News from NYU Langone Health
Dementia Risk May Be Twice As High As Americans Live Longer, Study Finds. (NBC News)
NBC News (1/13) A study published Monday in Nature Medicine indicates the lifetime risk of developing dementia is higher than previously thought, with estimates increasing to around 42% for both men and women, largely due to longer life spans, according to study leader Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health, Department of Population Health, professor, Department of Medicine, Optimal Aging Institute, who noted, “Just the fact that the population is going to get older will mean the number of dementia cases will double overall.”
The AP (1/13) The research, which analyzed data from a long-term U.S. study on heart health and cognitive function, found that lifestyle changes, like managing high blood pressure, can significantly reduce this risk, with Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health, Department of Population Health, professor, Department of Medicine, Optimal Aging Institute saying, “All of our research suggests what you do in midlife really matters.”
The New York Times (1/13) The study found that Black participants developed dementia at younger ages and faced a higher lifetime risk compared to white participants, with contributing factors including more prevalent “vascular risk factors” like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, as well as lower socioeconomic and educational levels and structural racism impacting their health, according to Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health, Department of Population Health, professor, Department of Medicine, Optimal Aging Institute.
The New York Post (1/13) Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health, Department of Population Health, professor, Department of Medicine, Optimal Aging Institute and the NYU Langone Health research team, analyzing three decades of data from nearly 16,000 participants, predict that new dementia cases will rise from approximately 514,000 in 2020 to about 1 million by 2060, attributing previous underestimations to poor documentation in health records and on death certificates, minimal early-stage monitoring, and underreporting of minority cases.
Also reporting are The Washington Post (1/13), CNN (1/13), CBS News (1/13), The Boston Globe (1/13), Bloomberg (1/13)*, AARP (1/13), Scientific American (1/13), Newsweek (1/13), Medscape (1/13)*, MedPage Today (1/13), HealthDay (1/13), Healio (1/13), Science News (1/13), Daily Mail (UK) (1/13), Newsday (NY) (1/13), Morningstar (1/13), Becker’s Hospital Review (1/13), SciTech Daily (1/13), Neuroscience News (1/13), WABC-TV (1/13), WNBC-TV (1/13), and KSNT-TV (1/13).
Does Your Food Log Need AI Help?A Dietitian Experiments With The Latest Tools. (CNN)
CNN (1/13) CNN’s Meg Tirrell interviewed Heather Hodson Py, RDN, CDN, clinical nutritionist, Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, NYU Langone Heart, to evaluate new artificial intelligence features in food tracking apps that facilitate achieving health goals.
New Blood Biomarkers Could Transform Alzheimer’s Diagnosis. (Clinical Lab Products)
Clinical Lab Products (1/13) A study led by neuroscientists at NYU Langone Health, in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Brazil, found that declining blood levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine are linked to Alzheimer’s disease severity, with more pronounced declines in women, suggesting these molecules could serve as noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis and tracking, and potentially offer therapeutic targets; Betty Bigio, PhD, research assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, said, “Our findings offer the strongest evidence to date that decreased blood levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine could act as blood biomarkers for identifying those who have Alzheimer’s disease, and potentially those who are at greater risk of developing early dementia.” Additional NYU Langone Health researchers involved in the study are co-investigators Aryeh Korman, research technician, and Drew R. Jones, PhD, assistant professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, and Radiation Oncology.
Psilocybin Motivates Personality Changes Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder. (Healio)
Healio (1/13) Psilocybin-assisted therapy has been associated with positive personality changes in adults with alcohol use disorder, including reduced neuroticism and impulsivity, and increased extraversion and openness, which may enhance long-term recovery by mitigating traits that lead to relapse, according to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry; Broc Pagni, PhD, postdoctoral fellow and cognitive neuroscientist, Department of Psychiatry, said, “Since impulsiveness has long been linked to both excessive drinking and relapse after treatment, the personality changes brought about by psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may help those recovering from alcohol dependence remain resilient to internal and external stressors known to trigger relapse.”
The Connection Between Obesity And Heart Disease. (Everyday Health)
Everyday Health (1/13) Obesity significantly elevates the risk of cardiovascular disease through factors such as hypertension, cholesterol irregularities, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnea, and is linked to chronic inflammation and atrial fibrillation, according to Nieca Goldberg, MD, clinical associate professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, who said that losing even a small amount of weight can improve blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and inflammation levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
12 Ways To Build A Healthy Brain In The New Year. (Brain & Life)
Brain & Life (1/13) The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has identified 12 factors influencing brain health across all life stages, promoting education on sleep, mental health, diet, exercise, social connectivity, head trauma prevention, blood pressure control, metabolic and genetic risk assessment, medication adherence, infection risk reduction, limiting negative exposures, and advocating for equity in healthcare; Joel Salinas, MD, MBA, clinical assistant professor, Department of Neurology, the Pearl I. Barlow Center for Memory Evaluation and Treatment, praised the AAN’s efforts, saying, “It’s incredibly powerful that the AAN has brought the force of neurologists and other health care providers to highlight brain health as an emerging issue.”