New Study Ties Diet To Longer Life

According to medical researchers, today's leading causes of death have shifted from infectious diseases to chronic diseases.  These include cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Both of these illnesses may be affected by diet a study published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals. 

Researchers examined data regarding the associations of dietary patterns with mortality through analysis of the eating patterns of over 2500 adults between the ages of 70 and 79 over a ten-year period. They found that diets favoring certain foods were associated with reduced mortality.

By 2030, an estimated 973 million adults will be aged 65 or older worldwide according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. This study sought to determine the dietary patterns of a large and diverse group of older adults, and to explore connections between these dietary patterns with survival over a 10-year period.

Researchers were able to group the participants into six different clusters according to predominant food choices including healthy foods, high-fat dairy products, meat, fried foods, and alcohol and sweets and desserts.
The "Healthy foods" cluster was characterized by relatively higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and lower consumption of meat, fried foods, sweets, high-calorie drinks, and added fat. The "High fat dairy products" cluster had higher intake of foods such as ice cream, cheese, and 2% and whole milk and yogurt, and lower intake of poultry, low-fat dairy products, rice, and pasta.

The study was unique in that it evaluated participants' quality of life and nutritional status, through detailed biochemical measures, according to their dietary patterns.

After controlling for gender, age, race, clinical site, education, physical activity, smoking, and total calorie intake, the "High-fat dairy products" cluster had a 40% higher risk of mortality than the "Healthy foods" cluster. The "Sweets and desserts" cluster had a 37% higher risk. No significant differences in risk of mortality were seen between the "Healthy foods" cluster and the "Breakfast cereal" or "Refined grains" clusters.

Milk, Cheese, Dairy Products May Cut Diabetes Risk

Harvard scientists have identified a natural substance in dairy fat that may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

According to the researchers, the compound, trans-palmitoleic (TP) acid, is a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. It is not produced by the body and so only comes from the diet.  Diabetes is an increasingly common condition that can result in disability for older individuals according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine explains that TP acid may underlie epidemiological evidence in recent years that diets rich in dairy foods are linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes and related metabolic abnormalities. Health experts generally advise reducing full-fat dairy products, but TP acid is found in dairy fat.

The researchers examined nearly 4,000 participants and followed them for 20 years in an observational study to evaluate risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in older adults. Metabolic risk factors such as blood glucose and insulin levels, and also levels of circulating blood fatty acids, including trans-palmitoleic acid, were measured using stored blood samples in 1992, and participants were followed for development of type 2 diabetes.

At baseline, higher circulating levels of TP acid were associated with healthier levels of blood cholesterol, inflammatory markers, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity, after adjustment for other risk factors.

During follow-up exams, individuals with higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid had a much lower risk of developing diabetes, with about a 60% lower risk among participants in the highest quintile (fifth) of TP acid levels, compared to individuals in the lowest quintile.

Support for the study was provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Medicaid Must Change; Middle Class Most Impacted

The following is from an excellent story in the New York Times (link below).   The inability of taxpayer-paid programs (Medicaid specifically) to pay mounting bills for long-term care will mandate changes in the current system.
For that reason, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance urges education and advocates planning.  If you are age 50-to-60, and middle class this is especially vital.  If Medicaid (taxpayers) are strapped today ... you can only imagine what it will be in 20 or 30 years.
Here's the blurb from the NY Times and the link to the full article.

Last year, more than 1,200 people in New York City officially turned their backs on their husbands and wives to qualify for Medicaid, triple the number of people five years ago. The practice, known as “spousal refusal,” is becoming more common as the population ages and the cost of nursing care rises — and it is coming under increasing attack by government officials looking to curb ballooning Medicaid expenses.
In a recent report, Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch warned that spousal refusal could be abused as “an entitlement for the less needy” and urged state officials to rethink it, noting that long-term care accounts for nearly half the state’s Medicaid spending.

Lawyers for the elderly argue the tactic of spousal refusal is legal nationwide, and it is most commonly used in New York and Florida, where 136 people refused to support a sick spouse last year.

Without the option of spousal refusal, lawyers say, American health care is like a ghoulish lottery. Those who need doctors’ care for illnesses like cancer or heart disease are covered by Medicare, the insurance program for the elderly, while those who need more custodial care for Alzheimer’s or stroke must pay for it themselves or dispose of their assets to qualify for Medicaid.

The federal government allows a healthy spouse to keep a house, a car, up to about $2,700 a month in income and up to about $110,000 in other resources. Anything above that must be spent on nursing care before Medicaid kicks in.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/nyregion/12medicaid.html?_r=1

Read the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance's guide about reducing the cost of long-term care insurance. Click here.  http://www.aaltci.org/free-guide.

Vision Of Elderly Can Improve

Elderly adults can improve their vision with perceptual training.

According to a study from the University of California, Riverside and Boston University elderly adults can improve their vision with perceptual training.  This has positive implications for the health and mobility of senior citizens.

UCR researchers and Boston University psychology professors conducted a series of experiments to determine whether repeated performance of certain visual tasks that are at the limits that one can see can improve the vision of adults older than 65.

The researchers found that with just two days of training, in one-hour sessions, with difficult stimuli resulted in older subjects seeing as well as younger college-age subjects.  The improvement was maintained for up to three months and the results were dependent on the location in the visual field where the stimuli were located - suggesting that the brain changed in early levels of visual cortex.

Age-related changes in vision - such as contrast sensitivity, dark adaptation, visual acuity, spatial vision, orientation, depth perception and motion perception - have been substantiated in numerous previous studies. This is the first study that demonstrates that perceptual training can be used to improve vision among the elderly in the earliest levels of visual processing.

The researchers used a texture discrimination test in which the participants were presented with stimuli consisting of a letter embedded in the center of a field of horizontally oriented lines. In addition to the letter, an array of peripherally located lines was oriented diagonally and formed either a vertical or horizontal object, always presented in the same quadrant. That was followed quickly with the display of a masking pattern. The task was to identify the central letter and the peripheral object.

 After age 60 there is a steady increase in the incidence of falls and automobile crashes that are associated with changes in visual processing reports the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance which tracks health related issues impacting aging Americans.

Free Guide Outlines Ways To Reduce Cost Of Long-Term Care Insurance

November is Long-Term Care Awareness Month and even the U.S. Congress has urged "the people of the United States to recognize (this) as an opportunity to learn more about the potential risks and costs … and the options available."

Some 10 million Americans currently require long-term care according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) with annual expenditures exceeding $200 billion.

"We're proud to support this important educational campaign," says Lisa Wendt, president and CEO of LifeSecure Insurance Company.  Experts expect the number of aging adults needing care will grow significantly in the next decade as the 76 million baby boomers begin to turn 65. 

To inform individuals about the importance of long-term care planning and simple ways to make insurance protection more affordable, AALTCI is making available a free online informational consumer guide.

"Few people are aware of the available discounts and planning techniques that can make long-term care insurance quite affordable," explains Jesse Slome, the organization's executive director.  "It is possible to reduce the cost by between 20-and-50 percent yearly."

For example, significant discounts are available when applicants meet certain health qualifications that can vary from one insurer to another.  "Non-smokers may qualify for savings and couples or partners who apply for protection may be eligible for savings," Slome adds.  "Savings can apply even when only one spouse obtains insurance coverage."

The "2 Minute Guide: Reducing The Cost" can be accessed online.  No sign-in or personal information is required.  To access the free guide, visit www.aaltci.org/free-guide/.

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About LifeSecure Insurance Company

LifeSecure Insurance Company is based in Brighton, MI and offers long-term care and post-hospital recovery insurance products. The company's insurance products are sold through a network of independent marketing organizations, brokers and agents and licensed in 44 states. Additional information is available at www.YourLifeSecure.com.

About The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI)

Established in 1998, AALTCI is the national professional organization serving over 3,000 insurance professionals who market long-term care insurance.  The organization's online Consumer Information Center www.aaltci.org/ has been recognized as a leading resource of current information and relevant statistical data.

Discovery Could Treat Obesity-Related Diabetes And Heart Disease

Researchers have found a new cellular pathway that could help in developing therapeutic treatments for obesity-related disorders, like diabetes and heart disease.

The medical scientists found that action by the enzyme histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) could be targets for potential treatment options in obesity-related diseases.

Researchers were really interested in the tie between increased HDAC9 levels in fat tissue of mice and the caloric overload.  Fat tissues from these obese mice showed dysfunction, with increased expression of pro-inflammatory agents and decreased expression of hormones responsible for maintaining whole body lipid and glucose stability.

HDAC9 level in fat cells is the underlying molecular culprit for dysfunctional fat tissue during obesity.

The researchers are currently examining HDAC9 knockout mice subjected to chronic high-fat feeding and think that HDAC9 gene removal will protect mice from obesity-linked adipose tissue dysfunction and associated metabolic disorders.

The team is pursuing studies to understand how diet regulates HDAC9 levels in fat tissue and how HDAC9 up-regulation can be prevented during diet-induced obesity through pharmacological means.  Their findings may help lead researchers to targeted therapies that may prevent the development of obesity-related disorders in humans reports the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance which tracks scientific research impacting the long-term health of Americans.

Nursing Home Industry Fear Republican Medicaid Cuts

The nursing home industry is concerned about pending Medicaid cuts following the Congressional changeover.

A Republican-controlled House is unlikely to extend the enhanced Medicaid funding for states in last year's Recovery Act, the head of a nursing home trade association said Monday.

A return to the initial federal share would be particularly painful for nursing homes and assisted living facilities, who rely on Medicaid to pay about two-thirds of their patients' bills.  "Everybody wants the government to pay without raising taxes and that's not possible," explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  "As people understand Medicaid doesn't pay or forces you to into unacceptable situations, more will see the value in private insurance."

At a roundtable discussion in Washington, Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, said the situation will force a discussion on long-term care, which he said was hardly addressed during the healthcare reform debate.

As lawmakers respond to voters' concerns about the deficit and cut back on Medicaid and Medicare, a long-term care sector that relies on government spending to cover about 85 percent of its patients faces a crossroads.

Looking ahead, I have to say I am concerned about the significant wrangling we already see developing between the state and federal governments in regard to Medicaid and the federal healthcare reform law, Yarwood stated.