A Cheaper Alternative to Hearing Aids?

WEDNESDAY, July 5, 2017 -- A handful of over-the-counter "personal sound amplification products" fared as well as an expensive hearing aid in helping people pick up more words in conversation, researchers report.

While the study took place in a sound booth, "in this controlled environment, some of these devices helped people with mild to moderate hearing loss as well as a hearing aid," said study author Nicholas Reed. He is an audiologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in Baltimore.

For Many, Friends Are Key to Happiness in Old Age

THURSDAY, July 29, 2017 -- As you age, the friends you keep wield an ever-greater impact on your health and sense of happiness, new research reveals.

They may even outstrip family in terms of the sway they have over you, according to the pair of new studies.

Even at Low Levels, Dirty Air Raises Death Risk for U.S. Seniors

WEDNESDAY, June 28, 2017 -- Air pollution may shorten the lives of American seniors, even in areas where levels fall below national safety standards, new research indicates.

Although it's possible that factors other than air pollution are responsible for the increase in premature deaths among older adults, study co-author Francesca Dominici said the findings are "bulletproof evidence of increased risk of deaths due to polluted air in the U.S.

This Combo Workout May Suit Obese Seniors Best

WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2017 -- Older, obese adults need to shed weight, but dieting can worsen their frailty. A new study addresses this conundrum, suggesting seniors take up both aerobic and resistance exercise while slimming down.

Engaging in aerobic and resistance exercise while losing weight enabled study participants to maintain more muscle mass and bone density compared to folks who did just one type of exercise or none at all, the researchers found.

Study Casts Doubt on Need for Statins in the 'Healthy Old'

MONDAY, May 22, 2017 -- Senior citizens with no history of heart problems appear to gain no health benefit from cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, a new study suggests.

People 65 and older treated with pravastatin (Pravachol) as part of a major clinical trial had about the same risk of death as people in a placebo group, according to the results. They also appeared to suffer strokes and heart attacks at about the same rate.

Can a 70-Year-Old Have the Arteries of a 20-Year-Old?

TUESDAY, May 30, 2017 -- Imagine having the clear, supple, healthy blood vessels of a 20-year-old in your 70s. It's possible, but "challenging," a new study suggests.

Still, if you eat right, exercise and stay trim, you have a shot at offsetting age-related blood vessel degeneration, according to this study of more than 3,000 adults.