HealthDay (2/24) reports that “exercising the mind and body may delay the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease…but in most people it does not slow underlying brain changes linked to the disease,” the findings of a 400-participant study published online Feb. 24 in Neurology suggest. In the study, participants “underwent brain scans to check for signs of Alzheimer’s disease and were also asked about their mental and physical activity levels.”

Researchers did find, however, that in the subset of participants who have the APOE4 gene, “people who had high education levels and who had continued to learn throughout their lives had less amyloid plaque, compared to those with high education levels who did not continue to challenge their mind.”

Related Links:

— “Active Mind, Body May Only Do So Much Against Alzheimer’s,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 24, 2016.

According to the New York Daily News (2/23, Cutler), a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that “cigarette smoking is at an all-time low” as “only 15.3% of American adults now light up – down from 16.8% in 2014 and 24.7% in 1997.” According to experts, “Americans are butting out because of the high cost of cigarettes and thanks to fewer legal places to smoke.”

Related Links:

— “Cigarette smoking at an all-time low among American adults ,” Jacqueline Cutler, New York Daily News, February 23, 2016.

HealthDay (2/23, Norton) reports, “Rates of” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “have risen globally, and adults’ unreasonable expectations of young children could be one reason why,” a research letter published online Feb. 22 in JAMA Pediatrics suggests. The study authors “point to evidence that the rise in” AD/HD “diagnoses coincided with ever-growing demands on young children’s attention and focus.”

Related Links:

— “Could Adults’ Expectations Drive Up ADHD Diagnoses in Kids?,” Amy Norton, HealthDay, February 23, 2016.

Reuters (2/22, Seaman) reports that parental anxiety while expecting or during the earliest parts of children’s lives may be associated with fussy eating in preschoolers. The findings of the large study were published Feb. 22 in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Related Links:

— “Parents’ anxiety, depression may lead to kids being fussy eaters,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, February 22, 2016.

The New York Magazine (2/23, Carpenter) reports on the growing number of apps designed to help people with mental health disorders. For individuals “dealing with mental-health issues involving addiction or abuse or self-harm,” however, “an app can’t make up for in-person check-ins.” Still, such apps may help provide access to some form of mental health treatment. Currently, “more than half” of US counties “are entirely without mental-health professionals, according to the director of the National Institute of Mental Health.”

Related Links:

— “Uber, But for the Mirror Stage: How Mental-Health Apps Are Changing Therapy,” Julia Carpenter, New York Magazine, February 22, 2016.