We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.

                                                                 George Bernard Shaw

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Eating baked or broiled fish as little as once a week may boost brain health and lower the risk for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, new brain scan research suggests.

The study authors found that eating baked and broiled fish -- but not fried -- helps to preserve gray matter neurons, strengthening them in areas of the brain deemed critical to memory and cognition.

"Those who eat baked or broiled fish had larger brains," noted study author Dr. Cyrus Raji, a resident in the department of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mercy Hospital. "They had larger brain cells in areas of the brain responsible for memory and learning. And the reason that's important is that these brain areas are at high risk for Alzheimer's disease."

In those people with larger brain volume, "the risk for Alzheimer's and mild cognitive impairment went down by fivefold within five years following the brain scans we conducted," he said.

Raji said he was "amazed" that this effect was seen with eating fish as little as one to four times a week. "We're talking about just a half serving a day," he said. "And that would be a very small lifestyle change that can affect disease risk a long time down the line."

Raji and his colleagues are slated to discuss their findings Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, in Chicago.

More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, an incurable, age-related disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking and language skills. Older adults with mild cognitive impairment have less severe memory loss than those with Alzheimer's but often go on to develop the disease.

To assess the impact of fish on cognitive health, the authors focused on 260 mentally healthy elderly individuals drawn from the Cardiovascular Health Study, sponsored by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

All the participants underwent 3-D MRIs, so the researchers could map out the size of each individual's gray matter and track it over 10 years. They also completed the U.S. National Cancer Institute Food Frequency Questionnaire.

The team then stacked up gray matter changes against dietary consumption as reported in the questionnaire.

The questionnaires revealed that 163 of the study participants ate fish at least once a week, with most consuming fish between one and four times a week.

With that information, the authors found that regardless of age, gender, physical activity routines, and/or educational achievement, race or weight, those who ate baked or broiled fish had larger mass in the hippocampus, precuneus, posterior cingulate and orbital frontal cortex regions of their brains.

The team further observed that people who ate baked or broiled fish weekly displayed better so-called "working memory," enabling them to more effectively execute routine tasks.

But fish and chips lovers, take note: No cranial benefit was evident with respect to consumption of fried fish.

The team cautioned that while eating baked and broiled fish appears to exert some cognitive benefit, other lifestyle and socioeconomic factors may play a role. For now, the connection must be viewed as an association, rather than a cause-and-effect.

Dr. Richard Lipton, vice chair of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, reiterated the point.

"One has to wonder if there are other factors associated with fish consumption that they didn't measure that might be protective," he said. "Like maybe people who eat fish exercise more, or eat less total calories. Or they could be eating other components of a Mediterranean Diet, such as fruits and vegetables."

Lipton added that "this group of researchers is really, really good," and called the study results "a very interesting finding, and absolutely worthy of further exploration."

Research presented at scientific meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

For more on brain health, visit the Society for Neuroscience.

THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Younger women who have a hysterectomy that spares the ovaries are almost twice as likely to go through early menopause as women who do not have their uteruses removed, according to a new study.

"Hysterectomy is a common treatment for many conditions, including fibroids and excessive bleeding," said the study's lead author, Patricia G. Moorman, an associate professor in the department of community and family medicine at Duke University in Durham, N.C., in a Duke news release. "Most women are very satisfied with the results of a hysterectomy. But this is a potential risk of the surgery that should be considered along with the benefit."

In conducting the study, published in the December issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, Duke researchers followed roughly 900 women between 30 and 47 years old for five years. About half of the women had a hysterectomy, but kept at least one ovary to retain hormone production and not increase their risk for bone loss, heart disease and other health problems.

Despite keeping an ovary, the study found that nearly 15 percent of the women who had hysterectomies experienced menopause over the course of the study, compared with only 8 percent of the women who didn't have the surgery.

Women who had one ovary removed were at the greatest risk for menopause, but even women who kept both ovaries were at increased risk, the study noted. The researchers estimated menopause for these women occurred about two years earlier than for their peers who didn't have a hysterectomy.

What causes a woman's ovaries to shut down after a hysterectomy is still unknown, the study's authors added.

"Some have hypothesized that surgery disrupts the blood flow to the ovaries, so the surgery leads to early ovarian failure," said Moorman. "Others have speculated it's not the surgery, but the underlying condition preceding the surgery that causes it. Right now, it's unresolved."

The researchers concluded the study confirms that early menopause is a potential risk associated with hysterectomy.

"This could potentially change practice because women who are considering hysterectomy for fibroids or other problems may want to explore other treatment options for their condition if they know they may go through menopause earlier," said Moorman.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on hysterectomy.

FRIDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Lowered testosterone levels are associated with the loss of lean muscle mass and lower body strength in older men, a new study finds.

Loss of muscle mass and strength contributes to frailty and is associated with mobility problems, falls and bone fractures, the study's authors say, and men lose more muscle mass and strength than women as they age.

That suggests that levels of sex hormones, particularly testosterone, could influence age-related changes in body composition and physical function, according to researchers led by Dr. Erin LeBlanc, of Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Ore.

Their study included almost 1,200 men aged 65 who had their levels of sex steroids measured and were then followed for an average of 4.5 years. Their body composition was checked using high-tech scans, and their physical abilities were evaluated through exercises that assessed lower extremity power, grip strength, walking speed and the ability to rise from a chair without the use of arms.

"Our study finds that men, aged 65 years and older, with higher testosterone levels lost less muscle mass, especially in their arms and legs, than men this age who had lower testosterone levels," LeBlanc said in an Endocrine Society news release.

"Men who had higher testosterone levels before they lost weight also lost less leg function and could stand up more easily from a chair than men who had lower testosterone levels before they lost weight," she noted.

"The amount of testosterone men have in their bodies may contribute to how much muscle and strength they lose as they get older," LeBlanc concluded.

One expert wasn't surprised by the findings, but added that they are no reason to urge older men towards supplemental testosterone.

The study "confirms that higher blood levels of testosterone in older men is associated with less of the loss of muscle mass that occurs with aging," said Dr. Stuart Weinerman, chief of the division of endocrinology at North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, N.Y. But he stressed that "this is a prospective epidemiological study, not a controlled trial, so that other variables may be present. For example, patients with low testosterone were more likely to have diabetes."

Weinerman added that "this study should not be interpreted as evidence that hypogonadal men [those with decreased testosterone output] should begin testosterone replacement. The risks and benefits of testosterone replacement can only be studied in larger, randomized controlled trials."

Another expert said testosterone levels may need watching as men age.

"Physicians should be checking testosterone levels in men older than age 65, discussing loss of muscle mass and potential of falls and resulting fractures," said Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Further research is needed to define the association of low testosterone levels and decrease in physical function," he added.

The study, funded by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is slated to be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging offers tips for health aging.