Press Room

More dairy is associated with higher bone density and greater spine strength in men over 50.

April 5, 2018

BOSTON — Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Wageningen University, Tilburg University, University of Reading, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have discovered that higher intake of dairy foods, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, is associated with higher volumetric bone mineral density and vertebral strength at the spine in men. Dairy intake seems to be most beneficial for men over age 50, and continued to have positive associations irrespective of serum vitamin D status.

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Researchers find bone density scans can also help identify cardiovascular disease

February 28, 2018

BOSTON — Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, University of Western Australia, University of Sydney, and Edith Cowan University have discovered that bone density scans, typically used to determine fracture risk, could also be an aid in identifying cardiovascular disease. The study was recently published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

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Genome Wide Association Study of Epigenetic Aging Rates in Blood Reveals a Critical Role for TERT

January 31, 2018

Researchers from several institutions, including, UCLA, Boston University, Stanford University and the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, analyzed blood samples from nearly 10,000 people to find that genetic markers in the gene responsible for keeping telomeres (tips of chromosomes) youthfully longer, did not translate into a younger biologic age as measured by changes in proteins coating the DNA. This study was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

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Severity of Post-Operative Delirium Relates to Severity of Cognitive Decline

November 28, 2017

BOSTON—Researchers from the Harvard affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, in collaboration with scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Brown University, have found increasing evidence that the level of delirium in post-surgical patients is associated with the level of later cognitive decline in those same patients. Findings from this study were published today in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Seniors with Type 2 diabetes may have increased risk for fracture

September 20, 2017

BOSTON-- Though seniors with type 2 diabetes (T2D) tend to have normal or higher bone density than their peers, researchers have found that they are more likely to succumb to fractures than seniors without T2D. In a new study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research found older adults with type 2 diabetes had deficits in cortical bone--the dense outer surface of bone that forms a protective layer around the internal cavity-- compared to non-diabetics.

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New Assessment Predicts Fracture Risk for Patients in Long-term Care

August 31, 2017

BOSTON – Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research have developed and validated a new assessment to predict the risk of falls in long-term care patients. The study on the assessment titled “Fracture Risk Assessment in Long-term Care (FRAiL)” was published today in the Journal of Gerontology Medical Science.

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Thoracic Kyphosis in those over 50 may not be a predictor of physical decline.

August 22, 2017

BOSTON –- A recently published study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found that using CT scans to evaluate early signs of hyperkyphosis (extreme forward curvature of the upper spine) in people over age 50 does not help to identify those at risk of subsequent physical function decline.

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Scientists Gain Clearer Picture of How Genes Affect Lean Body Mass

July 24, 2017

BOSTON — Scientists from the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL), along with several other research institutions are making great strides in understanding the genetics behind lean body mass, which is largely made up of muscle mass. A new study, published today in the journal Nature Communications, outlines their findings in what is the largest, most comprehensive genetic study of lean mass to date.

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Hebrew SeniorLife’s Susan Mitchell earns coveted NIH MERIT award

June 6, 2017

BOSTON—Susan Mitchell, MD, MPH of Needham, Massachusetts has been selected by the National Advisory Council on Aging to receive The National Institute of Health’s Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) award in recognition of outstanding achievements as a principle investigator on National Institute of Aging (NIA) research projects.

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Severe Foot Pain Linked to Recurrent Falls

May 11, 2017

BOSTON — Researchers from Hebrew Senior Life’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research have discovered that foot pain - particularly severe foot pain - correlates to a higher incidence of recurrent falls. This finding also extends to those diagnosed with planus foot posture (flat feet), indicating that both foot pain and foot posture may play a role in falls among older adults.