Possessing a greater purpose in life is associated with lower mortality rates among older adults according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

Patricia A. Boyle, PhD, and her colleagues from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, studied 1,238 community-dwelling elderly participants from two ongoing research studies, the Rush Memory and Aging Project and the Minority Aging Research Study. None had dementia. Data from baseline evaluations of purpose in life and up to five years of follow-up were used to test the hypothesis that greater purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk of mortality among community-dwelling older persons.

Purpose in life reflects the tendency to derive meaning from life’s experiences and be focused and intentional, according to Boyle.

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Blacks and others with darker skin might be at greater risk for tobacco addiction than whites and those with lighter skin because the greater the amount of melanin, the coloring pigment in skin, the more nicotine appears to be stored, according to preliminary findings published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, the New York Times reports. For the study, lead researcher Gary King, a professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University, looked at 150 black smokers and measured their levels of melanin and cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine. They also surveyed the participants to determine the level of their smoking habit.

Those with the most melanin were found to smoke the most and have the most cotinine in their system. They also had the highest level of dependence on tobacco. The findings might indicate why some people are more affected by nicotine than others, according to the study (Nagourney, New York Times, 5/19).

An abstract of the study is available online.

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British scientists have found a significant link between later retirement age and later onset of dementia in men.

The research is published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

This result came from an analysis of 382 men with probable Alzheimer’s by scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry and Cardiff University. Information based on education and employment was used to determine the effects of early life education, mid life employment and later life retirement on the age of onset of dementia.

A significant affect was found between later retirement age and later onset of dementia. The small sample of men make the other measures difficult to interpret, but they suggest that education or specific job type has a weaker link with dementia risk.

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Pale skinned people who are most at risk of skin cancer are ignoring sun safety advice, according to research released today to launch Sun Awareness Week 2009.

The survey of 1500 UK adults looked at people’s behaviour in the sun in relation to their individual risk of skin cancer, as well as their understanding of the need to check the skin for cancer, and their choice of sun protection products.

Skin types

The survey revealed that less than half (45%) of people with skin type 1 or 2 - pale skin which easily sunburns and is at the greatest risk of skin cancer - always use a sunscreen when out in the sun.

Three quarters (75%) of those who took part in the survey sunbathe to get a tan. Of particular concern, half (50%) of those with skin types 1 or 2 sunbathe. These skin types, who sunburn rapidly and should always use sun protection on sunny days, are strongly advised against sunbathing.

Worryingly, over a third (39%) of people who have skin types 1 or 2 admitted to having used sunbeds.

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A potential vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease also has been shown in mice to slow the weakening of muscles associated with inclusion body myositis, a disorder that affects the elderly.

The finding brings new hope for IBM patients with weakness, inflammation or atrophy of muscles in their fingers, wrists, forearms or quadriceps. There is no cure for IBM, nor is there an effective treatment, according to the National Institutes of Health.

“The immunization wasn’t a complete fix, but it significantly slowed the deterioration of motor function in our IBM mice,” said Frank LaFerla, director of UC Irvine’s Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia. “I hope our discovery leads to clinical trials and, eventually, a vaccine for people suffering from or at risk for IBM.”

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