Today in Research: The Right Age to Get Fat; an End to Alzheimer's?

Discovered: The right age to get fat, a possible sugary cure for Alzheimer's, coffee will not kill us, and there's a decent chance the sun will explode.

• The right age to get fat. Oh man, we cannot wait to turn 85. Not just because we're excited to play shuffleboard and migrate to Boca, or whatever old people of the future will do, but because that's also the age when having extra fat protects rather than kills us, according to a new scientific study. Before that age, obesity shaves six to seven years off of one's life. But after, according to research out of Tel Aviv University, obese 85 year olds had a lower mortality risk than both underweight and normal-weight peers. So, take note, friends: For our 85th birthdays we would like some gift cards to McDonald's. [Tel Aviv University]

• A possible sugary cure for Alzheimer's. This would work out really well with our plans to get fat late in life if it works like it sounds. Researchers have discovered that stabilizing the brain's sugar levels could help prevent the development of Alzheimer's. "Increasing O-GlcNAc slows neurodegeneration and stabilizes tau against aggregation," explains David Vocadlo. In less science-y speak, basically, Volcado and company created a chemical that makes sure all the sugar levels stay a-OK in the brain. Sadly, this doesn't involve eating anything sugary. [Simon Fraser University]

Read the full story at The Atlantic Wire.