New Treatment Could Slow Effects of Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration may affect as many as 15 million Americans and is the leading cause of vision loss in people over age 65. It occurs when the small central portion of the retina, known as the macula, deteriorates. The retina is the light-sensing nerve tissue at the back of the eye.

However, for the first time, there may be a therapy to at least slow the progress of the disease, according to a new study.

An injection of stem cells into the eye may soon slow or even reverse the effects of early-stage age-related macular degeneration, according to new research from scientists at Cedars-Sinai.

Currently there is no treatment that slows the progression of the disease.

“This is the first study to show preservation of vision after a single injection of adult-derived human cells into a rat model with age-related macular degeneration,” said Shaomei Wang, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study published in the journal STEM CELLS and a research scientist in the Eye Program at the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute.

The stem cell injection resulted in 130 days of preserved vision in laboratory rats, which roughly equates to 16 years in humans.

Encouraging news, for sure, for those like you who are suffering with this disease. Even if you do eventually experience some vision loss, that doesn’t mean that you must be forced to leave your home. Check out your local Home Instead Senior Care^® office.

The company provides many services that can help keep seniors independent and at home for as long as possible while helping to maintain their quality of life.

 
To learn more about the research, visit http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/News/News-Releases-2015/Stem-Cell-Injection-May-Soon-Reverse-Vision-Loss-Caused-By-Age-Related-Macular-Degeneration.aspx.

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Couples Can Motivate Each Other to Exercise

New research finds that if one spouse improves his or her exercise regimen, the other spouse is significantly more likely to follow suit.

“When it comes to physical fitness, the best peer pressure to get moving could be coming from the person who sits across from you at the breakfast table,” says Laura Cobb, a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health doctoral student and co-author of the research.

“There's an epidemic of people in this country who don't get enough exercise and we should harness the power of the couple to ensure people are getting a healthy amount of physical activity.”

The American Heart Association recommends that adults should exercise at a moderate intensity for a minimum of 150 minutes per week or at a vigorous intensity for at least 75 minutes per week. Forty-five percent of husbands and 33 percent of wives in the study group met these recommendations at the first visit.

They found that when a wife met recommended levels of exercise at the first visit, her husband was 70 percent more likely to meet those levels at subsequent visits than those whose wives were less physically active. When a husband met recommended exercise levels, his wife was 40 percent more likely to meet the levels at follow-up visits.

To learn more about the research, visit http://www.newswise.com/articles/improving-your-fitness-could-improve-the-fitness-of-your-spouse.
 

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Vegan Diet Could Help Reduce Risk of Colon Cancer

Do you like fruits and vegetables? A good way for seniors to avoid colorectal cancer – the number two cancer killer in the U.S. among cancers – is to eat a vegetarian diet, says a study of Seventh-day Adventist published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Colon cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent in the U.S. in the last 10 years among adults 50 and older due to the widespread increase of colonoscopy, with the largest decrease being in senior citizens over age 65.

Although great attention has been paid to screening, primary prevention through lowering risk factors is also an important objective.

Dietary factors have previously been identified as a way to lower the risk factor for colorectal cancer. Eating red meat, for example, is linked to increased risk. On the other hand, food rich in dietary fiber is linked to reduced risk, according to the study’s background information.

The researchers measured the incidence of colorectal cancer among those who eat some form of vegetarian diet and or vegan diet and those that were nonvegetarians or nonvegans.

The risk for colorectal cancer for vegans compared with nonvegetarians was 16 percent lower.

Vegetarians compared with nonvegetarians had a:

·         22 percent lower risk for all colorectal cancers,

·         19 percent lower risk for colon cancer and

·         29 percent lower risk for rectal cancer.

To learn more about this study, visit http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2174939&resultClick=3. 

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.