How fast can you run a mile?

Your answer may predict your risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next decade or so, according to two new studies.

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers say that how fast a middle-age person can run a mile can help predict the risk of dying of heart attack or stroke decades later for men and could be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease for women.

The researchers analyzed the heart disease risk of 45 to 65 year-old men based on fitness levels and other traditional risk factors such as age, blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking habits.

They found that fitness levels among middleaged men show marked differences in risk for cardiovascular disease.

For instance, a 55-year-old man runs a mile in 15 minutes has a 30 percent lifetime risk of developing heart disease. In contrast, a 55-year-old who runs a mile in eight minutes has a lifetime risk of less than 10 percent.

“Heart disease tends to cluster at older ages, but if you want to prevent it, our research suggests that the prescription for prevention needs to occur earlier – when a person is in his 40s and 50s,” said Dr. Jarett Berry, assistant professor of internal medicine and a corresponding author on both studies.

According to the results, a high fitness level can lower the risk of heart disease even when other risk factors are present.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in industrialized nations.  It is especially lethal for women, whose risk for heart disease is hard to assess and rises dramatically as they age.

The fitness test, researchers said, were particularly helpful in identifying women at risk for heart disease over the long term.

The studies mark the first time fitness levels have been used to attempt to predict risk for heart disease.

They were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation.

A new study finds that’s successful aging and positive quality of life directly correlates with sexual satisfaction in older women.

Additionally, the relationship between self-reported successful aging, quality of life and sexual satisfaction seem to be stable even in the face of physical health decline.

California researchers surveyed more than 1000 women between the ages of 60 and 89, and found that, on average, 63 percent of the participants were “moderately” to “very” satisfied with their sex lives.

“Contrary to our earlier hypothesis, sexual satisfaction was not significantly associated with age,” said Wesley Thompson, PhD. “Although the levels of sexual activity and functioning did vary significantly, depending on the woman’s age, their perceived quality of life, successful aging and sexual satisfaction remained positive.”

The findings fall in line with prior research that indicates that sefl-rated health changes little with age even when objective health indicators, such as physical and mental health, show age-related decline.

“What this study tells us is that many older adults retain their ability to enjoy sex well into old age,” said Thompson. “This is especially true of older adults who maintain a higher level of physical and mental health as they grow older. Furthermore, feeling satisfied with your sex life – whatever your levels of sexual activity – is closely related to your perceived quality of life.”

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

People lose the ability to detect the taste of iron in drinking water as they age, putting elderly people at risk of unhealthy iron over-exposure, according to a new study.

While typically the concern is that people aren’t consuming enough iron, which is essential for body functioning, too much iron can also have detrimental effects on health, especially among an older population.

Older people who consume too much iron may be at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related conditions, the scientists said.

Iron can occur naturally in water or come from the corrosion of metal pipes and faucets. Too much iron has a “metallic taste” that is easily detectable among younger people. However, the study indicated that this ability to detect iron appears to decline with age.

The study found that people over 50 – who need less iron to begin with – tend to miss the taste of iron in water, even at levels above the thresholds set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization.

Furthermore, the researchers warned that iron isn’t the only metal of concern.

“Whereas our research focused on iron, there are implications for other metals of health concern, most notably copper from copper pipes as our previous research has demonstrated that copper is less flavorful than iron and it is known that copper is also more toxic than iron,” the researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Body appearance is still a concern for older men and women, though body function tends to become increasingly more important for satisfaction, researchers say.

In a study, Baylor University researchers found that elderly people who were more satisfied with their bodies had reduced depressive symptoms compared to people who were not.

Body satisfaction was made up of two components: appearance and functionality. The researchers were surprised to find that body appearance was still a significant concern for elderly populations – though less so than for younger people.

“In one way, this is a little disheartening to think that women and men are still wrestling with being satisfied with the appearance of their bodies, even after a life full of various points of meaning,” said study author Dr. Renee Umstattd, assistant professor of health education at Baylor.

However, Baylor said, the results also showed that physical activity could improve satisfaction related to both function and appearance. Previous studies have shown the importance of promoting physical activity among the elderly for both physical and mental health benefits.

For the study, researchers surveyed nearly 1,900 participants with an average age of 69 who were in a physical activity program for older adults.

The study was published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

It used to be called impotence. But thanks to the proliferation of drug industry advertisements that now threaten to overwhelm our television programs, today we know it as erectile dysfunction, or, more discreetly, simply as E.D. Whatever you want to call it, though, it’s the man’s inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to satisfy him or his partner during intercourse.

When it occurs in young men, it’s usually just a matter of momentary anxiety. In middle-aged men, it’s often caused by stress, guilt, or overwork. In fact, most men experience it at some point in their lives by age forty, though usually only briefly, and they are not psychologically affected by it.

But it gets more common with age, and for some men – as many as 30 million of them according to the drug companies – it occurs frequently and causes serious emotional and relationship problems.

In many cases, E.D. is due to the deterioration of the blood vessels that carry blood into the penis. A host of things can cause this deterioration, including nicotine, which narrows the blood vessels, excessive alcohol, and certain prescription drugs, notably antidepressants. Some physical problems can contribute to the deterioration, too, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

If you have difficulty getting an erection, get help. Discuss it with your partner, and consult your doctor, who will help you find the cause of your E.D. Treatment will, of course, depend on the cause. Though there are a number of mechanical devices that can help men get a better erection, including splints, rings, and pumps, it’s the E.D. drugs that have revolutionized the treatment of this problem. They work well for most men, and if one drug doesn’t work for you, try one of the others – but always work with a doctor’s guidance since the drugs can have significant side effects.

While teenagers are notorious for posting personal information on the internet, a new study reveals that parents are guilty of over-sharing as well.

University of Guelph researchers found that parents are just as likely as their kids to disclose personal information on Facebook.  Furthermore, mom and dad are just as susceptible to the need for internet popularity.

“Facebook is not just a phenomenon among young people,” said Emily Christofides, a PhD psychology student who was involved with the study.

“The online environment influences people of all ages. Both parents and teens share and show more about themselves than they might in other social settings, and the same psychological factors underpin that behaviour.”

The study involved 285 adults between the ages of 19 and 71, and 288 youths ages nine to 18.  While the results indicated that adolescents do reveal more than older users, it isn’t because they care less about privacy – it’s just because they spend more time on the site.

On average, teenagers spend 55 minutes a day on Facebook, compared to 38 minutes for adults.

In fact, the researchers say that adults were actually less conscious of the consequences of sharing personal information on Facebook.  For both teens and adults, spending more time on the site made people more likely to share.

Rather than age, it was the combination of less awareness of consequences and greater desire to belong that predicted more disclosure of personal information.

“Facebook is an environment that encourages people to share personal information,” Christofides said. “People with a high need for popularity may indeed care about their privacy, but they may not be willing to sacrifice their popularity by implementing privacy controls.”

“This is the new reality for some,” agreed Christofides’ fellow researcher, psychology professor Serge Desmarais. “Aspects of people’s lives that were once private are now open for all to see.”

The study was published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.