Hearing loss tied to dementia
There appears to be a relationship between hearing loss and dementia, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Aging, but it’s not clear whether hearing loss is an early sign of dementia or increases the risk of cognitive decline. Researchers followed 639 participants, ages 36-90, who were tested for hearing loss between 1990 and 1994. By 2008, 58 had developed dementia, including 37 with Alzheimer’s disease. Those with hearing loss at the start of the study were more likely to develop dementia.
Dr. Frank Lin of Johns Hopkins medical school in Baltimore, the lead author, said that the risk of dementia increased with more severe cases of hearing loss, when communication would become more difficult. He said that the effects of hearing loss could lead to social isolation and mental strain, but he didn’t rule out the possibility that hearing loss is a symptom of dementia. Lin next plans to study the cognitive effects of hearing aids on older adults.
BOTTOM LINE: Hearing loss may be one important factor in the early stages of dementia.
CAUTIONS: This study is only the first stage in a larger project to test the relationship between hearing loss and dementia.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Archives of Neurology, February 2011.
Fast-food calorie labels had no impact on kids Calorie labeling seems to have no effect on children’s eating habits at fast-food restaurants, according to a study in New York City, where restaurant menu boards are required to list such information. New York University researchers collected data before and after the labeling began in 2008, surveying 349 children in low-income areas as they exited fast-food restaurants about the food they bought or that their parents bought for them. Children in Newark, N.J., were also surveyed for comparison.
Although 57 percent of adolescents in New York noticed the calorie labeling, only 9 percent reported that the labels made a difference to them. Researchers found no difference in food choice before and after the study, either in food the kids got for themselves or food their parents ordered for them.
Researcher Brian Elbel said that although the study was small, the results were what they expected. Within the next year, nutrition information is to be posted in chain restaurants nationally under the Affordable Care Act. However, Elbel warned that labeling alone will have little impact on food choices and on childhood obesity. He said that marketing, availability of supermarkets, and price are probably all factors in children’s and parents’ choices.
BOTTOM LINE: Calorie labeling does not seem to have an effect on children’s fast-food choices.
CAUTIONS: The study was small and conducted in just one area.
WHERE TO FIND IT: International Journal of Obesity,February 2011.
