Press Releases
NIA Media Contacts
Office of Communications
and Public Liaison (OCPL)
Building 31, Room 5C27
31 Center Drive, MSC 2292
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: 301-496-1752
nianews3@mail.nih.gov
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This fall protect yourself and your family: Get a flu shot
October 14, 2005Each winter, millions of people suffer from the fever, aches, and pains caused by the flu, a highly contagious infection. A relatively mild disease in healthy young and middle-aged people, flu can be life threatening to older adults. In an...
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NIHSeniorHealth says: Talk to your doctor about dry mouth
October 7, 2005If you’ve ever stood up to give an important presentation, opened your mouth to speak, and realized you cannot form words, you know what it feels like to have dry mouth. Occasional dry mouth—the feeling that there is not enough...
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National stereotypes common, mistaken, study reports
October 6, 2005Simplified stereotypes of "typical" Americans, Brazilians, Chinese, and other groups are common but highly mistaken, according to a National Institute on Aging (NIA) study that examined the accuracy of national character...
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Loss of body mass linked to development of Alzheimer's disease, study finds
September 26, 2005Loss of body mass over time appears to be strongly linked to older adults’ risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the greater the loss the greater the chance of a person developing the disease, new research has found...
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Gene discovery sheds light on causes of rare disease, cancer
August 25, 2005National Institute on Aging (NIA) researchers have discovered a new gene, FANCM, which sheds light on an important pathway involved in the repair of damaged DNA. Specifically, mutation in this gene is responsible for one of the forms of...
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Information on stroke easily accessible at NIHSeniorHealth
August 22, 2005Each year, more than 700,000 strokes occur in the United States, nearly three-quarters of them in people over age 65. Because the risk of stroke more than doubles each decade after age 55, it is especially important for older Americans to...
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NIHSeniorHealth adds information on smell and taste
August 8, 2005Thirty percent of older Americans between the ages of 70 and 80 and two out of three older Americans over age 80 experience problems with their sense of smell. Problems with taste, although less common, also frequently occur in older...
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Five vision topics added to NIHSeniorHealth web site
June 20, 2005Eye diseases and conditions leading to vision loss increase significantly with age, and the number of people with vision loss is expected to rise as the population grows older. To help older adults learn more about these conditions and...
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Exercise slows development of Alzheimer's-like brain changes in mice, new study finds
April 27, 2005Physical activity appears to inhibit Alzheimer’s-like brain changes in mice, slowing the development of a key feature of the disease, according to a new study. The research demonstrated that long-term physical activity enhanced the...
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Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's may be delayed, says major clinical trial
April 13, 2005In a study of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), those who took the drug donepezil were at reduced risk of progressing to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) during the first year of the trial, but by the end of the 3-...
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A good night's sleep: NIHSeniorHealth offers helpful information
April 5, 2005I have trouble falling asleep. Is that what I should expect at my age? Why do older adults wake up at night? When should I see a doctor about a sleeping problem? Now, information about sleep and aging is only a mouse click away at www....
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Six-week mini-med school to focus on the fascinating science of aging
March 30, 2005Some of the eternal questions of life—how and why we age, why some people age faster or live longer, and what can be done to fight the diseases and disabilities associated with old age—will be explored by distinguished...
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Obesity threatens to cut U.S. life expectancy, new analysis suggests
March 16, 2005Over the next few decades, life expectancy for the average American could decline by as much as 5 years unless aggressive efforts are made to slow rising rates of obesity, according to a team of scientists supported in part by the National...
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Test could improve detection of prion disease in humans
February 14, 2005A highly sensitive post-mortem test could help scientists more accurately determine if a person died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a human neurological disorder caused by the same class of infectious proteins that trigger mad cow...
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Diet, exercise, stimulating environment help old dogs learn
January 18, 2005According to conventional wisdom, old dogs and new tricks aren't a good match. But a new study of beagles finds that regular physical activity, mental stimulation, and a diet rich in antioxidants can help keep aging canine—and...
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Scientists detect probable genetic cause of some Parkinson's disease cases
January 17, 2005Two new studies strongly suggest that a mutation in a recently discovered gene is the most common genetic cause of Parkinson's disease identified to date. The discovery by an international research team provides fresh evidence that...
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Decreased sensitivity in the brain to estrogen may help explain menopausal changes
December 21, 2004A new study suggests that age-related changes in how the brain responds to the female sex hormone estrogen may be involved in a woman’s transition through menopause. The study provides new clues about hormonal influences on hot...
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Innovative website helps seniors take medicines safely
December 16, 2004How can I remember details about all of the medicines the doctor prescribed for me? Does aging affect how the body processes medicines? Are there ways to avoid side effects? What is the “grapefruit juice effect?” Answers to...
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How are we doing? Researchers aim to measure national well-being
December 2, 2004A new research tool developed by an interdisciplinary team of psychologists and economists could help social scientists more accurately evaluate how well individuals and society are faring. The method offers a new way to characterize the...
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Diabetes among older adults imposed an estimated $133.5 billion cost in 1990's
November 15, 2004Sick days, disability, early retirement, and premature death of diabetic Americans born between 1931 and 1941 cost the country almost $133.5 billion by the year 2000, according to a new estimate by researchers with the University of...
