Study: Cancer drug could be a wonder drug for our brain; But will bad lifestyle choices render it moot?

Very exciting news released by my alma mater today:

A drug used to treat cancer has been shown to enhance long-term memory and strengthen neural connections in the brain, according to a new study by UC Irvine scientists.

In the study with mice, scientists found that histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors – currently used in clinical trials to attack cancerous tumors – relaxes the protein structure that organizes and compacts genomic DNA, allowing for easier activation of genes involved in memory storage. This finding suggests that HDAC inhibitors could boost memory in humans and – because of the way they work – be therapeutic for people with Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases and Rubenstein-Taybi syndrome.

What does this very early basic research mean to those in middle age? (In other words why is LifeTwo reporting this very early basic research?). The answer is that there is an incredible amount of progress being made on all fronts of the mental and physical conditions that affect our quality of life in our later years. There is reason for a great deal of optimism for the quality of life that we might be able to maintain over the next 30-40+ years of our lives.

However, many of us in middle age will not benefit from these advancements. It won't be because the science wasn't there or the medicines not ready. Unfortunately it will be because the lifestyles we maintained for so much of our lives will have will undermined everything available. It is a sad state that so many in our generation are not watching what types of foods they eat, getting proper exercise, not smoking, etc. Doing things that we shouldn't or failing to do things we should each contributes to the risk profile of various maladies and at some point the odds are too high to overcome. We don't have to live and sacrifice like monks, at the same time we don't have to live like gluttons either.