Compared with people who reported drinking no coffee, those reporting 3-4 cups per day had longer telomeres, while those reporting 5 or more cups per day did not show the same association.
Research increasingly demonstrates that healthy nutrition improves mental health, and an entirely new subspecialty has formed to support this. Nutritional psychiatry is expanding rapidly, with research growing 15-fold from 2000 to 2024, reflecting the increasing acceptance of diet's role in mental health.
A groundbreaking study found that adults who sit for 10 or more hours daily face a significantly higher risk of dementia compared to those who sit less. The research, which tracked over 50,000 adults using wearable devices, revealed that the risk increases dramatically after crossing that 10-hour threshold.
It might come as a surprise to learn that the brain responds to training in much the same way as our muscles, even though most of us never think about it that way. Clear thinking, focus, creativity, and good judgment are built through challenge, when the brain is asked to stretch beyond routine rather than run on autopilot. That slight mental discomfort is often the sign that the brain is actually being trained, a lot like that good workout burn in your muscles.
Most people will forget a name, misplace their phone, or lose track of a conversation at some point. Usually, those moments pass without much thought. But for many adults, especially as they age, small lapses can trigger a much deeper fear: Is this the beginning of cognitive decline? As a neurologist, I hear this concern often. And as a researcher, I have learned something important: Worry about cognition and cognitive disease are not the same thing.
It's easy to feel hopeless when someone has Alzheimer's, and to think that small interventions won't make a difference. That's understandable - and thankfully not true. "This symptom can be effectively treated with behavioral interventions as well as medication, which is FDA-approved for the treatment of agitation in Alzheimer's disease," Palekar said. To get to that point, he recommended discussing any agitation-like symptoms with the patient's medical provider.
