HealthBeat.

• Position: Health tips and news - Brief Article

Longer life spans present challenges for seniors and their dentists. The percentage of older Americans without their natural teeth has dropped from 70 to 40% over the last four decades, notes Kenneth Shay, adjunct associate professor in the School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. However, because more people are living into their 80s and beyond, the actual number of individuals without teeth has increased. The longer someone without natural teeth lives, the greater the likelihood of bone loss in the ridge that runs under the gums. As a result, dentures don't fit, gum tissue may become soft and flabby, and infections and calluses can develop in the mouth.

People who test positive for HIV often wait a year or more before seeking medical care, even though early treatment can mean longer and healthier lives, according to a study at Boston (Mass.) Medical Center and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence. Those most likely to delay treatment are individuals with a history of injectable drug or alcohol abuse; not having a spouse or partner; lacking a living mother; not being aware of HIV risk before testing; and being notified of test results by mail or telephone.

Wine could save your vision as well as protect you from heart disease, say researchers at the Howard University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C. They found that drinking two to 12 glasses of red or white wine a year appears to cut the risk of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people over 65, by nearly 50%.

Women are twice as likely as men to experience major depression following a stroke, indicates Sergio Paradise, research associate in psychiatry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City. Gender-based differences in the brain account for the frequency of females diagnosed with post-stroke depression, with a significant association with lesions in the left hemisphere.

Smaller-than-average infants may have a greater risk for chronic disease, according to a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Center for Health Statistics. These children may have been malnourished in the womb and have significantly less muscle than average, which could lead to delays in motor development. Later in life, they may be prone to factors associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, and...