Hey there, health reporter Olivia Willis here, back with you for another week.
When it comes to dementia, a lot of people tend to think of Alzheimer's disease and its hallmark symptom, memory loss.
But in recent years, we've been hearing more about different types of dementia, including frontotemporal dementia, which actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with in 2023.
It's a condition (or an umbrella term for multiple brain conditions) that causes damage to the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain, and typically affects people between 45 and 65.
This week, a study found Australians with the most common form — behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) — may be missing out on a timely diagnosis and access to treatment because of "overly restrictive" guidelines.
"In Australia, there are about 30,000 people living with younger-onset dementia and … probably half will be diagnosed with bvFTD," Olivier Piguet, from the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre, said.
bvFTD primarily targets parts of the brain which govern personality and social behaviour, and to improve early diagnosis, researchers say guidelines need to be updated.
Elsewhere this week, science reporter Belinda Smith looked at why we might expect Australia's next dietary guidelines to take into account not just human health but the health of the planet.
And finally, sunscreen brand Ultra Violette has withdrawn one of its well-known products from the market due to concerns about its sun protection factor.
It comes after testing by consumer group Choice earlier this year found 16 out of 20 popular sunscreen products failed to meet the SPF claim on their labels.
I'll catch you next week.
Newsletter feedback? Have a topic you want us to cover? Send us an email.
For all the latest in health, check out our dedicated health page, catch us on Instagram, or browse our Health & Wellbeing collection on ABC iview.
