Harvard Health Content API

A new study suggests that higher blood sugar may increase people’s risk of developing dementia. In the study, the risk increased along with blood sugar levels. Even people without diabetes had a slightly higher risk of dementia if their blood sugar was above ideal levels. The study included 2,067 people. All were 65 and older. In the 5 years before the study began, all of them had their blood sugar measured at least 5 times. Researchers used a formula to produce an average blood sugar figure for each person. When the study began, about 10% of the total group had diabetes. Nobody had dementia. The study lasted 7 years. Researchers gave people regular tests of memory and thinking skills. By the end of the study, about 25% of the total group had dementia.

Would you want to live to 120? Most Americans say no, according to a new poll. The Pew Research Center did the survey. About 2,000 adults were interviewed. The group was balanced to reflect the U.S. population. People were asked if they would want a treatment that let them live to age 120. About 56% said no. But 65% thought that most people would want such a treatment. So what’s the ideal life span? Ninety was the median age chosen by poll respondents. Just over half thought living to 120 would be bad for society. They thought it might strain natural resources. Some also said the treatment most likely would be available only to the rich. The average life expectancy of a baby born in the United States today is 78.7. It’s about 81 years for a girl, 76.2 for a boy. Research has found ways to extend the life span for some lab animals.

Men with prostate cancer and diabetes may survive longer if they take metformin instead of other diabetes drugs, a study finds. The study included more than 3,800 men ages 67 or older who had diabetes. They later developed prostate cancer, at an average age of 75. About one-third were taking metformin when the study started. Others used different diabetes drugs. Researchers kept track of the men for more than 4 years after their cancer diagnosis. Men who took metformin were less likely to die of prostate cancer or any cause than men who took other diabetes drugs. The death risk was 24% lower for each 6 months they took metformin after their cancer diagnosis. Metformin helps the body to use insulin better to turn glucose (sugar) into energy. This means the pancreas needs to make less insulin. Research suggests that insulin might help cancer cells to grow.