Condition Spotlight
Aging is inevitable, but healthy aging is a goal we should all shoot for. The key to longevity is to live a long like and being able to actively be involved in daily activities. There are a number of ways you can incorporate these objectives into your everyday life.
Being physically active, mentally aware and socially adapt are all important in living a long healthy life. We provide tips on diet, exercise, mind-body tools and more to help you live a healthy life.
If your loved one stayed in a hospital to receive acute care for a severe injury, surgery, or illness, there might be a possibility that they need post-acute care as well. That’s a type of Read More
Aging is a natural part of life. Despite its inevitability, many people seek to halt or stall the process. For others, the goal is to embrace it fully and grow old gracefully instead, but how Read More
Humans are the only species in which one sex is known to have a ubiquitous survival advantage, Steven Austad, Ph.D., and Kathleen Fischer, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers write in their Read More
A recent study by University of Southern California and Yale University researchers suggests that at least part of the gains in life expectancy over recent decades may be due to a change in the rate Read More
With nearly 55 million seniors living in the U.S. from Boston to Seattle, it’s not surprising that many families are struggling to find the right care for their senior parents. Most seniors prefer to live Read More
It is estimated that between 14,000 and 15,000 Americans have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to the National Institutes of Health. Symptoms of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, may be subtle at first Read More
Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. As our immune system loses its edge, we become more vulnerable to diseases. While there is no way to prevent this natural process, you can slow it down Read More
Human growth hormone (from growth hormone or HGH), also known as GH, somatotropin and somatotropic hormone, is an anabolic hormone produced and secreted by the pituitary gland. HGH is a single-chain polypeptide that directly and Read More
Despite the increase of hearing loss in the world, many people still underestimate the impact of impaired hearing on their bodies and lives. Hearing loss can lead to communication problems and affect an individual socially, Read More
Involuntary age-related muscle loss affects 100% of the population, with declines at a rate of about 1% a year after age 70. If you don’t do something about it, your risk of falls increases. Your Read More
Aging is associated with changes in dynamic biological, physiological, environmental, psychological, behavioral, and social processes. Some age-related changes are benign, such as graying hair. Others result in declines in function of the senses and activities of daily life and increased susceptibility to and frequency of disease, frailty, or disability. In fact, advancing age is the major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases in humans.
Studies from the basic biology of aging using laboratory animals — and now extended to human populations — have led to the emergence of theories to explain the process. While there is no single “key” to explain aging, these studies have demonstrated that the rate of aging can be slowed, suggesting that targeting aging will coincidentally slow the appearance and/or reduce the burden of numerous diseases and increase healthspan (the portion of life spent in good health).
To develop new interventions for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of aging-related diseases, disorders, and disabilities, we must first understand their causes and the factors that place people at increased risk for their initiation and progression. Researchers are engaged in basic science at all levels of analysis, from molecular to social, to understand the processes of aging and the factors that determine who ages “well” and who is susceptible to age-related disease and disability. Research is also ongoing to identify the interactions among genetic, environmental, lifestyle, behavioral, and social factors and their influence on the initiation and progression of age-related diseases and degenerative conditions.
