February 2012 Health Newsletter

A British study has found brain functions including memory can begin declining as early as the mid-forties and possibly earlier. This decline includes memory, reasoning and comprehension abilities. The results come from a 10-year study involving more than 7,000 British government workers. This study comes as a surprise to the medical community as researchers had originally expected to see no decline in cognitive functioning in those 45 to 49. They instead found a modest decline in mental reasoning in both males and females in this age range. As they evaluated older individuals, they found the cognitive declines even greater. Although, one third of those studied between the ages of 45 and 70 showed no loss in cognitive function and thus, not all aging individuals experience reduction in those cognitive abilities tested. Researchers did not include anyone younger than the age of 45 but based on these findings believe brain functions could actually begin declining in those younger than 45 years. Researchers believe that conditions negatively affecting cardiovascular function, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking are likely associated with these cognitive deteriorations.

While not necessarily giving your average Joe a photographic memory, results from a new Australian study indicate taking folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements over the course of several years may enhance the memory in a number of aging adults. The study examined more than 700 individuals aged 60 to 74 years who showed mild signs of depression. Participants were provided with pills containing either 400 micrograms of folic acid and 100 micrograms of vitamin B12, or a placebo pill containing no B vitamins or active ingredients. Participants were never informed which pills they were receiving. After one year no differences were detected between the two groups in various mental test scores. However, after two years those taking the pills containing the B vitamins began showing larger improvements in their memory test scores. Although more research is needed, this study seems to suggest there may be some cognitive related benefits for certain individuals who take B vitamin supplements longer term.

It appears that advances in cancer screenings and cancer treatments may be working as a new report indicates deaths from cancers are continuing to drop. According to the most recent American Cancer Society annual report, between 2004 and 2008 cancer death rates dropped 1.6 percent in women and 1.8 percent in men annually. Although the rate drops are small, they are significant and a good sign as rates have continually dropped each year over the last 10 years. As good as this news is, it's still projected that more than 1.6 million people will be diagnosed with cancer and close to 600K individuals will die from cancer this year alone within the United States.