has evolved. After more than 40 years in fashion, Olsen relaunched her self-titled brand independently five years ago.

    “All my prints and embroideries are created by me, with pen, brush or block-print, and translated onto fabric by artisans in India,” she said.

    She also teaches yoga, leads women’s retreats, and hosts weekly online sharing circles. Olsen credits much of her personal and professional flexibility to her small team at home.

    “I would not be able to do this if my business at home was not so well managed by two young ladies, Kelly G. and Jessie S.,” she told Newsweek. “Kelly has revitalized my social media and improved our website exponentially…We are a team, where I film content from my travels and she creates wonderful videos to post on to all my social media outlets, especially to our growing audience on TikTok.”

    The enthusiastic reaction to her post, she said, is proof of how badly “positive messaging” around enjoying life in older age is needed.

    “We need to hear the true story of what it means to age with grace and gratitude,” she said.

    Redefining Aging

    Olsen believes her story resonates because it offers a counterpoint to what she sees as harmful media narratives.

    “Beauty standards have always been unrealistic in the media, but now we are faced with performative imagery at any given moment that creates anxiety and fosters unkind comparisons,” she said. “It is hard for women these days to feel good about themselves, especially as they age.”

    Her mission, she explained, is to encourage “individuality, creativity, healthy living and a connection to nature” for people of all ages.

    Older women, she argues, bring something essential to the table that is often overlooked.

    “We have hard won wisdom, more self-awareness, heightened compassion, less envy and more sisterhood,” she said. “And life can be filled with a sense of wonder, self-love and quiet satisfaction.”

    With her viral clips and career revival, Olsen has reminded thousands of younger viewers online that aging does not have to mean fading away—it can mean stepping into a new, vibrant chapter instead.

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  • Chronic Insomnia Is Bad for the Brain. Like, Really Bad

    If you’re a chronic insomniac, you might experience faster declines in memory and thinking skills than your better-sleeping fellows. In other words, your brain might age faster.

    In a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, researchers revealed that people with chronic insomnia, described as having trouble sleeping at least three days a week for three months or more, were significantly more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia than their healthy counterparts.

    “Insomnia doesn’t just affect how you feel the next day—it may also impact your brain health over time,” Diego Carvalho, a Mayo Clinic neurologist and co-author of the study, said in an American Academy of Neurology statement. “We saw faster decline in thinking skills and changes in the brain that suggest chronic insomnia could be an early warning sign or even a contributor to future cognitive problems.”

    3.5 years older

    To clarify, the researchers don’t know if insomnia causes brain aging; they just highlight an association. In the study, the team tracked over 2,500 cognitively healthy people with an average age of 70 for an average of 5.6 years. 16% of the participants had chronic insomnia.

    14% of the people with chronic insomnia developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia during the study, while only 10% of participants without insomnia developed those same symptoms. After the researchers took into account differences such as high blood pressure, use of sleep medications, age, and a diagnosis of sleep apnea, they revealed that insomniac participants had a 40% greater risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia than those without insomnia. That’s equivalent to 3.5 extra years of aging. Their performances in thinking tests also decreased faster.

    Of the patients with insomnia, those who reported less sleep than usual in the past two weeks were more likely to get lower cognitive test scores at the beginning of the study, equivalent to being four years older. Furthermore, they had more white matter hyperintensities (potentially damaged brain tissue from small vessel disease) and amyloid plaques (a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease). The buildup of the latter was akin to that in people with a known genetic risk factor.

    Maintaining brain resilience

    “Our results suggest that insomnia may affect the brain in different ways, involving not only amyloid plaques, but also small vessels supplying blood to the brain,” Carvalho said. “This reinforces the importance of treating chronic insomnia—not just to improve sleep quality but potentially to protect brain health as we age. Our results also add to a growing body of evidence that sleep isn’t just about rest—it’s also about brain resilience.”

    Participants who claimed to get more sleep than usual in the past two weeks had greater chances of having fewer white matter hyperintensities at the start of the study.

    The researchers admit that their results are limited by the fact that the insomnia diagnoses were from medical records that don’t indicate the severity of the symptoms or include undiagnosed cases. Nonetheless, the point of the study seems clear enough to me—get enough sleep. And if you can’t, get help.

    Margherita Bassi

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  • Your Body Ages Faster Because of Extreme Heat

    It is well known that heat causes exhaustion in the body due to dehydration. But aging?

    A recent study concluded that extreme heat accelerates the aging of the human body, a worrying fact given the increasing frequency of heat waves due to climate change.

    The researchers are not talking about the effects of solar radiation on the skin, but biological aging. Unlike chronological age—that answer that you give when asked how old you are—your biological age reflects how well your cells, tissues, and organs are functioning. Biological age can be calculated by looking at physiological and molecular markers in the body as well as by using various tests, for instance by measuring lung function, cognitive ability, or bone density.

    Over time, the research found, exposure to extreme heat can weaken bodily systems, which shows up in tests of people’s blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood function. In the long term, this can increase the risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia. The research, which was published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that the aging effect of extreme heat was comparable to other behaviors known to be harmful to the body, such as smoking or drinking alcohol.

    The researchers analyzed the long-term medical data of 24,922 people in Taiwan, collected between 2008 and 2022. During that time, the island experienced about 30 heat waves—defined by the research team as periods of high temperature lasting for several days. The researchers first calculated the biological age of the individuals, based on the results of various medical tests, such as liver, lung, and kidney function tests. They then compared people’s biological age with their chronological age, to see how fast their biological clock was ticking relative to their actual age. They then cross-referenced this information against people’s likely exposure to heat waves.

    The results showed that the more extreme heat events people experienced, the faster their biological age accelerated relative to their chronological age. On average, among the cohort of people studied, being exposed to two years’ worth of heat waves added between eight and 12 days to a person’s biological age.

    “While the number itself may seem small, over time and in different populations, this effect may have significant implications for public health,” said Cui Guo, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong and lead author of the study, in a statement from Nature.

    The study also found that people doing physical labor and those residing in rural areas were more likely to be affected by accelerated biological aging, presumably due to greater exposure to the effects of heat waves. However, an unexpected positive effect was observed as well: The impact of heat exposure on biological aging actually decreased over the 15 years analyzed. The reason behind this is unknown, though Guo points to the possible influence of cooling technologies such as air-conditioning, which have become more common in recent years.

    This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.

    Javier Carbajal

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  • Flamingoes Can Slow Down Aging—But Only If They Embrace This Lifestyle

    Despite the uniform appearance of pink flamingo flocks, individuals live very different lifestyles. In the Camargue region of France, some stay put for their entire lives while others migrate along the Mediterranean coast. Now, scientists believe these two groups differ in how they age, too.

    New research published Monday, August 25, in the journal PNAS found that migratory flamingoes, who leave the Camargue annually to spend the winter in Italy, Spain, or North Africa, age slower than non-migratory resident flamingoes.

    The findings point to a link between migratory behavior and the rate of aging, adding a new layer of complexity to one of the most central—and perplexing—questions in biology: why do living creatures feature an expiration date? And why do these expiration dates vary so widely among different species? New research adds yet another layer of complexity to these questions.

    “Understanding the causes of changes in the rate of aging is a problem that has obsessed researchers and polymath philosophers since ancient times,” co-author Hugo Cayuela, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, said in a release. “For a long time, we thought that these variations occurred mainly between species. But recently, our perception of the problem has changed,” he added.

    Same species, different lifestyle—and lifespan

    Mounting evidence suggests that individuals within the same species often do not age at the same rate due to genetic, behavioral, or environmental variation, according to Cayuela. Studying these differences can help scientists unlock the secrets of aging. Thanks to their long lifespans and behavioral diversity, the Camargue’s greater flamingoes provide an ideal model for this research.

    Cayuela and his colleagues analyzed more than 40 years of data gathered by the Tour du Valat research institute’s flamingo tagging and tracking program. These data described mortality and reproductive patterns among 1,840 migrating and non-migrating greater flamingos across the Mediterranean basin. Resident individuals exhibited lower mortality rates in early adulthood than migrating individuals, resulting in life expectancies that were 6.7 years longer on average.

    Migratory greater flamingoes, however, exhibited 40% slower aging and reduced mortality later in life than residents. In fact, the findings suggest that aging begins a year and a half earlier in resident greater flamingoes than migrants.

    The researchers also uncovered differences in reproductive patterns between migratory and nonmigratory greater flamingoes. While residents had higher probabilities of breeding than migrants before the onset of aging, they exhibited much steeper declines in breeding with age compared to migrants.

    “While residents can reproduce more often early in life, this comes at a cost: higher mortality and reduced reproductive success later on,” co-author Jocelyn Champagnon, a research scientist at Tour du Valat, told Gizmodo in an email. “Migrants, on the other hand, may trade off some early reproduction for better survival later in life.”

    Behavior shapes biology

    These differences are “probably linked to a compromise between performance when young and health in old age,” co-author Sébastien Roques, a postdoctoral researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research, said in the release. “Residents live intensely at first, but pay for this pace later on. Migrants, on the other hand, seem to age more slowly.”

    Together, these findings suggest that migrating comes with some disadvantages early in life but reduces the rate of aging and reproductive senescence—the age-related decline in an individual’s ability to reproduce—later in life. According to the researchers, this study highlights the critical role that migration plays in shaping survival and reproduction throughout life, underscoring the importance of behavioral decisions in the biology of aging.

    “Our study shows that the shape and pace of aging can be shaped by individual decisions early in life, such as migration or early reproduction,” Champagnon said. Though these results can’t be directly applied to people, she hopes future studies will address questions about how human migrations influence the rate of aging.

    Ellyn Lapointe

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  • The Survey Says: Try Ashwagandha for Gut Health and Healthy Aging! | Animal Wellness Magazine

    A new study confirms yet another benefit of KSM-66 Ashwagandha: for gut health and healthy aging in dogs and cats!

    You do all you can to keep furry family members healthy and comfortable—especially as they age. Most routines for animals in their golden years involve supplements, a healthy diet, and gentle exercise, but what if there were more you could do to support your senior fur baby? A new study has found that ashwagandha root extract supports gut health and healthy aging in older dogs, making it an ideal addition to every senior’s daily regimen! Let’s look at the latest research about ashwagandha for gut health and how you can incorporate ashwagandha into your dog’s or cat’s diet to support overall well-being and health.

    Ashwagandha Is a Versatile Herb with Many Health Benefits

    Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an adaptogenic herb people have been using in traditional medicine for thousands of years. It helps the body manage stress, inflammation, and fatigue while supporting energy, cognitive health, and vitality. And now, it turns out this ancient herb could also be a game-changer for senior dogs.

    “Human health practitioners have known about the health benefits of ashwagandha for millennia,” says Kartikeya Baldwa, CEO of Ixoreal Biomed, manufacturer of KSM-66. “Now, by conducting peer-reviewed research, such as our most recent GI health study using KSM-66 Ashwaghanda, we can demonstrate the benefits of this incredible adaptogenic herb for animals too.”

    Clinical Proof of Further Benefits of Ashwagandha: Gut Health and Healthy Aging

    The new study in Frontiers in Veterinary Science explored the benefits of KSM-66 Ashwagandha root extract in 12 healthy Beagles aged 12 to 15. It found ashwagandha has a significant positive impact on gut health in senior dogs. But that’s not all! The study also found evidence that ashwagandha root extract may:

    • Support a healthy balance of gut bacteria
    • Improve blood and liver function
    • Reduce signs of age-related decline
    • Strengthen the gut lining
    • Encourage better nutrient absorption
    • Contribute to healthier aging overall

    That’s great news, especially considering aging dogs are more likely to experience issues like poor digestion, inflammation, or nutrient deficiencies. And when you feed ashwagandha for gut health, the improvements can also support immunity, mood, energy levels, and even heart health.

    KSM-66 Is the Best Ashwagandha for Gut Health!

    The extract used in the study—KSM-66 Ashwagandha—is a premium, organic, root-only ashwagandha that’s earned an impressive 46 safety and quality certifications, including USDA Organic, Regenerative Organic Certified, NASC Quality Seal, and more. It’s also the most clinically studied ashwagandha on the market and the only one proven in peer-reviewed research to benefit companion animals.

    Beyond that, the company behind KSM-66, Ixoreal Biomed, is a family-owned business with over 80 years of history and a strong dedication to social responsibility. The principles behind KSM-66 include sustainability, the ethical treatment of workers, and commitment to quality. And when it comes to pet health, KSM-66 has a neutral taste, making it a perfect addition to food, treats, and supplements that reduce stress, promote calm, support the immune system, have anti-inflammatory effects, and support whole-body health, including in senior animals!

    Learn more about KSM-66 Ashwagandha for gut health, healthy aging, and overall well-being!


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    Animal Wellness is North America’s top natural health and lifestyle magazine for dogs and cats, with a readership of over one million every year. AW features articles by some of the most renowned experts in the pet industry, with topics ranging from diet and health related issues, to articles on training, fitness and emotional well being.

    Animal Wellness

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  • Cannabis Use in Older Patients Associated With Lower Demand for Prescription Drugs

    The use of medical cannabis products by qualified patients ages 50 and older is associated with a reduced need for prescription medications and significant health-related quality of life improvements, according to data published in the scientific journal Cannabis.

    Canadian investigators assessed medical cannabis use patterns and its effect on health outcomes in a cohort of 200+ older patients (average age: 67). Study participants primarily suffered from chronic pain-related conditions. Patients’ health data was collected at baseline and again at three months and at six months. Most patients in the study consumed orally administered cannabis products containing significant percentages of CBD.

    Researchers reported, “Most patients experienced clinically significant improvements in pain, sleep, and quality of life and reductions in co-medication,” including pain medications, antidepressants, and sleep aids. No serious adverse events were reported.

    “To the best of our knowledge, the present report describes one of the largest longitudinal study of authorized older medical cannabis patients to date,” the study’s authors concluded. “The results of this multi-site, prospective, longitudinal study of medical cannabis patients ages 50 years and older indicate that cannabis may be a relatively safe and effective treatment for chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and other conditions associated with aging, leading to subsequent reductions in prescription drug use and healthcare costs, as well as significant improvements in quality of life.”

    The findings are consistent with those of several other studies similarly reporting quality of life improvements and reduced prescription drug use among older cannabis consumers.

    Commenting on the latest study, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “There is a growing body of evidence showing that cannabis can provide health-related quality of life improvements in older adults. Many older adults struggle with pain, anxiety, restless sleep, and other conditions for which cannabis products often mitigate. Many older adults are also well aware of the litany of serious adverse side-effects associated with available prescription drugs, like opioids or sleep aids, and they recognize the role medical cannabis can play as a potentially safer alternative.”

    The full text of the study, “Medical cannabis for patients over age 50: A multi-site, prospective study of patterns of use and health outcomes,” is available from The Research Society on Marijuana. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Use by Older Adult Populations.’

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

    A 90-year-old woman signed a deal with a 47-year-old lawyer to give him her apartment upon her death…

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