How You Pronounce This Letter May Reveal Your Age, Linguist Says

Posted on 01/04/2025 by Boris Clair

You might already know that how long you can stand on one leg has been linked to your brain age ― the position involves coordinating different parts of your body and mind, making it uniquely useful as a marker of ageing.

But not all the signs are medical, as anyone who’s ever looked at a festival lineup and thought “I don’t recognise a single name here” knows.

And recently, members of r/AskUK wondered whether or not the pronunciation of the letter “z” counts as one such marker.

“I was horrified to learn that a fully British colleague of mine says ‘zee’ for the letter zed and he says he always has. Is this now common and I have just lost touch?”, a now-deleted poster asked.

So, we spoke to clinical linguist and CEO of Dysolve, Dr Coral Hoh, about what was really going on.

Yep, it does seem to be an age thing

“Yes, it’s generational but not confined to the UK alone,” the linguist said of the Americanised pronunciation.

“It is also the case in other English-speaking regions,” she told HuffPost UK.

“For example, in Southeast Asia, in countries like Singapore and Malaysia, speakers in their 30s-40s may use ‘zee’ and ‘zed’ interchangeably.”

Meanwhile, she says, “their younger counterparts prefer the former, thanks to American influence.”

Indeed New Zealand magazine North And South have written about increased Americanisms among their younger people.

Growing up in Ireland, people in my Disney Channel-reared age group were constantly being accused of the same thing (I’ll admit I choose “zee” over “zed,” though my older relatives would never).

People think the trend is coming from media, including social media

“Americanisms are becoming more and more common, I blame YouTube,” Redditor u/Frst-Lengthiness-16 opined.

“My kids refuse to call biscuits by the correct name, calling them fucking ‘cookies.’”

Jane Setter, a professor of phonetics at the University of Reading, agrees, telling The Guardian: “For children, it could simply be because everyone is watching a particular trending YouTube influencer or group of influencers, or playing particular online interactive games, through word of mouth and a desire to fit in with their friends, that these people speak in a particular way, and the kids are using the features of those speakers with other kids to show they “belong” to that group.”

This may be part of the reason why Americanisms are so common among Gen Z (never said “Gen Zed,” I note) and younger…

I’m A Longevity Expert – This 30-Second Test May Reveal Your Risk Of Early Death

Posted on 21/03/2025 by Boris Clair

In a recent episode of the ZOE podcast, Bryan Johnson – a man famous for trying pretty much every supposed longevity booster going – spoke with the gut health company’s co-founder Dr Tim Spector and CEO Jonathan Wolf.

Bryan said that his progress was being measured with a “few different modalities,” adding that it’s possible to “measure the biological age of the heart anatomically.”

Though many of the methods the controversial millionaire uses to track, preserve, and even try to reverse his body’s age are experimental, researchers have found that one of the metrics he uses – resting heart rate – really can be linked to mortality.

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="8660" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":5,"contentIndexByType":1,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"author":"ZOE","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa09am-cOsC-FSgr_nLkFFA","cache_age":86400,"description":" Make smarter food choices. Become a member at http://zoe.com \n\nWhat if optimizing your sleep could significantly extend your lifespan?\n\nIn this episode, we dive into the science of longevity with Bryan Johnson, the entrepreneur spending millions to reverse aging, and Professor Tim Spector, one of the world’s top 100 most-cited scientists and an expert in nutrition and the gut microbiome.\n\nBryan has dedicated his life – and his body – to testing cutting-edge health interventions to slow down aging. His meticulous approach to sleep, diet, and exercise has sparked global debate. But how much of it is backed by science? Tim Spector joins the conversation to separate fact from fiction, revealing what actually works when it comes to sleep, longevity, and optimizing health.\n\n Try our new plant based wholefood supplement – Daily30: https://zoe.com/daily30?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=podcast_platform&utm_campaign=d30\n\nFollow ZOE on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/zoe/\n\nTimecodes\n00:00 No.1 anti aging hack\n02:05 Quickfire questions\n04:01 Bryan’s longevity protocol\n06:20 Biological age markers\n08:16 How to measure aging\n13:40 Can AI help stop aging?\n18:50 What science can we trust?\n21:40 Bryan’s self-experiments\n25:40 The most surprising sleep discovery\n31:20 The McDonald’s diet\n34:10 How to try this yourself\n37:15 Transfusing his son’s blood\n39:50 Microbiome supplement\n41:26 Bryan’s daily diet\n46:30 Truth about vitamin supplements\n\nBooks by our ZOE Scientists\nThe Food For Life Cookbook | https://amzn.to/4amfIMX\nEvery Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati | https://amzn.to/4blJsLg\nFood For Life by Prof. Tim Spector | https://amzn.to/4amZinu\n\nFree resources from ZOE:\nLive Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition | https://zoe.com/freeguide\nGut Guide – For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks | https://zoe.com/gutguide\n\nMentioned in today’s episode\nReviewing the cardiovascular and other health effects of olive oil: Limitations and future directions of current supplement formulations, 2023, published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10346407/\n\nMortality Associated with Short Sleep Duration: The Evidence, The Possible Mechanisms, and The Future, 2011, published in Sleep Medicine Reviews https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S093947532300337X\n\nSleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration: A prospective cohort study, 2024, published in Sleep https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/47/1/zsad253/7280269\n\nObjectively Assessed Cardiorespiratory Fitness and All-Cause Mortality Risk, 2022, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(22)00133-1/abstract\n\n\nHave feedback or a topic you’d like us to cover? Let us know here: https://gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topicsuggestion\n\nEpisode transcripts are available here: https://zoe.com/learn/category/podcasts","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Add your own player cover","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PH-PjiE7ep4/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Bryan Johnson: The man who spent $10m to cheat death and age in reverse | Prof. Tim Spector","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH-PjiE7ep4","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{"fonts":{"primary":{},"accent":{},"caption":{}}},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"life","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67dd6b36e4b008723252f5db","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/resting-heart-rate-longevity_uk_67dd6b36e4b008723252f5db","entryTagsList":"health,ageing,longevity","sectionSlug":"lifestyle","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.lifestyle","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":13},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67dd6b36e4b008723252f5db","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"Health","slug":"health","links":{"relativeLink":"news/health","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/health","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/health"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Health","slug":"health","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/health/"},{"name":"ageing","slug":"ageing","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ageing","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ageing","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ageing"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ageing/"},{"name":"longevity","slug":"longevity","links":{"relativeLink":"news/longevity","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/longevity","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/longevity"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/longevity/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline\", \"entry_paragraph_2\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

[embedded content]

How does resting heart rate affect longevity?

Harvard’s site says that measuring your resting heart rate, or the number of times your heart beats in a set period while you’re relaxed, is “one of the easiest, and maybe most effective” health markers we have.

Dr Jason Wasfy, director of quality and analytics at Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center, said: “A lower resting heart rate can mean a higher degree of physical fitness, which is associated with reduced rates of cardiac events like heart attacks”.

Meanwhile, a higher resting heart rate could belie an increased risk of cardiac risk “as the more beats your heart has to take eventually takes a toll on its overall function”.

A 2013 study found that men who had a resting heart rate between 81 and 90 had double the risk of premature death than those with a lower heart rate (50 bpm), while those with a resting heart rate above 90 had triple the risk.

With every 10 added beats per minute, they found, the likelihood of premature death upped by 16%.

What’s an ideal resting heart rate?

The British Heart Foundation says an ideal resting heart rate is between 60-100 BPM (beats per minute).

Sometimes, very fit people have a lower heart rate than 60 BPM. A lower resting heart rate warrants a GP visit if it’s accompanied by symptoms like dizziness, fainting, and fatigue.

Your heart rate can dip as low as 40 BPM when you sleep without any cause for cencern.

A heart rate over 100 BPM is too fast for most of us. See a doctor if you notice palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, or fainting.

How can I measure my resting heart rate?

It takes about 30 seconds to measure your resting heart rate. You just need to make sure you’re really, well, rested when you check it; soon after waking up is a great time to check your resting heart rate.

Put your index and middle fingers on your wrist or neck – anywhere you can feel a pulse.

Don’t use your thumb, because that has its own pulse.

Measure the beats across 30 seconds and then double it to get your beats per minute (BPM).

You should repeat it a few times to make sure your reading is accurate, making sure it’s not within an hour of either drinking caffeine or taking exercise (those elevate your heart rate).

For the most accurate stats, take your resting heart rate multiple times across that week at different times of day.

This Type Of Intelligence May Predict How Long You’ll Live

Posted on 20/03/2025 by Boris Clair

In his book How To Prevent Dementia, professor of neurology Dr Richard Restak said that how we describe our jobs may be linked to our dementia risk.

He referenced a decades-long study involving nuns which found that how participants described their pre-convent work in their youth seemed to be linked to how likely they were to develop dementia over time.

“The best functioning nuns [in old age] differed from their counterparts who had succumbed to dementia by what [the study author] termed cognitive density: many thoughts and ideas woven into few sentences and paragraphs,” Dr Restak said.

More recent research from last year suggests that “verbal fluency” might be the strongest cognitive predictor of longevity too.

How does “verbal fluency” affect longevity?

A study published in Psychological Science looked at data from the Berlin Ageing Study alongside nine other cognitive studies.

Existing studies have linked intelligence to increased longevity, but the 2024 paper wanted to look at whether different kinds of intelligence were better or worse than others at predicting someone’s lifespan.

They divided the intelligence of the study’s participants into four groups

Verbal fluency (how easily you can summon the right words for a situation – in this study, they asked participants to name as many animals as they could in 90 seconds),
Perceptual speed (how quickly and accurately you can compare and assess patterns via visual cues),
Verbal knowledge (the breadth of someone’s vocabulary), and
Episodic memory (how well you can recall and contextualise personal memories).

The scientists then compared the results of these cognitive tests to how long their longevity predictor, which they co-created with the help of experts in multiple universities who are skilled at making joint multivariate longitudinal survival models, said participants were expected to live.

They found that verbal fluency was the only cognitive trait they measured which seemed to affect how long people were predicted to live. Those with better verbal fluency were expected to have longer lives.

Why might that be?

The scientists didn’t prove that verbal fluency definitely predicts a longer life, nor did they find out exactly why it may have such an effect.

But in an interview, the study’s lead author Dr Paolo Ghisletta said that verbal well-being could be a good indicator of ageing because it combines so many cognitive skills.

“All of these domains are just declining together, whether it’s cognition, personality, emotions, or biological, medical decline in general,” he suggested.

Indeed previous studies have linked how well someone can stand on one leg, a physical process which recruits multiple parts of the brain and body at once, to both longevity and dementia risk.

I Have Been Lying To My Grown Children For Years. Here’s What They Don’t Know About My Life.

Posted on 19/11/2024 by Boris Clair

Living alone when you’re my age requires lying. There’s no way around it. It isn’t that I mean to lie; it’s that I want to avoid the conversation that will immediately ensue if I don’t.

My adult daughters — the people who monitor my 86-year-old life — need to feel reassured that I’m eating healthy, exercising and sleeping enough, and being engaged. Engaging means different things to them than to my aging friends, and they are the ones to whom I must answer. Consequently, all these expectations require more and more lying, my form of which is most often that of smiling indirection.

I assure my daughters I eat vast quantities of fruits, vegetables, salmon and chicken. There is rarely any mention of my consumption of popcorn, rum raisin ice cream or pistachios. When we’re having a meal together, I am careful to order a big slab of protein surrounded by leafy green leaves. I demur when offered crackers and cheese and murmur daintily with a downcast expression, “dairy.” Until they read this, I’ll continue to feel confident I’ve gotten away with those lies.

There are days I don’t want to eat my meals in the prescribed order. What if I want something other than cereal, eggs or toast for breakfast, like leftover Chinese takeout? Well, then, that’s what I do. Sometimes, my disorderly eating leads to the need for Alka-Seltzer, but I keep a supply on hand for such occasions. Do I think my daughters check to see what’s in my medicine cabinet? I’m not sure, probably not. But just in case, I keep the Alka-Seltzer tucked away out of sight. I want to avoid answering questions about why I need it.

I also lie — not only by indirection but also by omission — about the frequency of my accidents. They include tripping over, stumbling into, brushing against, and, worst of all, falling all the way down.

I try not to bump into anything, but I fail — repeatedly. Even when I rush to the freezer to urgently press an ice cube onto the spot, an enormous purple bruise blossoms under it.

Slamming into things has also led to many skin tears. Blood requires covering, which results in my arms being festooned with bandages. I have to try to get them on with one hand while holding a cloth over the wound with the other, often ending up with a wastepaper basket filled with false starts and discarded adhesives. My medicine chest currently has a larger supply of bandages of every size and shape, multiple forms of gauze and tape, and tubes of healing ointments than I ever needed when my children were little.

When I go out, I’m met with concerned gazes and the question, “Are you OK?” I smile nonchalantly and joke, “You should see the other guy.” Their amused response allows me to circumvent whatever concrete lie I would have to create to explain my multicoloured, multitextured arms. I have even considered getting those arm sleeves that are intended for gardeners to avoid being cut up by branches or thorns but are now used as accessories. They’re available in a wide range of styles and designs. Some with tattoos might be fun. I could lie and pretend I’m making a fashion statement while covering my ongoing cascade of wounds.

There are also the moments when the urgent task of keeping my balance eludes me entirely, and I fall all the way down. This is most often the result of me trying to multitask.

My most recent fall was in my apartment building’s parking lot. I was getting out of the car, wheeling my grocery cart with one hand and reaching back to close the car door with the other — a recipe for disaster. I went down onto the concrete, the cart rolling to a stop three feet ahead of me against the bumper of a nearby parked car. My first impulse was to look around — not for help, which would have been the wise thing to do — but to see if anyone saw me fall. I was alone, which allowed me to turn over onto my hands and knees, the way I get up from the ground these days.

The only person (or thing, rather) who knows I fell is my Apple Watch, which dutifully flashed, “I see you fell. Do you need help? Should I call 911?” when it happened. I pressed back “I’m fine,” essentially lying in the language Apple’s engineers have programmed as a response. I hobbled upstairs, hurriedly put the food away, laid down and went to sleep. I have concluded that I’m handling the situation maturely. I’m uncertain if not telling my children that I fell down constitutes withholding necessary information — yet another permutation of lying — but I suspect it does. Why is it anyone’s business? They’ll just worry and offer advice that I already know. Be careful. Only do one thing at a time. Move slowly. Use arnica.

There are more things that I lie about. Well, not exactly lying. I just never mention them — like losing and forgetting items and words, for instance.

I’m a very tidy woman, and order comforts me. Everything in my home has a clear and obvious spot, so it’s easy to find something when I need it. But even in my carefully put-together home, I lose things. Eventually, they turn up in a pants pocket, at the bottom of a bag or stuck between a pile of papers on my desk. But how that came to be their momentary resting place is never clear.

I lose things outside my house as well. In public bathrooms, I sometimes take the opportunity to check my messages, then carefully balance the phone on the toilet paper dispenser — and leave it there. This has happened five times, and with each one, the kindness of strangers has reunited me with my phone. I’m hoping my luck holds out.

After the inevitable conclusion of my much-too-young marriage, I lost my house keys four times in one week. Sometimes, there is meaning in losing. Not anymore. There are no metaphors to explore here.

At 86, of course I also forget words; I even lose entire trains of thought. But I remember enough to keep myself interested and do my best to decide that whatever I forgot wasn’t essential or that the thought will eventually return. But when it does, it’s often in the midst of something else where it doesn’t fit, and I don’t understand why I’m remembering whatever it is.

Sometimes, when I lose words, I find others to substitute. Recently, when reaching for the phrase “Secret Service,” I said instead, “Social Security.” My friend looked puzzled by my introduction of this unexpected phrase into our conversation, and I hurriedly switched what I had meant to say.

There has been a new development in my living alone that helps with this and feels comforting, though — talking out loud to myself. It isn’t that I want another person’s voice in my apartment. I just want a voice, and mine does just fine. “I think I’ll watch ‘Hacks’,” I say brightly — and I do just that, getting up from my desk and walking into my living room. It’s a little like having nondemanding company; I enjoy talking to myself and continue to find myself sprightly. However, I’m careful not to do this when my daughters are around because the possibility of seeing their mother speak to nothing but the air in front of her would alarm them.

My social life being filled with old women (and a sprinkling of old men) is also helpful. When I forget something, I just say, “I forgot,” and they understand. Maybe if I had more younger people in my life, I would have to navigate my embarrassment and their impatience with a lie (followed by my annoyance at my embarrassment and their impatience). But I don’t have to do that with my friends. We’re all in the same boat.

Behind my agreeable face is an old woman holding fiercely to her wavering autonomy. I wonder if the middle-aged children of aging parents yield to parental obfuscations and equivocations — the little lies we tell — because they may not really want to know about the forgetting, falling, creative eating, losing, bumping into sharp objects, and talking to ourselves that define our realities. Would my daughters really want to know what goes on when they aren’t around — the challenges I face every day and all that I go through to be able to live my life the way I want to live it? Do they — and others like them — worry that the more they know, the more they may have to step toward us and our increasingly precarious hold on independence and eventually fold us into their lives? Our lying is buying us time — a precious and limited commodity that we want as our own. And I’ll continue to lie as long as I can get away with it.

Sandra Butler is the author of five books, each designed to identify something unspoken in women’s lives. “Conspiracy of Silence; The Trauma of Incest” brought attention to the sexual violation of girls; “Cancer in Two Voices” frankly explored how a lesbian couple navigates the death of a partner; and “It Never Ends: Mothering Middle-Aged Daughters” described the intersection of aging and mothering, while challenging the myths around both. In “The Kitchen is Closed And Other Benefits of Being Old,” Butler chronicled her experience moving from aging all the way to old, and with the recent publication of “Leaving Home at 83,” she is now proudly standing alongside and grateful for the generations of women putting their younger, non-arthritic shoulders to the wheel as they work to create the world we need to flourish. She is currently working on her next book, delighting in the richness of her life in Tucson, Arizona, and hoping not to fall. Her website, sandrabutler.net, reflects the books, articles and concerns of the past 50 years.

Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.

Noticing This While Walking May Be An Early Sign Of Dementia

Posted on 29/10/2024 by Boris Clair

You may already know that shuffling your feet while walking can be an early sign of dementia, affecting someone’s ability to, say, go up the stairs.

But scientists may have identified another possible early symptom that shows up in your stride.

A 2022 study, published in JAMA Network Open, didn’t look at walking on its own; they compared older people’s hiking styles to their memory.

The changes in walking didn’t mean much without a decline in certain cognitive skills, they say.

But those who notice differences in their walk alongside cognitive changes, referred to by the study as “dual decliners,” had a higher risk of developing dementia than the rest of the participants.

How did it work?

Researchers looked at data from 16,855 older participants in Australia and the US.

They examined gait speed in two-year intervals across seven years, and again in the final year.

They also looked at cognitive changes (in memory, verbal fluency, mental processing speed, and “global” cognition) at years 0, 1, 3, 5, and at the close-out of the test.

They found that people who both saw a slowing of their walking speed and a decline in their cognitive ability (especially memory) were far more likely to have dementia.

“Association between domains, such as processing speed and verbal fluency, with gait have been explained by the crossover in the underlying networks or pathology,” the paper says.

It continues, “Of domains examined, the combination of decline in gait speed with memory had the strongest association with dementia risk. These findings support the inclusion of gait speed in dementia risk screening assessments.”

Does this mean walking more slowly over time is a dementia sign?

No ― again, it was only relevant when paired with cognitive changes.

If you suspect dementia in yourself or a loved one, the NHS advises you to see a GP as soon as possible.

Bringing up the topic with a loved one can be hard, they say, so be sure you approach the topic gently, in a situation they’re familiar with, and without rushing.

“A diagnosis of dementia can also help people with these symptoms, and their families and friends, make plans so they’re prepared for the future,” they add.

Healthy Blood Pressure Changes With Age — Here’s What’s Normal For Each Age Group

Posted on 17/10/2024 by Boris Clair

We all hear a lot about blood pressure, but depending on how often you take a trip to your doctor’s, you might not know what yours is.

The term refers to “the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around your body,” the NHS says (how bad is it that I didn’t know that?).

Low blood pressure isn’t usually a concern, though it can make some of us feel dizzy and sometimes causes fainting.

But high blood pressure “can increase your risk of developing serious problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, if it’s not treated.”

You can get your blood pressure checked using a blood pressure machine (if you’re over 40, you can get this done for free in participating pharmacies).

Once you get those numbers you might be wondering what’s normal for your age ― and according to the Heart Research Institute, “normal blood pressure varies from person to person” and by age and gender.

These are:

1) Newborns up to 1 month

Systolic (top number): 60–90 mm Hg
Diastolic (bottom number): 20–60 mm Hg

2) Infants

Systolic (top number): 87–105 mm Hg
Diastolic (bottom number): 53–66 mm Hg

3) Toddlers

Systolic (top number): 95–105 mm Hg
Diastolic (bottom number): 53–66 mm Hg

4) Preschoolers

Systolic (top number): 95–110 mm Hg
Diastolic (bottom number): 56–70 mm Hg

5) School-aged children

Systolic (top number): 97–112 mm Hg
Diastolic (bottom number): 57–71 mm Hg

6) Adolescents

Systolic (top number): 112–128 mm Hg
Diastolic (bottom number): 66–80 mm Hg

7) 18–39 years

Women: 110/68 mm Hg
Men: 119/70 mm Hg

8) 40–59 years

Women: 122/74 mm Hg
Men: 124/77 mm Hg

9) 60+ years

Women: 139/68 mm Hg
Men: 133/69 mm Hg

Why does age and gender affect normal blood pressure levels?

According to the National Institute of Aging, “normal” blood pressure levels differ among different age groups because “Your body’s network of blood vessels, known as the vascular system, changes with age.”

“Arteries get stiffer, causing blood pressure to go up,” they add. That’s true even for very health and heart-conscious people.

And “Although the mechanisms responsible for the gender differences in blood pressure control are not clear, there is significant evidence that androgens, such as testosterone, play an important role in gender-associated differences in blood pressure regulation,” a research paper published by the American Heart Association (AHA) says.

The AHA wrote on a separate page that pre-menopausal women tend to have lower blood pressure than men, but added that “after menopause, however, blood pressure increases in women to levels even higher than in men.”

6 Psychological Factors Have Been Linked To Dementia Risk, And 2 Are More Important Than The Rest

Posted on 14/08/2024 by Boris Clair

We’ve already shared at HuffPost UK how everything from reading fiction to walking may help to decrease your risk of developing dementia.

In fact, for a small group of genetically predisposed older people, something as simple as fish oil tablets may offer some protective benefits.

And now, a study has been released that suggests those with poor “psychological well-being” may have a higher chance of developing dementia.

This comes from a paper published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry which tracked over 900 participants over 14 years.

They tracked who got mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and who didn’t.

What did they mean by “psychological well-being”?

The team measured “self-acceptance, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relation with others, and personal growth,” the researchers said.

Every year, they measured participants’ scores in those six areas using Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being.

They found that “Psychological well-being (specifically purpose in life and personal growth) became significantly lower before MCI diagnosis,” the study said.

Researchers found that the dip in psychological well-being usually happened six years before the diagnosis.

The 73 participants who developed dementia were more likely to have lower psychological well-being than those who didn’t.

The mean age of participants was 79.9 years old, and “most participants are white and female, which may limit the generalisability of our findings to other populations,” the scientists said.

So, will I definitely get dementia if my psychological well-being is low?

Absolutely not.

“Future studies with larger and more diverse samples are warranted to verify our findings,” the paper said ― even then, it only studied older, mostly white, mostly female people.

They did not find that every person with decreased psychological wellbeing got MCI or dementia, nor did they find that every person with good psychological wellbeing was dementia or MCI-free.

“Compared with participants who were dementia-free, those who developed dementia were more likely to be older, female, APOE ε4 carriers, and to have a lower level of psychological well-being (p0.05 for all),” the paper said.

Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation for Alzheimer’s Society, told The Guardian that it’s very likely taking care of your mental health and social life is a prevention factor.

But he added, “At this stage, it is not clear whether we can use these wellbeing factors as a predictor of MCI and we need research to demonstrate if tackling these factors might change the trajectory of a decline in memory and thinking skills.”

Speak to your GP ASAP if you suspect you or a loved one have dementia.

Time Flies By As We Get Older. This Is Why It Feels That Way

Posted on 21/12/2022 by Boris Clair

For many people, 2022 went by in a blink – doesn’t it feel like it was just January? But for others, especially children, last year’s holidays may seem like eons ago.

There’s a reason why you may feel like the years moved slowly when you were a kid, but zoom by now. Experts say our perception of time greatly changes as we age, which makes certain periods feel like they go by quickly.

“Our perception of days, weeks, years and that kind of time seems to be especially influenced by our perspective: Are we in the moment experiencing it, or are we looking backward on time?” says Cindy Lustig, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.

She added that the perception of time is also influenced by memory and how much you’ve experienced. For an eigh-year-old, a week is a big portion of their life. For an 80-year-old, a week is a much smaller portion of their life, which contributes to the feeling that it went by quickly.

Looking back on time plays into this feeling of acceleration

A day in the life of a retired 80-year-old may feel like it’s going by more slowly than that of an eight-year-old who is busy at school. However, when both people look back on a month or a year, that period of time will seem like it went by faster to the older person.

This is for a number of reasons. For the 80-year-old, their life probably doesn’t look too different than it did when they were 78 or 79, “so, in that case, they’re looking back on fewer events,” Lustig says. “When you’re looking back, the less rich your representation is, the more it’s going to seem like the time went by quickly.”

In other words, our brains lump time together when the days or weeks are similar. So for an 80-year-old who largely does the same thing every day, the year is going to blend together in their mind and feel like it went by quickly.

The new and exciting things in a day are what make the days and months feel different, and thus set them apart in our minds.

As you age, your perception of time changes, which is why years may feel like they fly by.

Changes to your routine can also affect how fast the years seem to go by

“Our brains are designed to record change,” says Adrian Bejan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University and the author of the recent book Time And Beauty: Why Time Flies And Beauty Never Dies.

The many experiences young children have in a day (such as learning new things at school, going to ballet class or visiting a new friend’s house) contribute to the notion that time is more plentiful and more activities can fit into that time. Therefore, when looking back, time may feel slower.

This can apply to adults, too. When we look back on a time period that was filled with lots of new experiences, “we see [a] large expense of events and memories, and that makes it seem like time stretches out … and it feels very long,” Lustig says. If you’re not introducing new patterns into your life, time can feel like it’s going by much quicker overall.

Some experts think that how our brain absorbs images impacts our perception of time

How we process what we see can also influence how we view time, Bejan says. Our brains are trained to receive many images when we are infants. Because we’re absorbing so many new images as kids, it may feel like months and years are longer.

As adults, “the brain receives fewer images than it was trained to receive when young,” Bejan says. Therefore, we feel like time went by more quickly. In other words, there are physiological factors at play that influence our perception of time ― namely, the older we get, the faster it feels.

Trying out new things can help it feel like time went by more slowly.

While you can’t slow time, you can do things to feel like it’s moving a little slower.

Bejan says many older people ask him how they can slow down time, “because everybody wants to live longer [and has] the urge to do more and better things with the time that is available.”

He said one way to do this is to experience things that are new and out of your usual regimen.

This could mean picking up a childhood hobby (like dancing or violin), taking an overnight trip to a city you’ve never visited or signing up for a cooking class. Learning new things is another good way to make your time feel longer when you look back on your life, he said.

Bejan stresses the adage “variety is the spice of life”: you should get out of your routine and take advantage of the time you have, which will only help make you feel like your year had more time to fill, he says.

Living a routine-only life makes the year fly really fast, he adds.

Lustig notes that being fully engaged and “in the moment” can make those moments seem to last longer. In fact, laboratory studies show that mindfulness exercises can stretch our perception of time, she says. So don’t try to focus on multiple tasks at once. Instead, just focus on the experience at hand.

“None of us know how much time we have, but, interestingly, we do actually have a lot of control over how we experience that time,” Lustig says. “So I encourage everybody to make the most of the time that you’ve got.”

These Simple Tasks Can Cut Your Risk Of Dementia, Study Finds

Posted on 29/07/2022 by Boris Clair

New research is offering some actionable steps we can take to protect our minds from memory loss.

A large UK-based study published this week in the American Academy of Neurology’s medical journal found that physical and mental activities – such as doing household chores, exercising or visiting loved ones may help lower the risk of dementia.

The roughly 11-year study followed 501,376 people in the UK who self-reported their physical and mental activities at the beginning of the experiment: how often they visit with friends, their education level, how often they climb stairs, how they commute to work, and more.

The study found certain activities were associated with a lower risk of dementia. People who frequently exercised had a 35% lower risk, people who frequently did household chores had a 21% lower risk and people who visited daily with family and friends had a 15% lower risk.

And while dementia risk factors also include things that are out of our control – like ageing and genetics ― the research underscores that there are behaviours within your power to either reduce your risk of dementia or delay the condition, Dr. Scott Turner, director of the memory disorders program at Georgetown University Medical Centre, tells HuffPost.

The study does come with a few caveats: The findings are a correlation, not necessarily a direct link. Another limitation is that because people reported their own physical and mental activities, there’s always a chance that some people forgot about activities they engaged in or reported them incorrectly.

“More research is needed to confirm our findings. However, our results are encouraging that making these simple lifestyle changes may be beneficial,” study author Dr. Huan Song of Sichuan University in China, said in a statement.

Overall, the results are good news, considering that an estimated 850,000 people live with dementia in the UK, according to the NHS, and some 5 million in the US — with those numbers only expected to grow.

Keeping your brain stimulated is key

Whether through physical activity, social activity or mental activity, putting your brain to work can help delay dementia onset or reduce the risk altogether.

Chores double as both a physical and mental activity (and can even sometimes be considered exercise, Turner noted). Visits with loved ones are a social activity that also requires mental stimulation, and physical activity requires mental dedication, too.

Turner said that people who develop visual or hearing problems could be at a higher risk of dementia if they don’t address the problem by getting glasses or hearing aids. When you can’t hear or see, he explained, “you’re depriving your brain of sensory input, and you need to keep your brain stimulated” to help reduce your risk of dementia.

Physical activity is one way to help decrease your risk of dementia.

Physical activity has a double benefit when it comes to dementia risk

Another risk factor for dementia is diabetes, Turner notes, and there are lifestyle patterns you can follow to reduce your risk of diabetes. These include exercising, following a healthy diet and maintaining an ideal body weight throughout your lifetime.

So, not only does exercise help slash your risk of dementia, but it also helps slash your risk of diabetes, which, in itself, puts you at risk for memory loss.

It’s never too late to implement these changes

Turner stresses that no matter your age, it’s never too late to start following some of these lifestyle recommendations. And that can be as simple as doing some extra vacuuming around the house or going for a walk with your neighbour, for example.

“I recommend doing as much as possible with lifestyle [changes] to avoid and prevent dementia,” he says. “And, of course, prevention is better than treatment.”

For those who already have memory problems or dementia, Turner says lifestyle changes that require physical, social or mental activity are still beneficial. You can help slow down the progression of dementia by keeping your brain stimulated. This is why puzzles are a popular activity among people with Alzheimer’s disease.

If you experience any new memory problems, talk to your doctor

“If someone does develop memory problems, then they certainly should seek evaluation starting with their primary care provider,” Turner says.

He stresses that some very treatable things cause memory problems, like sleep apnea and Vitamin B12 deficiency. But any neurological changes should be evaluated so you get the proper treatment plan.

Empowered, Indifferent, Old: This Is How Men Feel About Turning 40

Posted on 21/06/2022 by Boris Clair

“Am I where I expected to be at 40?”

This is probably not a question Prince William is asking himself as enters his fifth decade. But the Duke of Cambridge’s birthday has got us thinking about milestone ages, and why some of us place so much significance on certain numbers.

For women, approaching ‘The Big Four O’ often means discussions of fertility and the biological clock intensify (whether or not you want children and even though a woman doesn’t suddenly wake up on her birthday unable to conceive).

But what’s at the forefront of men’s minds as they approach this age? We asked a bunch of guys aged 39 and over to find out.

‘I get a lot of stick for being single still’

“I’m almost 40, single, with no permanent long-term job. I still love travelling and exploring and totally lack any sort of plan. But I’m kind of okay with that.

“At 40, you’re expected to have job security, a demonstration of some sort of career progression, where you’ve ended up with a bigger salary, a nicer suit and a nicer house.

“I get a lot of stick for being single still. All my friends are in marriages or second marriages in some cases, people say: ‘you’re not going to get sorted are you?’ Every now and then, you do question your life choices. There are always going to be periods in a 12 month calendar where you’re going to have a couple of phases of self-doubt, where you might question the way you’ve done things. You might feel a bit sorry for yourself and have a bit of a pity party. But on the whole I’m quite content with where things are – I’ve seen a lot of the world, I’ve met a lot of great people. I’ve been very, very fortunate in that sense.” – Stephen Boyd, 39, Lincolnshire

‘I was fine with turning 40, but turning 41 hit me hard’

“Turning 40 didn’t phase me, but when I turned 41 I began to obsess over the fact that my life was in a type of descent towards the inevitable end, and that my best experiences were behind me. I was also worried that if I had a child I’d have a limited amount of time to be in their life. My dad was 53 when I was born and I was teased about it at school, so I didn’t want to be an ‘old dad’.

“As it turned out I was 43 when my daughter was born so I beat him by 10 years! Now my life is all about watching her grow and develop (she’ll be three in August) and it has given me joy but also anxiety. I’m trying to live in the moment now because I don’t want to have more regrets than I already do, and I want my daughter to have the happiest and most secure childhood I can give her. So now I don’t obsess as much over my age or my past as I have a real focus on ensuring Flora is happy and loved.” – Peter McKerry, 45, Westcliff-on-Sea

‘Men get more of a free pass’

“I turn 44 this week and love it. I think 30 was more of hurdle for me psychologically, as it was the age where I felt you needed to knuckle down to some responsibilities and achievements personally and professionally, as well as resenting the fact I was no longer young and carefree. So by your 40s, you can enjoy all the new challenges and opportunities that come your way.

“There’s far more pressure on women at all ages but particularly 40s to have a great career and be a mum, I think. As far as media and peer pressure goes, men get more of a free pass. I’m lucky in the sense family and friends have never had any great competition between us to do well, some days are a grind, some days are easy. If you set yourself targets you lose sight of what’s important, which in my case is just trying to enjoy whatever it is I’m doing.” –Andy Dewar, 44, Hamilton, Scotland

‘I haven’t altered anything’

“I felt perfectly fine [approaching 40], with no pre-conceived thoughts of 40 being an issue and prohibiting me from what I can do physically and mentally. I look younger than my age so perhaps that played a fact in my mindset.

Has anything about being 40 surprised me? No not at all, why should it? I haven’t altered anything about my lifestyle to encompass my age or felt as if I had needed to.” – Michael Charles Grant, 40, Hertfordshire

‘Turning 40 made me re-evaluate my health and fitness’

″40… oh, that sounds old. Well, that was the thinking I had when I was in my mid 30s and heading towards 40. Society slots you into a category when your age starts with a four. I had just had my twin boys Alex and Lewis a few months before and dealing with them was really taxing on the mind and body. It was then also that I decided that ‘Dad Bod’ wasn’t something I liked and that I needed to do something about it. General fitness levels were poor and I found myself struggling with day to day tasks in dealing with two newborns. So I said to myself ‘Paul, you’re now 40, you’ve got the twins to think about, you don’t want two young boisterous boys growing up with a dad that can’t keep up… time to get into shape.’ It was a ‘If I don’t do this now, I never will’, moment.

“I’m in better shape now that I was in my 20s and 30s. Confident in how I look, with loads of energy for playing with the twins. My change in physique also motivated my wife to get back to the gym too, plus it has brought us closer with shared interest in fitness and just being better for our sons. Also, more body confident = more intimacy too.” – Paul McCaw, 46, Belfast Northern Ireland

‘Every decade has got better for me.’

“Every decade has got better for me so – despite the birthday itself not feeling like a big deal – I was really excited that my 40s would continue that trend.

“My 30s were where I started to put into action the stuff that I had discovered in my 20s. I left my really great job in the public service (which I totally loved) to start my own business in brewing. My wife and I started the business, had three kids, and then moved our business and family from New Zealand to UK. It was busy beyond belief, but we were both doing things we loved. Coming up for seven years into my 40s and despite the clusterfucks of Brexit and Covid, I’m having the time of my life!

“While there’s immense privilege in being a man – and that’s something far too few men understand – I think there’s a lot of pressure on men to achieve certain things by certain ages. I’m constantly aware of how, at certain stage in my life, I feel like I’ve still not grown up. And I wonder if my parents felt the same. I do remember my dad telling me that he didn’t actually feel safe and comfortable in his life until he was in his 50s. I totally get that. I guess a part of it is kids growing up and releasing that weight of expectation around looking after them.” – Stu McKinlay, 46, London

Donation for helping 20