Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 4-5-17

28 I MATURE FOCUS I
April 5, 2017
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
@MIDRIVERSNEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
MATURE FOCUS, from page 26
a control group, mice carrying the
gene accumulated as much as 60
percent more amyloid plaque, the
clusters of protein fragments that
cause Alzheimer’s, to progress in
their brains.
Their study appeared in the
journal Translational Psychiatry.
Although it only included women
and female mice, future planned
studies will include both sexes to
determine how long-term exposure
to PM2.5 affects men, as well
as to examine how it interacts with
cigarettes and other pollutants.
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Multiple medication risks
The many chronic health conditions
people face as they age often means
they are prescribed multiple medications.
When older adults take five or
more medicines, which is called “polypharmacy”
by health experts, the risk for
harmful side effects increases. A recent
analysis of a large German study of older
adults found that polypharmacy was
linked to increased frailty – characterized
by weakness, decreased endurance
and decreased ability to function. Frailty
can, in turn, increase the risk for falls,
disability and even death.
The researchers examined information
from nearly 2,000 older adults in Germany
who participated in the ESTHER
study, which began in 2000. People in the
study were between 50 and 75 years old
when it began, and follow-ups occurred
after two, five, eight and 11 years. At
the eight-year mark, doctors visited the
participants at their homes for a geriatric
assessment, which included a look at all
the medications participants were taking
– both prescription and over the counter.
Based on those assessments, they placed
participants into three groups:
• People who took from zero to four medicines
[non-polypharmacy]
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• People who took five to nine medicines
[polypharmacy]
• People who took 10 or more medicines
[hyper-polypharmacy]
After adjusting for differences in
patients’ histories, including illnesses,
and excluding medicines and supplements
not known to cause side effects,
the research team found that seniors at
risk for frailty, as well as those who were
already frail, were more likely to be in
the polypharmacy or hyper-polypharmacy
groups. Those who took between
five and nine medicines were 1.5 times
more likely to become frail within three
years compared with people who took
fewer than five. People taking more
than 10 medicines had twice the risk of
near-term frailty compared to the nonpolypharmacy
group.
The researchers concluded that when
possible, reducing multiple prescriptions
for older adults is a promising approach
to lessen the risks for frailty.
The study was published in the Journal
of the American Geriatrics Society.
Protein positives
Eating a diet rich in protein can help
older adults maintain muscle strength as
they age – and it doesn’t have to come
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