Living Better While Living Longer

We are living longer today than ever. The average life expectancy for an American recently hit a record high of 78.8 years; other countries are seeing similar increases in longevity.
This is great news, but it also means we are living in increased fear of the decline that often accompanies old age. For most people, that fear is sharpest on the subject of mental decline.
The fear is understandable, especially since the possibility is not as remote as most of us would wish. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of irreversible dementia in people 65 and older, affects an estimated 5 million Americans. The Alzheimer’s Association predicts that the number could triple by 2050. (1)
But several new drug therapies have offered hope that there may be treatments on the way that can halt or even reverse Alzheimer’s disease. The biotechnology company Biogen made headlines recently with the announcement that its newest experimental drug performed better than expected in early studies. The medicine showed a statistically significant effect in slowing cognitive decline and reducing amyloid plaque, protein deposits in the brain that are thought to be one of the disease’s major causes. Tau protein, another factor which researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently suggested may be even more critical, is the target for several medications in development by Biogen and other companies. (2)