Research Snapshots
These are research highlights taken from our newsletter, the Life Course Ledger. Sign up to receive the LCC's monthly newsletter by emailing [email protected].
LCC member Elizabeth Wrigley-Field is Awarded a Mid-Career Faculty Research Award
Elizabeth Wrigley-Field has been awarded a MidCareer Faculty Research Award from the College of Liberal Arts at UMN. The MidCareer Faculty Research Awards represent a critical investment in the future of the College of Liberal Arts. With this fund, the College recognizes and invests in the next generation of faculty who are poised to lead CLA as it pursues greater heights of excellence and who are engaging in new lines of research and creative activity that will shape their fields and the intersection of fields.
Pandemic boosted wages for the lowest-earning workers in the healthcare sector
A new study of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on workers in the healthcare industry found that aides, assistants, and workers without a high school degree had the largest percentage growth in earnings following the pandemic
Fluoride in Water: Good for Your Teeth … and Your Brain?
New evidence from University of Minnesota study counters the claim that fluoride lowers IQ
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral and is often added by municipalities to drinking water as a public health measure to strengthen teeth and reduce the risk of cavities.The U.S. Centers of Disease Control (CDC) cites fluoridation of drinking water as one of the top ten public health interventions of the 20th century, but misinformation has led some to worry that it harms children’s IQ. A new study published in Science Advances from the University of Minnesota finds just the opposite: Fluoride is associated with better—not worse—cognitive performance in adolescence.
LCC Center Grant Renewed for Another Six Years
Funding from the National Institute on Aging Paves the Way for More Groundbreaking Research
Congratulations to LCC Director Sarah Flood, LCC Associate Director Janette Dill and the entire Life Course Center team on the successful renewal of its P30 award from NIA! This renewal will allow the LCC to continue to support innovative, interdisciplinary research on the demography and economics of aging and to build on its strengths in advancing impactful research, supporting emerging scholars, and fostering collaboration through its core programs.
Aging measures and cancer in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)
Nature Communications | LCC Members: Shuo Wang, Anna Prizment, Sithara Vivek, Bharat Thyagarajan
Understanding how the environment and genetics contribute to the link between personality and metabolic health
New research is furthering our understanding of how individual personality traits in midlife, influenced by both genetics and environmental factors, are linked to metabolic health outcomes in late-life, such as BMI, waist circumference, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels.
How Does Education Affect Alzheimer’s and Dementia Risk? It’s About More Than Degree Attainment
Education has long been associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, but a new study reveals that this protection extends far beyond diplomas and degrees.
Associations Between Loneliness, Epigenetic Aging, and Multimorbidity Through Older Adulthood
The Journals of Gerontology, Series B | LCC Member: Robert Krueger
- Baseline loneliness was associated with greater epigenetic age acceleration in the GrimAge measure
- Loneliness and GrimAge each predicted increasing condition counts, but there was no evidence of an interactive effect
- Results suggest the impact of loneliness on multimorbidity may, in part, operate through DNA methylation