Health Alert: Overactive Bladder Linked to Falls in Seniors.
Scientists conducted an experiment in which older adults with an overactive bladder were asked to walk under normal conditions, while performing a distracting mental task, and while needing to urinate. The investigators observed that both the need to urinate and mental distraction resulted in similar changes in gait that can increase the risk for a fall. Lead author Dr. William Gibson writes, “This is pretty good evidence that people with incontinence are being distracted by their bladders, which means that they’re less able to concentrate on walking… If you’re a family physician looking after someone who is having problems with falls, one of the things that should be asked is, ‘Are you also having problems with your bladder?’ If so, then what can be done about that?”
PLOS ONE, December 2021
Diet: Food Choices Can Protect the Brain.
Assessments of 845 older adults revealed that a high intake of fruit, vegetables, and plant-based foods may protect the brain against cognitive impairment and dementia.
Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, October 2021
Exercise: Team Sports Cut Depression Risk.
Following an analysis of data from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey, researchers report that participating in team sports can reduce one’s risk for depression by up to 48%.
Journal of Affective Disorders, January 2022
Chiropractic: Lumbar Disk Degeneration and Paraspinal Muscle Mass.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 504 middle aged adults revealed an association between lower paraspinal muscle mass and a greater degree of disk degeneration in the lumbar spine. Rehabilitation exercises focused on improving spinal muscle strength are often part of the chiropractic approach for managing low back pain in patients with degenerative disk disease.
Journal of Clinical Orthopedic Trauma, September 2021
Mental Attitude: Multiple Concussions and Stroke.
Among a group of 979 retired professional football players over the age of 65, researchers observed that those had sustained ten or more concussions in their lifetime were five times more likely to have suffered a stroke.
Stroke, January 2022
Wellness/Prevention: Cataract Surgery May Reduce Dementia Risk.
New research suggests that older adults with cataracts who undergo cataract surgery are 29% less likely to develop dementia than those who do not have surgery to correct cataracts.
JAMA Internal Medicine, December 2021
