A blood test could predict risk of developing leukaemia in the elderly population years in advance by identifying changes in blood cell production, according to new research.By identifying those most at risk it should be possible to provide preventiv
Date Time
Mediterranean diet linked to thinking skills
People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet-particularly one rich in green leafy vegetables and low in meat-are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a study shows.
Closely adhering to a Mediterranean diet was associated with higher scores on a range of memory and thinking tests among adults in their late 70s, the research found.
The study found no link, however, between the Mediterranean-style diet and better brain health.
Markers of healthy brain ageing – such as greater grey or white matter volume, or fewer white matter lesions-did not differ between those regularly eating a Mediterranean diet and those who did not.
A greater exposure to air pollution at the very start of life was associated with a detrimental effect on people's cognitive skills up to 60 years later, the research found.
Researchers studied the results of cognitive tests taken at age 11 and again at 70
They also examined where each of those people had lived throughout their life
This allowed them to determine the levels of air pollution they were exposed to
There was a small but notable decline in cognitive skills when someone was exposed to levels of smog or air pollution up to the age of 11, the team found
E-Mail
A greater exposure to air pollution at the very start of life was associated with a detrimental effect on people s cognitive skills up to 60 years later, the research found.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh tested the general intelligence of more than 500 people aged approximately 70 years using a test they had all completed at the age of 11 years.
The participants then repeated the same test at the ages of 76 and 79 years.
A record of where each person had lived throughout their life was used to estimate the level of air pollution they had experienced in their early years.
The team used statistical models to analyse the relationship between a person s exposure to air pollution and their thinking skills in later life.