Here is another cheery one... http://www.redorbit.com/news/health..._smoking_and_obesity_in_middle_age/index.html A new study suggests smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight in middle age may cause brain shrinkage and lead to cognitive problems up to a decade later. The study is published in the August 2, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Charles DeCarli, MD, with the University of California at Davis in Sacramento and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology: "Our findings provide evidence that identifying these risk factors early in people of middle age could be useful in screening people for at-risk dementia and encouraging people to make changes to their lifestyle before it's too late." What I suspected so I am glad I found out early-ish and started doing something about it... halfway there... 8)
