March 2026

Yale study challenges notion that aging means decline, finds many older adults improve over time

Aging in later life is often portrayed as a steady slide toward physical and cognitive decline. But a new study by scientists at Yale University suggests an alternate narrative — that older individuals can and do improve over time and their mindset toward aging plays a major part in their success. Analyzing more than a decade of data from a large, nationally representative study of older Americans, lead author Becca R. Levy, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at...

February 2026

Forever Chemicals Linked to Faster Aging in Middle-Aged Men, Study Finds

A new study shows that exposure to two specific 'forever chemicals' may accelerate biological aging, especially in middle-aged men. These chemicals – PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid) and PFOSA (perfluorooctanesulfonamide) – are just two of the thousands of 'forever chemicals', or to use the more technical term, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Used widely since the 1940s and 1950s, PFAS are found in raincoats, upholstery, non-stick pans, food packaging, firefighting foams, and much more. This vast range of synthetic substances was specifically designed to be durable. They...

Brain expert recommends learning new skills, taking on new challenges for healthy aging

When her husband of more than half a century died Maureen Caraco was left with a gaping hole in her life. Despite being in her early 80s and struggling to navigate her grief, she enrolled in a law degree. "I was pretty much at a loss as to what to do," Ms Caraco said. "It was really fantastic going to university, being with people who had the same purpose in life and the same interest, and I just felt so at home...

How aging changes rats’ social choices and what that may mean for healthy aging

The loss of social connectedness as people age increases the odds of cognitive-related disorders and can worsen health outcomes in older populations. But is there a direct relationship between social behavior and cognition? Subhadeep Dutta Gupta, Peter Rapp, and colleagues, from the National Institute on Aging, developed a rat model to probe social cognition in the aging brain. As presented in their eNeuro paper, the researchers used 169 young and aged male rats to discover that while older rats were as social as younger...

January 2026

Pension Schemes, Healthcare Use, and Health: Evidence from China

By Zeen He Using a non-parametric fuzzy regression discontinuity design and leveraging data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this paper explores the impact of public and private pension schemes on health service utilization and health outcomes among urban and rural individuals in China. Our estimates show that receipt of public pensions, particularly the Urban Employee Pension Scheme (UEPS) and Public Employee Pension Scheme (PEPS), significantly improves selfreported health, mental health (CES-D scores), and physical health (ADL...

Aging populations are redefining the value of a healthy life year

Efficient, evidence-based resource allocation using quality-adjusted life years (QALY) is essential, especially as global life expectancy rises. A recent study published in Scientific Reports examines how considering age and country-specific demographic factors in QALY estimates can improve healthcare policy decisions and resource allocation. Concerns over increased healthcare costs due to the aging population Advances in medical technology and public health have led to rapidly aging populations worldwide, which contributes to rising healthcare costs and social burdens. By 2040, healthcare spending in Japan is...

November 2025

China. Health initiative promotes co-prevention of diabetes and shingles for healthy aging

A nationwide health campaign was launched to address the growing challenge of chronic diseases among aging adults in China to raise awareness and promote early intervention against chronic diseases, with a focus on shingles—a painful infection that poses serious risks to people with diabetes. The program, led by China CDC, CCTV.com, and the National Open University for the Elderly, offers free health education targeting adults aged 50 and above. It urged to tackle shingles, a frequently overlooked but debilitating disease,...

October 2025

Adapting health, economic and social policies to address population aging in China

By Evandro F. Fang, Yuan Fang, Guobing Chen, He-Ling Wang, Jianying Zhang, Chenkai Wu, Jing Liao, Chenglong Xie, Xiaoting Liu, Kan Wang, Yang Liu, Guang Yang, Qian Wang, Long-Tao He, Jun Li, Hou-Zao Chen, Lin Kang, Yawen Jiang, Huanxing Su, Hong Jiang, Na He, Jun Tao, Sean Xiao Leng, Richard C. Siow, Chunrong Liu, Hafiz T. A. Khan, Yuanli Liu, Hisaya Kato, Takashi Sasaki, Jong In Kim, Andrea Britta Maier, Lin Zhang, Lene Juel Rasmussen, Jean Woo, Jing Wu...

Personal and General Views on Aging, Non-Communicable Diseases, and Their Interaction as Cross-Sectional Correlates of Vigorous Physical Activity in UK Individuals Aged 50+

By Fabrizio Mezza, Daniela Lemmo, Maria Francesca Freda, Victoria Tischler, Blossom C. M. Stephan, Maria Mataró & Serena Sabatini Having more positive and less negative views on aging may prompt vigorous physical activity engagement. Moreover, positive general views of aging may be particularly important for physical activity among those who have one or more non-communicable diseases. Although we cannot infer causality, promoting positive views on aging and decreasing negative views on aging could help fostering active aging, especially among those...

2025 Global Retirement Index

By Dave Goodsell Norway has regained the top position in the 2025 Natixis Global Retirement Index, driven by its strong performance in health outcomes, low unemployment and high-income equality. Ireland surges to second place, thanks to improvements in inflation and an economic environment that supports retirement security. Since its launch in 2012, the Natixis Global Retirement Index has offered a comparative assessment of retirement security in 44 developed countries. The index evaluated 18 key indicators grouped into four subindexes: Finances in...