Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Study links increased exercise with lower sleep apnea risk

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF SLEEP MEDICINE

A study published online as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that increased physical activity is associated with a lower risk of obstructive sleep apnea, a common sleep-related breathing disorder. The study is the largest to date focused on the relationship between sleep apnea and levels of physical activity in the general community.

Researchers reviewed lifestyle, medical, socio-demographic and sleep health data collected from more than 155,000 adults participating in the Ontario Health Study. Based on the physical activity of participants with and without sleep apnea, the investigators determined that a modest increase in physical activity, including walking, is associated with a 10 percent reduction in the risk of developing sleep apnea.

"Our results highlight the importance of physical activity as a preventive measure against developing sleep apnea," said senior author Lyle Palmer, who is professor of genetic epidemiology at the University of Adelaide in Australia. "One surprising finding was that not only vigorous physical activity but also just walking alone was associated with a decreased risk of sleep apnea."

The authors found that adding 20 minutes to a daily walk and increasing vigorous daily activity by eight minutes would be enough to achieve a lower sleep apnea risk. The finding is independent of other known risk factors for sleep apnea such as sex, age, ethnicity and obesity.

It is estimated that more than 29 million American adults have sleep apnea, many of them undiagnosed. Untreated sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and other potentially serious conditions.

"The rates of sleep apnea in children and adults are continuing to rise. Therefore, understanding the role of modifiable protective factors for sleep apnea is important," said Palmer. "Exercise is one such protective factor and has many other positive effects on general health. Sleep health care professionals should be trying to get their patients to exercise more."

The cross-sectional, population-based study analyzed baseline questionnaire data from 155,448 adult residents of Ontario, Canada (60% women and 40% men). Their mean age was 46 years, and about 75% were white. About 6.9% of participants reported being told by a doctor that they have sleep apnea. Those with sleep apnea were more sedentary, sitting for a median of 4.4 more hours per week than those without sleep apnea.

Due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, the authors were unable to make temporal inferences on the observed associations between physical activity and sleep apnea. However, they report that previous studies also have suggested that physical activity can reduce the severity of sleep apnea.

In a related commentary, also published as an accepted paper in JCSM, Dr. Joyce Lee-Iannotti and Dr. James Parish write that the study's findings give sleep physicians another tool to treat mild to moderate sleep apnea that may be more appealing to patients.

Why do more women have Alzheimer's than men? It's not just from living longer

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY

MINNEAPOLIS - Middle-aged women are more likely than men to have changes in the brain related to Alzheimer's disease, as detected by imaging, even when there are no differences in thinking and memory. This may be associated with hormonal changes due to menopause, specifically the loss of estrogen, according to a study published in the June 24, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"About two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer's are women, and the general thinking has been it's because women tend to live longer," said study author Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D., of Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, N.Y. "Our findings suggest that hormonal factors may predict who will have changes in the brain. Our results show changes in brain imaging features, or biomarkers in the brain, suggesting menopausal status may be the best predictor of Alzheimer's related brain changes in women."

The study involved 85 women and 36 men with an average age of 52 who had no cognitive impairment. The men and women had similar scores on thinking and memory tests and measures such as blood pressure and family history of Alzheimer's.

Participants had positron emission tomography (PET) scans to see if they had amyloid-beta plaques in the brain, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer's disease. They also had detailed brain magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI).

Researchers compared the women and men in four key areas of brain health to assess their risk of having Alzheimer's biomarkers: the volumes of both gray and white matter in the brain, levels of amyloid-beta plaques, and the rate at which the brain metabolizes glucose, an indication of brain activity.

The women scored worse on all four of those measures. On average, the women had 30% more beta amyloid plaques in the brain, and 22% lower glucose metabolism than the men did. When measuring average gray matter volume, the women had 0.73 cubic centimeters (cc/cm3) compared to men who had 0.8 cm3, a difference of 11%. For average white matter volume, the women had 0.74 cm3 compared to men who had 0.82 cm3, a difference of 11%.

"Our findings suggest that middle-aged women may be more at risk for the disease, perhaps because of lower levels of the hormone estrogen during and after menopause," Mosconi said. "While all sex hormones are likely involved, our findings suggest that declines in estrogen are involved in the Alzheimer's biomarker abnormalities in women we observed. The pattern of gray matter loss in particular shows anatomical overlap with the brain estrogen network."

Mosconi said one limitation of the study is that only healthy, middle-aged people without severe brain or cardiovascular disease participated. Larger studies that follow up with participants over a period of time are needed.

Nutrition a key ingredient for cognitive health

Fruit and vegetable intake, immigration status, age, education, blood pressure, obesity and body fat were found to be associated with greater verbal fluency among anglophone Canadians aged 45 and older

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

A new study, investigating factors associated with verbal fluency among a large sample of anglophone Canadians aged 45-85, found that individuals who consumed more vegetables and fruits and more nuts and pulses (such as lentils and beans) scored higher on tests of verbal fluency.

"These findings are consistent with other research that has found a Mediterranean diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes is protective against cognitive decline," reported co-author Dr. Karen Davison, a nutrition informatics research program director at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, in British Columbia and a North American Primary Care Research Fellow. "Every increase in average daily fruit and vegetable intake was linked to higher verbal fluency scores, but the best outcomes were found among those who consumed at least 6 servings a day."

Verbal fluency is an important measure of cognitive function. To test it, subjects are asked to list as many words from a given category as they can in one minute. This measures language and executive function and can be used to detect cognitive impairment.

Adults who have insufficient appetite, face challenges in preparing food or consume low-quality diets, may be at risk of malnourishment, and grip strength can be used to assess under-nutrition. Those in the study who had poor grip strength and/or high nutritional risk scores also had lower verbal fluency.

"Previous research has also indicated that measures of under-nutrition are associated with cognitive decline," said co-author Zahraa Saab, a recent Masters of Public Health graduate of the University of Toronto.

The researchers investigated the relationship between other factors and cognitive health, as well, including immigrant status, age, blood pressure, obesity, and body fat.

Immigration status

Anglophone immigrants who had lived in Canada at least 20 years had higher verbal fluency scores than their Canadian-born peers. The researchers suspect that this protective effect may be partially due to better cognitive reserve among immigrants.

"Our earlier research on a big British cohort of individuals born in 1946 found that those who emigrated from United Kingdom had, on average, 5 points higher IQ than their peers who remained in the UK," says senior author, Esme Fuller-Thomson, professor at University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) and director of the Institute for Life Course & Aging. "We purposively restricted the current study to those whose mother tongue was English, so we could investigate the association between immigrant status and verbal fluency, independent of bilingualism."

Previous research suggests that those who are bilingual have a lower incidence and delayed onset of dementia. Most of the studies finding a 'bilingualism advantage' have, unfortunately, neglected to account for immigration status.

"Our findings suggest that this is an important omission, because even immigrants whose mother tongue is English had significantly higher verbal fluency scores than anglophones born in Canada. Thus, the 'bilingualism advantage' may be at least partially attributable to the "healthy immigrant effect," said Fuller-Thomson, who is also cross-appointed to U of T's Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Faculty of Nursing.

Age & Education

"Consistent with other studies, those younger in age had better cognitive functioning scores when compared to older participants." says co-author Hongmei Tong, assistant professor of Social Work at MacEwan University in Edmonton.

The association between cognitive impairment and advanced age may be mediated or moderated by cognitive reserve factors such as high educational levels, which are protective against cognitive decline.

"Respondents who were aged 75-85 with a high school degree had verbal fluency scores comparable to individuals a decade younger who had not completed high school," says co-author Vanessa Taler, associate professor of psychology, University of Ottawa.

Blood Pressure, Obesity & Body Fat

Adults with stage 2 hypertension had lower verbal fluency scores.

"Our findings underline the importance of managing blood pressure for brain health in mid-life and beyond," says co-author Shen (Lamson) Lin, a doctoral student at the FIFSW.

Both obesity and higher percent body fat were associated with worse verbal fluency scores.

"Obesity has been linked in other research to inflammation and to greater insulin resistance, both of which have been associated to cognitive decline," says co-author Karen Kobayashi, professor in the Department of Sociology and a research fellow at the Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health at the University of Victoria.

The study team analyzed data from the baseline Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, which included 8,574 anglophone participants aged 45-85, of whom 1,126 were immigrants who had arrived in Canada 20 or more years earlier. All participants were living in the community and were free from dementia. Two verbal fluency tests were examined: the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) and the Animal Fluency (AF) task. The article was published this month in the Journal of Nutrition Health and Aging.

"The team's findings suggest that it may be beneficial to design policies and health care practices to reduce nutrition risk, improve diet quality, and address obesity and hypertension among midlife and older citizens in order to improve these potentially modifiable risk factors for lower verbal fluency scores," adds Dr. Fuller-Thomson. "The good news is that the higher levels of education obtained by baby boomers and subsequent birth cohorts may mitigate some of the cognitive decline often observed in previous generations of older adults."

Should nursing home residents nearing the end of life continue taking statins?

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Research Summary

AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY

Cardiovascular disease (also called heart disease) is one of the most common medical conditions older adults face. In nursing homes, almost half of all older adult residents have been diagnosed with problems affecting the heart and/or blood vessels.

In spite of this, we know very little about how effective a class of popular heart disease medications may be for those 75 and older. Known as statins, these medications are prescribed to reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood. High blood levels of cholesterol can damage your heart's blood vessels and lead to the formation of blood clots, which can cause stroke and heart attacks.

The reason we have a knowledge gap as to how well statins work in older adults is because early medical studies that examined statin therapy for heart disease prevention included few adults age 75 and older. More recent trials that did include older adults often found that statin therapy did not help prevent these individuals from developing heart disease.

Why? It's possible that, as we age, our sensitivity to medications may change. For instance, myopathy (muscle pain and weakness) is a commonly reported side effect of statins. This side effect may have a heightened effect on older adults who are already frail, which could speed up physical decline.

A team of researchers conducted a study to learn more about statin use among older adults, especially those nearing the end of their lives. Their study stemmed from concern about unclear statin prescribing guidelines for people over age 75, and a lack of information on the medications' uses in nursing homes. The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated statin use by people with life-limiting conditions across nearly all U.S. nursing homes. The researchers hoped to identify statin use among nursing home residents who were unlikely to benefit from treatment.

This appears to be the first nationwide study to report statin use across U.S. nursing homes among older adults not likely to benefit from continued use.

The researchers noted the following facts as background for their research:

As of 2016, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force declined to offer statin recommendations for adults older than 75, due to a cited lack of evidence to support any recommendation in this age group. Despite this, statin use has been on the rise in older age groups. In the U.S., approximately half of the 75-and-older population were prescribed statins from 2012 to 2013, a nearly 20 percent increase over the past decade.
Little is known about statin prescribing patterns in nursing homes, where most residents have multiple chronic conditions including Alzheimer's disease/dementia and physical frailty. A few previous studies had suggested that statin use in nursing homes is common and occurs even when people have life-limiting illnesses.
What's more, recent evidence suggests that stopping (deprescribing) statins for people with a limited life expectancy could potentially improve quality of life. In fact, the American Medical Directors Association does not recommend prescribing statins to people with a limited life expectancy, due in part to potential harm in older adults.

In their study, researchers examined information from long-stay nursing home residents near the end of life who resided in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home facilities. Participants were age 65 and older with life-limiting illness diagnoses or limited life expectancy.

The key findings were:

Even with life-limiting illness, over a third of these U.S nursing home residents were on some form of oral statin medication as of September 2016.
While statin use varied by life-limiting illness classification, other medical diagnoses were not strongly associated with the use of statins. This included assessments of people with a documented prognosis less than six months.
Polypharmacy (taking several different medications) appears to remain an issue in U.S. nursing homes. More than 50 percent of the study's participants were on six or more non-statin prescription medications. And 10 to 20 percent were on 11 or more non-statin medications, depending on age. It appeared that the more non-statin medications residents were on, the more likely they were to be on statins.

Take-aways:

Because statins do not appear to promote longevity and comfort in older patients near the end of life, their use in these older adults should be carefully reviewed.
Since statins are used so widely in older adults, including those over age 75, major medical societies and organizations should have guidelines that specifically address these patients' needs, especially the needs of those who are frail and have multiple chronic conditions.

Should diabetes treatment lessen for older adults approaching the end of life?

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Research Summary

AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY

One in four people aged 65 or older has diabetes. The disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and a major contributor to heart disease. Experts have recommended that the best way to slow the progression of diabetes--and help prevent its many complications--is to maintain strict control of blood sugar levels. For healthy younger people, this means keeping the target blood sugar level (known as A1c or HbA1c) lower than 6.5 percent to 7.0 percent.

For older adults who have a limited life expectancy or who have advanced dementia, however, maintaining that target blood sugar level may cause more harm than good. For example, these older adults may not live long enough to experience potential benefits. What's more, maintaining these strict blood sugar levels can raise the risk of potentially harmful events such as low blood sugar (also known as hypoglycemia). This can cause falls or loss of consciousness.

For these reasons, many guidelines now suggest targeting higher HbA1c targets--such as between 8.0 percent and 9.0 percent--for older adults who have multiple chronic conditions or limited life expectancy, or who live in nursing homes.

There is not much existing research to guide health care practitioners as to what the appropriate levels of diabetes medications are for this group of older adults. There is also little information about the effects for these individuals of taking fewer or lower dose of diabetes medications.

Experts suspect that lessening diabetes treatment in these older adults has the potential to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations due to lowering the risk for harmful drug events and increasing the patients' comfort.

In order to investigate the issue, a team of researchers conducted a study--one of the first national studies to examine potential overtreatment and deintensification of diabetes management in nursing home residents with limited life expectancy or dementia. The researchers chose nursing home residents to study because admission to a nursing home could give healthcare practitioners a chance to learn more about patient goals and preferences and to review and adjust medications accordingly. The researchers published their results in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The researchers examined information from Veterans Affairs nursing homes from 2009 to 2015. Their goal was to learn more about older adults with diabetes, particularly those nearing the end of their life or who have dementia. The researchers investigated whether these older adults were overtreated for diabetes, whether they had their diabetes medication regimens lessened, and what effects might result from lowered doses, types and/or different kinds of medication.

The researchers wanted to learn specifically how often diabetes treatments were lessened. Among the nursing home residents identified as potentially overtreated, the researchers examined how much their diabetes treatment regimens were lessened during the 90 days of follow-up.

The researchers did not consider insulin dose changes, because insulin doses may be influenced by factors such as eating habits.

The researchers said they observed potential overtreatment of diabetes in almost 44 percent of nursing home admissions for veterans with diabetes and veterans who had limited life expectancy or dementia. Potentially overtreated residents were about 78 years old and were nearly all male and non-Hispanic white. Two-thirds of the residents had been admitted to nursing homes from hospitals. A total of 29 percent had advanced dementia, almost 14 percent were classified with end-of-life status, and 79 percent had a moderately high risk of dying within six months. Many were physically dependent and had heart disease and/or potential diabetes-related complications. In addition, about 9 percent of overtreated residents had a serious low blood sugar episode in the year prior, emphasizing the need for deintensification.

Nearly half of residents received two or more diabetes medications, and those with higher HbA1c values of between 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent received more diabetes medications than those with lower HbA1c.

The researchers concluded that many veteran nursing home residents with limited life expectancy or dementia may be overtreated for their diabetes at the time of admission. The researchers suggested that future studies examine the impact of deintensification on health outcomes and adverse events to better understand the risks and benefits of diabetes management strategies in this group of older adults.

Having greater amounts of the peptide humanin is closely correlated with longer lives and better health in both animals and humans, including lower risk for Alzheimer's UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA A new study led by researchers at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology is the first to demonstrate that a tiny protein has a big impact on health and longevity in both animals and humans. The researchers examined humanin, a peptide encoded in the small genome of mitochondria -- the powerhouses of the cell. From experiments in laboratory animals to measurements in human patients, the multi-site collaboration demonstrates how higher levels of humanin in the body are connected to longer lifespans and better health. It is linked to a lower risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's. "Humanin has long been known to help prevent many age-related diseases, and this is the first time that it has been shown that it can also increase lifespan," said senior author Pinchas Cohen, professor of gerontology, medicine and biological sciences and dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. An intriguing evolutionary history Humanin has been found not only in human mitochondria but also throughout the animal kingdom, a sign that its related gene has been maintained, or conserved, throughout evolution. The study, which was published online in the journal Aging on June 23, examined humanin in several animal species, including worms and mice, as well as humans, including Alzheimer's patients and children of centenarians. The results highlight the potential for humanin and other mitochondrial proteins to become treatments for age-related ailments. They also indicate that humanin may be an ancient mitochondrial signaling mechanism that is key for regulating the body's health and lifespan, said first author and USC Leonard Davis Research Assistant Professor Kelvin Yen. More humanin, longer lifespans Humanin levels have previously been observed to decrease with age in many species. In this new study, the scientists observed higher levels of humanin in organisms predisposed to long lives, including the famously age-resistant naked mole rat, which experiences only a very slow decline in levels of humanin circulating in the body throughout its 30-year lifespan. In contrast, mice experience a 40% drop in humanin over the first 18 months of life, and primates such as rhesus macaques appeared to have a similarly dramatic drop in humanin between the ages of 19 and 25. In humans, researchers observed this phenomenon of higher and more sustained levels of humanin in 18 children of centenarians, versus a control group of 19 children of non-centenarians. Individuals whose parents reach 100 years old are statistically more likely than other people to reach very old age. In some species, including worms and mice, modifying their genes to produce higher amounts of humanin within their bodies was enough to significantly increase lifespans. But these longer-lived animals had fewer offspring. Scientists have observed a similar pattern in long-lived humans. "This tradeoff between longevity and reproduction is thought to be due to an evolutionarily conserved balance between using energy to produce more offspring or using the energy to maintain the organism for future reproductive efforts," Yen said. "Evolutionarily speaking, the goal of life is to reproduce and then you're done, but if you can't reproduce, you should try to hang around as long as possible, and a side effect of that is longevity." Indication of - and protection against - disease Higher humanin levels aren't just linked to increased lifespan; lower levels may increase the risk of disease and lower resistance to toxic exposures. The researchers analyzed samples of cerebral spinal fluid from a small number of Alzheimer's patients and control individuals without dementia and noticed that humanin levels were much lower in the Alzheimer's patients. And in newborn cord blood samples, high levels of humanin correlated with a high mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, or the number of copies of the mitochondrial genome present within each cell. "Humanin levels are inversely correlated with a decrease in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, which in itself has been associated with a number of different diseases such as cancer, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease," Yen said. Potential for treatments Cohen's laboratory was one of three groups that independently discovered humanin and has continued to unlock the secrets of the mitochondrial genome. Other promising mitochondrial peptides characterized by Cohen's team include MOTS-c, which plays a role in communication between the mitochondria and the nucleus in cells and appears to mimic the effects of exercise. This new wide-ranging study highlights the importance of humanin as a potentially powerful regulator of lifespan and health, and harnessing it for treatments could address a variety of age-related illnesses, Cohen said. "This study, as well as many others, suggest that humanin administration would be an effective therapeutic treatment for a large number of diseases and further solidifies the importance of the mitochondria beyond its traditional role as the 'powerhouse of the cell,'" he said.

Having greater amounts of the peptide humanin is closely correlated with longer lives and better health in both animals and humans, including lower risk for Alzheimer's

A new study led by researchers at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology is the first to demonstrate that a tiny protein has a big impact on health and longevity in both animals and humans.

Also See:

High-intensity Interval Exercise Increases Humanin, a Mitochondrial Encoded Peptide, in the Plasma and Muscle of Men

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32271093/

Humanin skeletal muscle protein levels increase after resistance training

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5357820/

Humanin's Role In Longevity, Alzheimer's And Cancer

https://mybiohack.com/blog/humanin-igf-1-longevity-exercise-mitochondria

The researchers examined humanin, a peptide encoded in the small genome of mitochondria -- the powerhouses of the cell. From experiments in laboratory animals to measurements in human patients, the multi-site collaboration demonstrates how higher levels of humanin in the body are connected to longer lifespans and better health. It is linked to a lower risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's.

"Humanin has long been known to help prevent many age-related diseases, and this is the first time that it has been shown that it can also increase lifespan," said senior author Pinchas Cohen, professor of gerontology, medicine and biological sciences and dean of the USC Leonard Davis School.

An intriguing evolutionary history

Humanin has been found not only in human mitochondria but also throughout the animal kingdom, a sign that its related gene has been maintained, or conserved, throughout evolution. The study, which was published online in the journal Aging on June 23, examined humanin in several animal species, including worms and mice, as well as humans, including Alzheimer's patients and children of centenarians.

The results highlight the potential for humanin and other mitochondrial proteins to become treatments for age-related ailments. They also indicate that humanin may be an ancient mitochondrial signaling mechanism that is key for regulating the body's health and lifespan, said first author and USC Leonard Davis Research Assistant Professor Kelvin Yen.

More humanin, longer lifespans

Humanin levels have previously been observed to decrease with age in many species. In this new study, the scientists observed higher levels of humanin in organisms predisposed to long lives, including the famously age-resistant naked mole rat, which experiences only a very slow decline in levels of humanin circulating in the body throughout its 30-year lifespan.

In contrast, mice experience a 40% drop in humanin over the first 18 months of life, and primates such as rhesus macaques appeared to have a similarly dramatic drop in humanin between the ages of 19 and 25.

In humans, researchers observed this phenomenon of higher and more sustained levels of humanin in 18 children of centenarians, versus a control group of 19 children of non-centenarians. Individuals whose parents reach 100 years old are statistically more likely than other people to reach very old age.

In some species, including worms and mice, modifying their genes to produce higher amounts of humanin within their bodies was enough to significantly increase lifespans. But these longer-lived animals had fewer offspring. Scientists have observed a similar pattern in long-lived humans.

"This tradeoff between longevity and reproduction is thought to be due to an evolutionarily conserved balance between using energy to produce more offspring or using the energy to maintain the organism for future reproductive efforts," Yen said. "Evolutionarily speaking, the goal of life is to reproduce and then you're done, but if you can't reproduce, you should try to hang around as long as possible, and a side effect of that is longevity."

Indication of - and protection against - disease

Higher humanin levels aren't just linked to increased lifespan; lower levels may increase the risk of disease and lower resistance to toxic exposures.

The researchers analyzed samples of cerebral spinal fluid from a small number of Alzheimer's patients and control individuals without dementia and noticed that humanin levels were much lower in the Alzheimer's patients. And in newborn cord blood samples, high levels of humanin correlated with a high mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, or the number of copies of the mitochondrial genome present within each cell.

"Humanin levels are inversely correlated with a decrease in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, which in itself has been associated with a number of different diseases such as cancer, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease," Yen said.

Potential for treatments

Cohen's laboratory was one of three groups that independently discovered humanin and has continued to unlock the secrets of the mitochondrial genome. Other promising mitochondrial peptides characterized by Cohen's team include MOTS-c, which plays a role in communication between the mitochondria and the nucleus in cells and appears to mimic the effects of exercise.

This new wide-ranging study highlights the importance of humanin as a potentially powerful regulator of lifespan and health, and harnessing it for treatments could address a variety of age-related illnesses, Cohen said.

"This study, as well as many others, suggest that humanin administration would be an effective therapeutic treatment for a large number of diseases and further solidifies the importance of the mitochondria beyond its traditional role as the 'powerhouse of the cell,'" he said.

Friday, June 19, 2020

Poor teenage sleep significantly linked with depression in later liife

Teenagers who experience very poor sleep may be more likely to experience poor mental health in later life, according to a new study.

In a paper published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, researchers analysed self-reported sleep quality and quantity from teenagers and found that there was a significant relationship between poor sleep and mental health issues.

The team, based at the University of Reading, and Goldsmiths and Flinders Universities found that among the 4790 participants, those who experienced depression reported both poor quality and quantity of sleep, while those with anxiety had poor quality of sleep only, compared to those teenagers who took part who didn't report anxiety or depression.

Dr Faith Orchard, a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the University of Reading said:

"This latest research is another piece of evidence to show that there is a significant link between sleep and mental health for teenagers. This study highlights that those young people who have experienced depression and anxiety had overwhelmingly experienced poor sleep during their teens.

"What's noticeable is that the difference in average amount of sleep between those who experienced depression, which amounts to going to sleep 30 minutes later each night compared to other participants. Within the data, there were some participants who reported hugely worse quality and quantity of sleep, and the overall picture highlights that we need to take sleep much more into account when considering support for teenager wellbeing."

Teens were asked to self-report on sleep quality and quantity over a series of issues, and the researchers found that the control group of teenagers were on average getting around eight hours of sleep a night on school nights and a little over nine and half hours sleep on weekends.

Meanwhile, the group who had a depressive diagnosis were getting less than seven and a half hours sleep on week nights and just over nine hours sleep at weekends.

A co-author, Professor Alice Gregory from Goldsmiths University, said:

"The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adolescents aged between 14-17 years typically need around 8-10 hours of sleep each night. What is notable here is that the group with a diagnosis of depression most clearly fell outside of these recommendations during the week -- getting on average 7.25 hours of sleep on each school night."

The depression group were therefore reporting an average total of 3325 minutes of sleep a week compared to the control group who reported 3597, meaning that the depression group were on average getting 272 minutes or three and a half hours less sleep a week.

While the team noted that although the data was based on self-reporting of sleep and therefore less accurate, the fact of self-reported worse quality and quantity of sleep was still significant.

Dr Orchard said:

"What we are now seeing is that the relationship between sleep and mental health for teenagers is a two way street. While poorer sleep habits are associated with worse mental health, we are also seeing how addressing sleep for young people with depression and anxiety can have a big impact on their wellbeing.

"It's also important to note that the numbers of young people who report anxiety and depression are still low overall. Good sleep hygiene is important, and if you are concerned about yours or your child's wellbeing we strongly encourage you to seek support from your doctor, but any short term negative impact on sleep is not a cause for alarm."

Professor Gregory said:

"The Department for Education is aware of the importance of sleep in children and adolescence -- and it is really good news that from September 2020 Statutory Guidance will mean that they will be taught about the value of good quality sleep for many aspects of their lives including their mood."

Co-author Professor Michael Gradisar from Flinders University, Australia said:

"This longitudinal study confirms what we see clinically -- that poor sleep during adolescence can be a 'fork in the road', where a teen's mental health can deteriorate if not treated. Fortunately there are sleep interventions available for schools and individual families -- and these can place teens back on the road to healthy sleep.."

Health News Report