health studies

A new report from the UK finds that when it comes to treating alcohol-related ailments, middle-aged patients cost England's National Health Service 10 times more than younger adults.

A study published yesterday in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows many prescription drugs could have a longer shelf life than assumed, in some cases much longer. But while the results could have important implications for drug companies, researchers are quick to caution consumers against applying the findings to their own medicine cabinets.

One in four Americans over age 45 take the cholesterol-lowering drugs collectively known as statins. Recently, some researchers have raised concern that these drugs could increase diabetes risk, especially among post-menopausal women or people taking high statin doses. But a large new analysis shows that the cardiovascular benefits of statins outweigh diabetes concerns, even for high-risk groups.

A growing body of research suggests a strong link between type 2 diabetes and the development of Alzheimer's disease. Now a team of scientists from New Jersey and Northwestern Universities think they've figured out why.

Something in the way you move could be an early indicator of cognitive impairment. Five studies presented at an international Alzheimer's Association conference this month show that a person's gait becoming slower, less controlled or more variable is often a sign of concurrent problems with thinking skills such as memory, processing info or planning and carrying out activities.

A new report finds 20 percent of older adults suffer from mental health or substance abuse problems. With an aging boomer population and a serious shortage of doctors, nurses and other health workers trained in mental health care, "the burden of mental illness and substance abuse disorders in older adults in the United States borders on a crisis," researchers say.

While anorexia, bulimia and other disordered eating habits disproportionately vex the young, older women -- and men -- aren't excluded. A new study found 13 percent of women over 50 currently exhibit at least one core eating disorder symptom. The most common was "purging" (throwing up food) without binge eating (7.8 percent), followed by binge eating (3.5 percent). Overall, nearly three-quarters of all the women said they were currently trying to lose weight.

If you're feeling more stressed than ever these days, you're not alone: A scientific analysis of stress over the past 25 years finds that American stress levels increased 18 percent for women and 24 percent for men from 1983-2009. But there's a silver lining: The study also found that stress decreases as we age.

A new study found people 75 to 90 years old have a recognizable smell that can't be explained fully by diet, environment or anything else. It was distinctive enough that younger participants could identify an older person by body odor alone--but not unpleasant. In fact, older men and women were rated as less intense and less unpleasant smelling than other age groups.

Individual Insurance Market Too Costly for Most: More than a quarter of working-age U.S. adults"”or about 48 million people"”lacked health insurance at some point in 2011, according to a new study from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund. The study polled people aged 19 to 64. Of those without insurance, 70 percent had spent a year or more without coverage, and 57 percent had been uninsured for two years or more.