Beth Newcomb

Medical Xpress featured a USC Leonard Davis study on how “biological stochasticity”—random events at the molecular and cellular level—might be one of the biggest, most overlooked drivers of differences in aging.

News Medical featured a USC Leonard Davis study on the connection between high levels of iron in the brain and increased cell damage in people who have both Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. The study was also covered in Medical Xpress and Technology Networks.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution cited a USC Leonard Davis School study in a story about how high heat accelerates aging.

Best Life quoted Valter Longo on foods to avoid and other advice for eating for longevity. “Eat mostly vegan, plus a little fish, limiting meals with fish to a maximum of two or three per week,” he said. “Consume beans, chickpeas, green peas, and other legumes as your main source of protein.” The story was also republished internationally in Notícias ao Minuto, Večernji list, Blic, and CHIP.

Mid Rivers Newsmagazine featured research by Jennifer Ailshire on how more days of excess heat affects biological aging. “It’s really about the combination of heat and humidity, particularly for older adults, because older adults don’t sweat the same way. We start to lose our ability to have the skin-cooling effect that comes from that evaporation of sweat,” Ailshire explained. “If you’re in a high humidity place, you don’t get as much of that cooling effect. You have to look at your area’s temperature and your humidity to really understand what your risk might be.”

WKMG-TV mentioned USC Leonard Davis research that indicated that ultrafine particles and nitrogen dioxide can pass into the bloodstream and even the brain, causing inflammation in regions that regulate sleep and breathing and potentially accelerating cognitive decline.

The Times (UK) quoted Valter Longo in an article on the aftereffects of GLP-1 medications. “The literature on GLP-1 receptor agonists and depression is mixed, with some studies suggesting GLP-1 makes things worse, some that it has neutral effects and some that it improves symptoms,” Longo said, adding that other recent research indicates that GLP-1 drugs could increase depressive behaviour. “They propose that while GLP-1 drugs could help those with high levels of dopamine [alcohol, drug addictions] they may be detrimental in patients with low dopamine levels, potentially leading to increased suicide rates. This is just one paper and one computational hypothesis, but I think they are on the right track proposing that some people may benefit, some may not be affected and some may have major side-effects, potentially by altering dopamine signaling.”