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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 1/30/08.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Why Belly Fat Hurts the Heart - WebMD, 1/29/08 - "Visceral fat brought the most inflammation and the worst atherosclerosis ... After visceral fat transplantation, mice developed less severe atherosclerosis if their chow was laced with the diabetes drug Actos for 10 weeks. But Actos didn't affect atherosclerosis in other mice" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.

Sedentary Lifestyles Associated With Accelerated Aging Process - Science Daily, 1/28/08 - "Telomere length decreased with age, with an average loss of 21 nucleotides (structural units) per year. Men and women who were less physically active in their leisure time had shorter leukocyte telomeres than those who were more active. ... "The mean difference in leukocyte telomere length between the most active [who performed an average of 199 minutes of physical activity per week] and least active [16 minutes of physical activity per week] subjects was 200 nucleotides, which means that the most active subjects had telomeres the same length as sedentary individuals up to 10 years younger, on average."" - I'm must be in fat city on this one.  I must have averaged 60 minutes per day since I've been 18 which comes to 420 minutes per week.  Maybe that's the main reason people claim I look young. Plus I've always taken vitamin D which helps with telomere length also. - Ben

Caffeine Bad for Diabetes - WebMD, 1/28/08 - "On the days the patients took caffeine, their blood-sugar levels were 8% higher ... Caffeine increases blood glucose by as much as oral diabetes medications decrease it ... Lane warns against reading too much into this small, 10-patient study ... Several studies have found that coffee drinkers -- especially those who drink a lot of coffee -- have a lower risk of diabetes than do other people. So how can coffee both protect against diabetes and worsen diabetes? ... it is becoming increasingly clear it is not the caffeine that is beneficial. The picture is now evolving where we see that some other components of coffee besides caffeine may be beneficial in long-term in reduction of diabetes risk"

Late-onset Alzheimer's slowed by DHA omega-3 - Nutra USA, 1/25/08 - "In this study, we report that DHA significantly increases LR11 in multiple systems ... DHA may be most useful for early intervention and prevention of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) ... Because reduced LR11 is known to increase beta-amyloid production and may be a significant genetic cause of LOAD, our results indicate that DHA increases in [LR11] levels may play an important role in preventing LOAD" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Marijuana Withdrawal As Bad As Withdrawal From Cigarettes - Science Daily, 1/25/08 - "overall withdrawal severity associated with marijuana alone and tobacco alone was of similar frequency and intensity. Sleep disturbance seemed to be more pronounced during marijuana abstinence, while some of the general mood effects (anxiety, anger) seemed to be greater during tobacco abstinence"

Popular Arthritis Drug May Disrupt Heart Rhythm, New Research Finds - Science Daily, 1/24/08 - "Celebrex, a popular arthritis drug that blocks pain by inhibiting an enzyme known as COX-2, has been shown in laboratory studies to induce arrhythmia, or irregular beating of the heart"

Contraceptive Pill: Cancer Protection - WebMD, 1/24/08 - "Each five-year interval of oral contraceptive use cuts a woman's ovarian cancer risk by up to 29%. The longer a woman uses the pill, the lower her risk of ovarian cancer"

Large Study Links Folic Acid Supplementation With Reduced Risk Of Preeclampsia During Pregnancy - Science Daily, 1/23/08 - "preeclampsia occurred in 2.2 per cent of women who took multivitamins containing folic acid compared to 5.1 per cent of women who did not" - See folic acid at Amazon.com.

"Anti-Inflammatory" Diet Improves Postprandial Glucose, CV Health - Medscape, 1/23/08 - "Specific recommendations to improve postprandial glucose and triglycerides are as follows: ... Select high-fiber carbohydrates with low glycemic index, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts ... At all 3 meals, consume lean protein"

Metformin May Have Novel Role as Breast Cancer Drug - oncologystat.com - "In one recent hypothesis-generating metformin study, Dr. Josie M.M. Evans and coworkers at the University of Dundee (Scotland) evaluated roughly 11,876 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, of whom 923 were subsequently diagnosed with cancer. The adjusted relative risk of malignancy in long-term metformin users was reduced by 44%, compared with nonusers ... In another population-based cohort study ... In another population-based cohort study, investigators at the Institute of Health Economics, Edmonton, Alta., identified 10,309 Saskatchewanians with type 2 diabetes. During an average of 5.4 years of follow-up after their diagnosis, 407 cancer-related deaths occurred. Cancer mortality was 3.5% in metformin users, 5.8% in insulin users, and 4.9% in individuals on sulfonylurea monotherapy. After adjustment in a multivariate Cox regression analysis, cancer-related mortality was 30% greater in sulfonylurea users than in metformin users. In insulin users, it was 90% higher than in metformin users" - See Metformin at OffshoreRx1.com.

Regular, Long-Term Aspirin Use Reduces Risk of Colorectal Cancer - Doctor's Guide, 1/23/08 - "the benefit of aspirin was not apparent until after more than five years of use. The greatest reduction in risk was observed at cumulative doses of more than 14 standard tablets (325 mg) per week, which is higher than normally recommended. The benefit of aspirin use appears to diminish less than four years after stopping use and is not evident after four to five years of discontinued use"

Green Tea May Ward Off Weight Gain - WebMD. 1/23/08 - "Here's what those preliminary lab tests in mice show: ... Less weight and fat gain. Among mice with an obesity gene, those that ate chow laced with green tea extract gained less weight and less fat ... Less fat in the liver. There was less sign of "fatty liver" disease in the mice with the obesity gene that ate chow laced with green tea extract ... Lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in mice with the obesity gene that ate the chow laced with green tea extract, compared to other mice with the same obesity gene" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Infants With Poor Intestinal Flora Often Develop Eczema - Science Daily, 1/23/08 - "children with only a limited variety of bacteria in their feces one week after birth more often developed atopical eczema by the age of 18 months"

Marijuana Smokers Face Rapid Lung Destruction -- As Much As 20 Years Ahead Of Tobacco Smokers - Science Daily, 1/23/08 - "the mean age of marijuana-smoking patients with lung problems was 41, as opposed to the average age of 65 years for tobacco-smoking patients"

High Mercury Levels Are Found in Tuna Sushi - New York Times, 1/23/08 - "Sushi from 5 of the 20 places had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market"

Studies Link Other Ills to Mercury, Too - New York Times, 1/23/08 - "evaluated more than 100 patients who had vague, unexplained symptoms. Of them, 89 percent had mercury in their blood that exceeded the level considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency ... The symptoms included memory lapses, hair loss, fatigue, sleeplessness, tremors, headaches, muscle and joint pain, trouble thinking, gastrointestinal disturbances and an inability to do complex tasks"

Stress At Work Is Linked To Heart Disease - Science Daily, 1/22/08 - "chronic work stress was associated with CHD and this association was stronger among both men and women aged under 50 -- their risk of CHD was an average of 68% more than for people who reported no stress at work"

Herbal Remedy, Hawthorn Extract, Can Help The Heart, Review Finds - Science Daily, 1/22/08 - "The trials involved a total of 855 patients and the data indicated that hawthorn extract: ... improved maximal workload ... increased exercise tolerance ... reduced oxygen consumption by the heart ... reduced shortness of breath and fatigue" - See hawthorn products at Amazon.com.

Cranberries Might Help Prevent Urinary Infections In Women - Science Daily, 1/22/08 - "cranberry products significantly reduced UTIs over 12 months compared to the placebo/control groups. The cranberry treatment was more effective for women who suffered from recurrent UTIs" - See cranberry extract at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Effects of folic acid and N-acetylcysteine on plasma homocysteine levels and endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease - Acta Cardiol. 2007 Dec;62(6):579-85 - "either folic acid 5 mg or NAC 600 mg or placebo daily for eight weeks ... endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) ... Folic acid and NAC therapies decreased plasma homocysteine (from 21.7 +/- 8.7 micromol/l to 12.5 +/- 2.5 micromol/l, P < 0.001; from 20.9 +/- 7.6 micromol/l to 15.6 +/- 4.3 micromol/l, P = 0.03, respectively), and increased EDD (6.7 +/- 6.1% P = 0.002, 4.4 +/- 2.6% P < 0.001, respectively) compared with placebo. There was no significant difference in improving EDD between the folic acid and the NAC group"

Establishing A New Option for Target-organ Protection: Rationale for ARB Plus ACE Inhibitor Combination Therapy - Am J Hypertens. 2008 Jan 24 - "Combination therapy targeting RAS activation may reduce target-organ damage and provide superior blood pressure (BP) control; combining angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) represents one possible approach"

Omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid increases SorLA/LR11, a sorting protein with reduced expression in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD): relevance to AD prevention - J Neurosci. 2007 Dec 26;27(52):14299-307 - "late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) ... DHA significantly increases LR11 in multiple systems ... Because reduced LR11 is known to increase Abeta production and may be a significant genetic cause of LOAD, our results indicate that DHA increases in SorLA/LR11 levels may play an important role in preventing LOAD" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Rosiglitazone increases dendritic spine density and rescues spine loss caused by apolipoprotein E4 in primary cortical neurons - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jan 22 - "rosiglitazone significantly increased dendritic spine density in a dose-dependent manner in cultured primary cortical rat neurons. This effect was abolished by the PPAR-gamma-specific antagonist, GW9662, suggesting that rosiglitazone exerts this effect by activating the PPAR-gamma pathway. Furthermore, the C-terminal-truncated fragment of apoE4 significantly decreased dendritic spine density. Rosiglitazone rescued this detrimental effect. Thus, rosiglitazone might improve cognition in AD patients by increasing dendritic spine density"

Supplement Focus (Silica):

  • Jarrow BioSil at Amazon.com
  • Siliconicon - Vitacost Health Library
  • Silica Hydrideicon - Vitacost Health Library
  • Moderate beer intake may cut Alzheimer's risk: study - Nutra USA, 12/17/07 - "After three months the researchers report that animals receiving the supplementary silicon, whether from beer or the silicic acid, had significantly lower blood aluminium levels, and higher faecal excretion of aluminium ... The lower blood levels resulted in slower accumulation of aluminium in the tissue, including the brain, which could have benefits for the prevention of Alzheimer's" - See Jarrow BioSil at Amazon.com.  I've been taking about 9 drops of this per day for years.  I stir it with my orange juice every morning.
  • Silicon may boost calcium/vitamin D bone benefits - Nutra USA, 11/23/05 - "Jarrow Formulas ... The effect was particularly pronounced in the PINP, the most sensitive bone formation marker. In the groups receiving six and 12mg of silicon, the improvements were “significant""
  • Silicon May Play Important Role in Bone Health - Doctor's Guide, 9/27/05 - "Silicon, taken as choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA) supplementation, might help improve bone health and type I collagen synthesis ... the benefits were especially apparent when evaluating changes in PINP, the most sensitive bone formation marker, and resulted in significant improvements after 12 months amongst the subjects in the six and 12 mg silicon groups" - See Jarrow BioSil at Amazon.com.
  • Silica for Bone Strength? - Dr. Weil, 9/16/04
  • Antiaging Products for Skin, Hair and Nails - Nutrition Science News, 10/00 - "stabilized orthosilic acid is the only form of supplemental silicon that has been shown conclusively to be bioavailable for humans" - BioSil is the only product that I know of that has this form of silica - Ben

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