TNF and vascular dementia: Decreasing these processes may ameliorate problems associated with aging, such as hypertension and inflammation, which promote the development of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (resulting in cognitive impairment) [3], and muscle wasting promoted by proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) [4].