Today’s Headlines: How to Stop Gaining Weight as You Age, Brain Games That Could Affect Brain Size, and Acid Reflux Medicines May Increase Risk of Dementia

Today’s Headlines: How to Stop Gaining Weight as You Age, Brain Games That Could Affect Brain Size, and Acid Reflux Medicines May Increase Risk of Dementia

Eating certain foods may help you maintain weight as you get older. A slow metabolism among other issues can cause weight gain as you age but a new study shows that some foods can help stave off extra pounds. “Those whose diets included the most foods high in flavonoids — plant-based compounds found in many fruits and vegetables — gained the least [weight over the course of the study]. High-flavonoid foods associated with the smallest weight gain included apples, pears, blueberries, strawberries and peppers.” Next time you go to the grocery store make sure to stock up on these fruits and vegetables and try to stick to a healthy eating plan as much as possible. (The Washington Post)

Brain games could help prevent your brain from shrinking. Your brain decreases naturally in size as you age, but a new study shows that brain games may help add years to your life. In a new study, researchers had participants go through brain training exercises, including playing brain games “that the researchers specifically tailored [these games] to focus on each person’s individual weaknesses…At the end of the trial, the researchers administered the cognitive tests to see if people had improved. And they had. The average person in the study improved in about five of the 10 cognitive areas. 84% of people showed significant improvement in at least three of the areas of cognitive function.” Further research is necessary since this study was small and did not have a placebo group making the results very limited. (Time)

Drugs for heartburn, gastric reflux, or peptic ulcers can potentially increase dementia risk. A German study found that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) manufactured by the companies Novartis and AstraZeneca could have adverse side effects. “The researchers examined medical records from 2004 through 2011 from more than 73,000 patients age 75 and older, mostly women. They classified 2,950 of those patients as regular PPI users, meaning they had at least one prescription for one of the drugs every four or five months over an 18-month period. During the study period, 29,510 people developed dementia. Regular PPI users were 44 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who were not receiving the drugs.” This study only provided “statistical association” between these drugs and dementia and has not yet been proven. (Reuters)

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