HealthDay (3/15, Mundell ) reported that “heart-healthy…diets appear to slow biological aging, helping to protect the brain.” Investigators “found that folks who most closely adhered to what is called the Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet had slower aging, as measured by DunedinPACE, as well as lowered odds for dementia and early death.”

The researchers determined that “overall…about 27% of the association between a healthy diet and lowered dementia risk is probably due to slowed aging.” The research was published in the Annals of Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Eating Healthy Slows ‘Aging Clock,’ Helping to Shield Your Brain From Dementia,” Ernie Mundell
, HealthDay, March 15, 2024

NBC News (3/17, Edwards ) reports, “Teenage boys are drowning in just as much of the depression and anxiety that’s been well documented in girls,” and “experts warn that many young men struggling with their mental health are left undetected and without the help they need.” NBC News adds, “Depression in boys may go unnoticed…experts said, because boys usually don’t show it through signs of melancholy typically found in girls.”

Related Links:

— “‘Boys are disappearing’ from mental health care as signs of depression go undetected,” , NBC News, March 17, 2024

HealthDay (3/14, Miller) reports, “College students who use drugs like Adderall to help them focus on their studies may be setting themselves up for trouble.” In a survey published in the International Journal of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, researchers “asked 700 undergraduates across the United States about drugs commonly used by students – including ADHD medications like Adderall, cannabis, nicotine, alcohol, MDMA and ecstasy.”

The researchers “found that using one substance appears to prime the brain for using others.” They also “linked use of one substance to generally poorer mental health and lower ability to fight off stress. And less frequent use led to mental distress – potentially promoting continued use.”

Related Links:

— “Taking ‘Study Drugs’ Like Adderall Could Be Gateway to More Drug Abuse,”
Carole Tanzer Miller, HealthDay, March 14, 2024

CNN (3/13, Rogers ) reports that research indicates that interacting with dogs “may strengthen people’s brain waves associated with rest and relaxation, as measured by brain tests, according to a small study.” The findings were published in PLOS One.

NBC News (3/13, Bendix ) reports, “Researchers in South Korea attached headsets of electrodes to 30 adults, then measured changes in their brainwaves as they interacted with a poodle.” The research “indicated that walking the dog made the participants feel more relaxed, brushing her improved concentration, and playing with her yielded both of these effects. “

Related Links:

— “Interacting with dogs may affect multiple areas of the brain, study finds,”Kristen Rogers, CNN, March 13, 2024

ABC News (3/13, Gomez ) reports, “The White House has launched a nationwide call-to-action to save lives from opioid overdoses – an election year effort to tackle the opioid crisis.” On Wednesday, the Biden Administration “said it hopes the new effort will help get Naloxone, a drug meant to reverse opioid overdose, into as many communities as possible, increase training and broaden access to the drug.” The FDA “approved two Naloxone nasal sprays for over-the-counteruse” last year. With HHS funding, the White House “has delivered free life saving medications across the country preventing more than 600,000 overdose deaths and delivered nearly 10 million Naloxone kits, [White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera] Tanden said.”

Related Links:

— “White House launches new effort to prevent opioid overdoses,”Justin Gomez, ABC News, March 13, 2024