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TUESDAY, Aug. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) may be striking some at much younger ages than thought possible: New research has uncovered early signs of the condition in amateur athletes who died young after playing contact sports.The troubling finding was discovered during the brain autopsies of 152 athletes. All had engaged in the type of sports, such as football, where head impacts are routine. And all had died before turning 30.Investigators determined that roughly 4 in 10 had developed early signs of CTE while still in their teens and 20s. And the vast majority of those with CTE — more than 70% — were just young amateurs, not professional players.“CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by...

TUESDAY, Aug. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Men's testosterone levels remain pretty steady until age 70. After that, production of the male sex hormone starts to decline, new research indicates.This begs the question: Is testosterone loss among seniors really a function of the normal aging process? Or might it reflect other health issues that often confront men as they get older? Both may be true, say investigators, with obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and even marital status among the factors that appear to drive testosterone levels down, in conjunction with age.When testosterone does fall, the result may be increased weakness and fatigue, diminished sexual performance, loss of muscle mass, and a higher risk for diabetes and dementia. While you can't do anything about your age,...

TUESDAY, Aug. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For women, keeping a stable weight after the age of 60 may boost their odds of reaching the advanced ages of 90, 95 or even 100. Older women with a more stable weight were 1.2 to 2 times more likely to live that long than those who lost 5% or more of their weight, the study showed.Women who unintentionally lost weight were 51% less likely to survive to the age of 90. Gaining 5% or more weight, compared to stable weight, was also not associated with exceptional longevity.“It is very common for older women in the United States to experience overweight or obesity with a body mass index range of 25 to 35. Our findings support stable weight as a goal for longevity in older women,” said first study author Aladdin Shadyab, an associate professor...

TUESDAY, Aug. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- It's known that older men with type 2 diabetes have higher odds for erectile dysfunction, or ED. Now, new research suggests problems in the bedroom for younger men may signal undiagnosed prediabetes or diabetes.Researchers found that men 40 and younger with ED have about a one-third increased risk for prediabetes or full-blown type 2 diabetes compared to men without impotence.The results indicate younger patients with ED should be screened for diabetes, they say.“This indicates a remarkable ability to predict the potential onset of illness and treat it early with lifestyle or medication,” study co-author Dr. Jane Tucker said in a school news release. She's an associate professor of family and community medicine at Saint Louis...