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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/7/08.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Many Depressed Older Adults Lack Vitamin D - WebMD, 5/6/08 - "Researchers reporting in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry have linked low blood levels of vitamin D -- the "sunshine vitamin" -- and increased parathyroid hormone levels to depression among older adults" - See vitamin D products at iHerb.

Ibuprofen May Cut Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 5/5/08 - "Use of ibuprofen pain relievers like Advil and Motrin for more than five years reduced Alzheimer's risk by 44% in a study reported in the May issue of Neurology"

CoQ10 may cut muscle injuries for athletes - Nutra USA, 5/5/08 - "The volunteers had daily training sessions of five and a half hours per day for six days during the intervention period. At day three and five of the six day training period, the researchers report that both groups experienced increased in serum creatine kinase activity and the concentration of myoglobin, but these increases were significantly lower in the group receiving the CoQ10 supplements ... Elevated levels of the enzyme are indicative of muscle damage and injury ... levels of lipid peroxide, a marker of oxidative stress, were also lower in the CoQ10 group after three and five days of training" - [Abstract] - See Coenzyme Q10 products at iHerb.

Vitamin D3 for 1 Year Is Safe in Adolescents - Medscape, 5/5/08 - "Vitamin D3 at doses equivalent to 2000 IU/day for 1 year is safe in adolescents and results in desirable vitamin D levels"

Your Keyboard: Dirtier Than a Toilet - ABC News, 5/5/08 - "It turns out that your computer keyboard could put a host of potentially harmful bacteria -- including E. coli and staph -- quite literally at your fingertips ... one had levels of germs five times higher than that found on the toilet seat" - Note:  I put my keyboard in the dishwasher every once in a while.  It takes about a week before it will work again but I haven't had any go bad yet.  I've got several keyboards from old computers so I don't care if I lose one.  Also see Unotron Washable Corded Standard Keyboard S5000K-B - Keyboard - PS/2, USB - black.  I would think that if the regular keyboards worked in the dishwasher, these would also.  If you want to use those old keyboards you'll probably need an adapter like the Adesso PS/2 to USB Adapter, connects 2 PS/2 connectors to 1 USB port/hub (ADP-PU21 ).

HDL Cholesterol Linked to Lower Extremity Performance in Elderly - Medscape, 5/2/08 - "HDL-C levels were significantly associated with all indices of function ... participants with the highest HDL-C levels having the best physical performance"

Inflammatory Markers and Albuminuria Independently Predict Heart Failure - Medscape, 5/2/08 - "Interleukin (IL)-6, C-reactive protein, and macroalbuminuria are significant predictors of congestive heart failure, independent of obesity and other established risk factors" - Also see my inflammation page for ways to reduce it.

Juicing may boost a fruit's antioxidant punch: study - Nutra USA, 5/2/08 - "The juices also outperformed the fruit for protecting against atherosclerosis, measured by the aortic fatty streak lesion area or AFSA. This value was reduced by 93 and 78 per cent for the purple grape juice and the fruit, respectively, and by 60 and 48 per cent for apple juice and apple, respectively ... The results show for the first time that long-term consumption of antioxidants supplied by apple and purple grape, especially phenolic compounds, prevents the development of atherosclerosis in hamsters, and that processing can have a major impact on the potential health benefits of a product" - [Abstract]

Fast-Food Liver Damage Can Be Reversed, Experts Say - Science Daily, 4/30/08 - "Diets high in fast food can be highly toxic to the liver and other internal organs, but that damage can be reversed ... You can likely reverse the damage to your liver and other vital organs if you simply give up the unhealthy lifestyle"

Daily Aspirin May Cut Breast Cancer Risk - WebMD, 4/30/08 - "Overall, NSAID use wasn't associated with breast cancer risk. But women who reported taking daily aspirin were 16% less likely to develop estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. Those tumors are fueled by estrogen; most breast cancers are estrogen-receptor positive"

Regular Exercise Through Middle Age May Delay Biological Aging - Medscape, 4/29/08 - "Review of the available evidence suggests that a regular program of aerobic exercise can slow or reverse functional deterioration, lowering biological age by at least 10 years, and potentially prolonging independence by a similar amount"

Adiponectin Levels Indicative of Diabetes Risk - Medscape, 4/29/08 - "Baseline levels of adiponectin are inversely related to diabetes risk in subjects at high risk for developing the condition"

Low Vitamin D, High CRP Linked to Poorer Function in Heart Failure Patients - Medscape, 4/28/08 - "Lower vitamin D levels and higher C-reactive protein levels are associated with poor aerobic capacity and greater frailty in elderly patients with heart failure"

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):

Does the level of prostate cancer risk affect cancer prevention with finasteride? - Urology. 2008 May;71(5):854-7 - "Finasteride significantly reduced prostate cancer risk for all risk quintiles. For quintiles 1 through 5, odds ratios were 0.72, 0.52, 0.64, 0.66, and 0.71, respectively" - See finasteride at OffshoreRX.com.

Elevated white blood cell count is associated with arterial stiffness - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2008 May 2 - "These findings indicate that elevated WBC count is associated with arterial stiffness"

Reducing exercise-induced muscular injury in kendo athletes with supplementation of coenzyme Q10 - Br J Nutr. 2008 Feb 20;:1-7 - "Subjects in the CoQ10 group took 300 mg CoQ10 per d for 20 d ... These results indicate that CoQ10 supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscular injury in athletes" - See Coenzyme Q10 products at iHerb.

In vivo and in vitro regulation of syndecan 1 in prostate cells by N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids - J Biol Chem. 2008 Apr 30 - "These findings indicate that syndecan 1 is upregulated by n-3 fatty acids by a transcriptional pathway involving PPARgamma. This mechanism may contribute to the chemopreventive properties of n-3 fatty acids in prostate cancer" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and the Prevalence of Peripheral Arterial Disease. Results from NHANES 2001 to 2004 - Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008 Apr 16 - "After multivariable adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, physical activity level, and laboratory measures, the prevalence ratio of PAD for the lowest, compared to the highest, 25(OH)D quartile (<17.8 and >/=29.2 ng/mL, respectively) was 1.80 (95% confidence interval: 1.19, 2.74). For each 10 ng/mL lower 25(OH)D level, the multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratio of PAD was 1.35 (95% confidence interval: 1.15, 1.59). CONCLUSIONS: Low serum 25(OH)D levels are associated with a higher prevalence of PAD"

Phenolics from purple grape, apple, purple grape juice and apple juice prevent early atherosclerosis induced by an atherogenic diet in hamsters - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008 Apr;52(4):400-7 - "The results show for the first time that long-term consumption of antioxidants supplied by apple and purple grape, especially phenolic compounds, prevents the development of atherosclerosis in hamsters, and that processing can have a major impact on the potential health benefits of a product. The underlying mechanism is related mainly to increased antioxidant status and improved serum lipid profile"

Neat Tech Stuff:

There was a segment on the San Diego local news regarding natural gas powered Honda Civics. They claim the equivalent comes to $1.25 per gallon as does the Jay Leno video.  Both the Fox6 video and Leno video claim $1.25 per gallon equivalent but I think they are talking about the home units because the SDG&E plump says $2.67 per gallon equivalent put Poway Unified School has a pubic pump measured in therms at $2.00 per therm.  I calculate that to be $1.75 per equivalent gallon which seemed about right for the mileage (1 gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) = 114,118.8 BTU's = 1.14 Therms).  I bought the last 2008 that my local dealer had because someone cancelled out.  The price is around $25000 however that price is very practical when you look at a few things.  First there is a $4,000 federal voucher off you federal taxes.  That's a voucher not a deduction so that brings the cost down to $21,000.  Plus I was only getting 25 MPG with my Ford Focus.  With a previous Escort I was getting 33 MPG.  I'm figuring 30 MPG with the Honda.  I did the math figuring how many miles I've averaged per week, per month and per year since I bought the car and calculated the savings on gas to be $1560 per year.  That's adds up to $7800 over a five year period.  If you subtract that from the $21,00 it brings it down to $13,200 but it's probably better than that.  I used to live in Coronado, CA but now live in North County.  Anyone familiar with San Diego knows that people in North County put on a lot more miles.  If you figured I averaged 50 per week less in Coronado and 50 miles more per week in North County (8.3 miles more per day in North County) which is probably what I'm driving now the 5 year cost savings on gas would bring it down to $11,700.

On two tank full's I averaged about 35 miles per gallon on mostly highway driving.  The sticker says 24 city, 36 highway but I've never gotten anywhere close to those numbers with any other car.  (35 - 25)/25 = 40% more mileage than my Focus.  I used to get high test (called premium for the younger generation) for the Focus for at $4 per gallon.  So even without the lower price of natural gas, that's $16 less than the Focus for a 10 gallon fill up but high test is $4.12 now so it's even better.  Figuring $1.75 per equivalent gallon of natural gas and $4.12 per gallon for high test gas and using 40% better gas mile the savings would be ($4.12 - $1.75) * 10 * 1.4 = $33.18 per 10 gallon fill up but if the home refueling unit brings the cost of natural gas down to $1.25 it would be ($4.12 - $1.25) * 10 * 1.4 = $40.18 per ten gallon fill up.  If you used that 10 gallons per week (250 miles per week in my Focus) it would come to $40.18 * 52 = $2089.36 saving per year for the Honda natural gas at 35 MPG over the Focus at 25 MPG.  That's $10,446.80 over ten years so you can see how the savings can add up.  I think there must have been something wrong with the Focus that I only got 25 MPG though.  Whatever it was, it may have souped up the carburetor because it had the power of at least a 6 cylinder.  That $2089.36 savings per year would take $174.11 off the monthly payments.

The Leno video claimed that refueling from your home cost $1.00 to $1.25 per gallon equivalent and that having a home refueler locked you in at the baseline rate.  I tried to get some hard numbers on that.  Click here for my last San Diego Gas & Electric bill.  I couldn't figure it out but the bottom line is that 38 therms came to $54.61.  $54.61/38 = $1.43 per therm.  $1.43/1.14 = $1.26 per gallon.  So those public natural gas pumps must be making a killing with their markup.  Maybe that will come down as competition picks up.

There is a natural gas trip planner on the Internet.  If I went to Las Vegas I'd have to get fuel in Barstow and then Las Vegas has several places.  As far as Los Angeles, I could make it there and back on a tank easily plus there are several places in LA plus you can print out the gas stations from the Internet and put them in the GPS and find them easily.  San Diego has only 11 refueling stations but one is only about 2 miles away but I wouldn't need it with the garage refueler.  Another problem is that you only get about 225 miles on a tank.  The problem in San Diego is that they are sold out until the 2009 models in September.

It's estimated that demand will outpace supply of oil by the year 2023.  I would think that the US would have to start switching to an alternative at least 5 years prior to that.  I don't see any other option than natural gas.  With bio-fuel it used to take more gas to produce it than what you got.  Now it's a little less but not much.  They keep saying that they can get it down to something like .3 gallons per 1 gallon produced but I don't see it happening at the rate their going.  It seems like the people saying that are the ones getting paid to do the research.  Plus one of the reasons the price of food is going though the roof is because of the crops being used for bio-fuel.  Plus Time Magazine is saying that bio-fuel might even make global warming worse.  Plus I believe that we will run out of fresh water to grow enough bio-fuel.  Plus bio-fuel thickens at low temperatures kind of like when you put olive oil in the refrigerator.  Yeah, you can heat the fuel tanks but that's even more energy and another obstacle.  Yeah, I read about the Jatropha plant years ago.  It's supposed to grow nearly anywhere with very little water.  They know the numbers don't add up on that so they argue that they can grow it in poor countries and pay low wage to pick Jatropha seeds.  Sounds like code for the equivalent of childhood sweat shops paying kids 3 cents per day so people can run their SUVs.  It might be outside but it's just as hot.  I was going to buy stock in the main company producing it but had second thoughts the more I read.  If it was viable, why are we wasting our time with corn and soy?  Just doing rough calculations there is no way the numbers ad up.  I calculate that Jatropha will yield 5600 gallons per square mile per year (Slide 13 and doing the math).  There are 3,537,441 square miles in the United States.  So if planted every inch of the US, which is impossible with the lakes, road, building, etc., you would get 19,809,669,600.  So let's say 20 * 10⁹.  Then let's say 200 million people in the US average 20 gallons per week.  That's 208 * 10⁹. (that's less that the 284 * 109 that this site claims is the actual number in 2002 which shows how close my guestimates are).  That's still less than a tenth of what we need, probably about a twentieth of what we need growing every inch of the United States with Jatropha which is impossible.  Even with 8th grade math the numbers don't come anywhere near adding up.  You can't grow the equivalent of millions of years of dead dinosaurs.

When we switch, I don't know why anyone would go with hydrogen when I'm betting the natural gas cars will be a lot cheaper and will cost less than half to fuel compared to hydrogen.  I'm putting my money on it with my Honda GX and investing in the Phill natural gas refueler for my garage.  I called the cassette/8 track war (you really have to be old to remember that one) then VHS / beta war (at least we're up to the '80's).  I called CD's so fast that I went out and bought a player and it was a good two years before there was any kind of selection.  I was starting to wonder if I could have been wrong on that one.  Then Blue Ray / HD DVD war.  I'm calling natural gas as my bet on the automobile alternative energy war.  Hydrogen might be sustainable but I'll bet it will be 40 years before it is price competitive again natural gas plus it seems like we are already behind the eight ball in planning power plants to produce it.

There are so many problems with hydrogen that I don't see it happening in my lifetime.  First of all, it takes up so much space that the only practical way is to compress it into a liquid.  To get hydrogen from water into liquid hydrogen requires a tremendous amount of energy.  Where is that energy going to come from unless they increase the amount of nuclear power plants by at least 30 times?  Plus fuel cells require a rare metal which will become even more rare if we start producing fuel cells.  They keep saying that we should be able to find a substitute but what if they can't.  Plus the hydrogen atom is so small nothing will hold it completely.  The best they've been able to do is still losing 1.7% per day / 51% per month or half a tank due to leakage.  That's a huge loss in energy everyday when you figure the total number of cars for something that already required a huge amount of energy to produce.  Plus that's just not half a tank for you it's all the way down the line.  For example, if the gas station has a 30,000 storage tank and loses half that a month.  If the oil companies try to store liquid hydrogen in those huge storage tanks, not only will they need to be four times as large or four times as many to hold the same amount of energy but they will lose half that capacity every month.  Plus the tanks to hold liquid hydrogen are going to cost way more than the ones that currently hold petroleum.  You can see how fast that loss can add up and how that could add to the price.  If we are going to come up with the nuclear reactors to produce all that hydrogen we are already late.  It takes something  like 12 years to get them on line.

• Hydrogen - stanford.edu, 3/30/08 - "the disadvantage is that it needs about 4 times the volume for a given amount of energy [liquid hydrogen - gaseous is much much worse] ... Since the insulation can't be perfect, the hydrogen will gradually evaporate, typically 1.7 percent per day ... 2.12 times as much energy goes into generating and transporting liquid hydrogen by truck than you get into the fuel tank of the car"
• The Fuel Cell: Now, and in the Future - altenergystocks.com - "Fuel cells are very expensive, not due to the fuel use, but due to the materials required to capture the electricity. Electrodes used in the circuitry are usually made up of platinum, a highly expensive and rather rare metal. Sometimes, fuel cells require membranes to separate their electrodes, and these membranes are very costly"

From what I've read, solar energy cost about 3.5 times today's current rates. That might be an option to produce hydrogen but can anyone think of increase their home utility bill by 350%?  With solar panels it takes 4.5 year just to get the energy back that it took to manufacture them.  Those people you see on TV that claim they are saving money are doing some kind of voodoo math.  I got prices from a San Diego dealer when I was president of a homeowners association and did the math and there was no way it even came close to be cost effective.

I read one article that claimed wind power was only about 10% higher than today's rates so that might be a better option is you can install enough of them but that's something that will take many many years. However, an article I read a few years ago said that wind cost 40 cents per kilowatt which is about a 10 times higher.

Electric cars are a joke.  Every time you change energy from one form to another you lose a large percentage.  With electric cars you start with chemical energy in the form of natural gas at the electrical generation plant.  Then you change it to heat energy (combustion) to turn the turbine generator (kinetic energy) which turns it into electrical energy which goes through wires (more energy loss) which charges the car batteries (chemical energy again?) then back to electrical then back to kinetic energy to move the car (I count 6 conversions).  With natural gas you're just going from chemical to heat to kinetic energy (2 conversions).  That's got to be more total energy plus you're just moving the pollution from the highway to the power plant.

• Energy Rules! Energy Conversion and the Laws of Thermodynamics - Energy Conversion Introduction - uwsp.edu - "The amount of usable energy that results from the conversion process (electricity generation, lighting, heating, movement, etc.) is significantly less than the initial amount of energy. In fact, of all the energy that is incorporated into technologies such as power plants, furnaces, and motors, on average only about 16 percent is converted into practical energy forms or used to create products. Where did the other 84 percent go? Most of this energy is lost as heat to the surrounding atmosphere" - I'm wondering if they have those numbers crossed.  I remember something like a 40% loss per conversion in college but thought that was decreasing to 20% but I couldn't find any other sites that gave actual numbers.  I know I've seen furnaces advertised as being efficient in the high 80 percents.  The only other site I could find said a fossil fuel powered electric generating plant was 40% efficient.  That makes sense, 3 conversions (chemical to heat to kinetic to electric - .75 * .75 * .75 = .42 or 42%).  So electric cars (chemical to heat to kinetic to electric to chemical to electrical to kinetic - .75 * .75 * .75 * .75 * .75 * .75 = .13 or 13% efficient not counting the loss in the transmission wires from the electric company to where ever the car is charged which is probably another .9 in the equation).  For natural gas cars (chemical to heat to kinetic - .75 * .75 = .56 or 56% efficient).  Not good but a lot better than 13%.  The point is that every time you convert there is a significant loss therefore electric cars can't be very efficient at conserving energy.

We've got enough natural gas to last 250 years.  If we start using it for transportation it will probably cut that down to about 30 years but that's still 30 years of bought time.  In the mean time people need to rid their love of the SUV and start using Energy Star products and energy efficient bulbs.  Hopefully they will figure a way to produce energy with fusion but that may never happen.  Plus natural gas primarily consists of methane and methane is the primary cause of global warming.  It seems like they could increase that 30 years substantially by harvesting methane from animal and human waist.  You're not going to extend it indefinitely.  Just eye balling it one movement per day is not going to power my car for a day.  Methane is 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as far has global warming so harvesting it and turning it back into carbon dioxide and water by using it as fuel would seem to cut down on global warming by a factor of 20.  Cutting down on something by a factor of 20 that would have ended up in the atmosphere anyway sounds like a better option than even zero global warming fuels.  The bottom line is that I feel natural gas will win as the alternative fuel source for anyone old enough to be reading this newsletter.

Everyone wants to blame high oil prices on those evil capitalist oil companies.  Those oil companies have about an 11% profit margin.  That’s about a third of what Microsoft is.  How much profit do people think the oil companies are authorized?  Yeah, 9% would be better but do people really think that 2% off the wholesale price is going to make a difference?  Maybe we should deny the oil companies any profit at all so that there will be no incentive to find more cost effective ways to do things and gas would be even higher.  Better yet there wouldn't even be any incentive to find oil.  Then we could do like the old Russia and send the company presidents' families to Siberia if they don't find oil.  Yeah, that's the ticket.  People that think there's a better system might want to looks at the price of gas in other countries that import their oil.  I don't know why so many people are in denial that we're running out of oil and I don't know why there is so many paranoid schizophrenics that think everything is a conspiracy.  The problem is not the oil companies, it’s that we are running out of oil and despite the snow job on alternative energy there are no solutions that are even close to being easy.  Those people should be criticizing people with SUVs and people who are still using incandescent bulbs and people who aren’t buying Energy Star.  Yeah, oil companies make billions but that’s because 11% of a lot of money is still a lot of money.  These are huge companies.  Politicians who criticize and claim they have a magic fix are lying.  Tapping our oil reserves will just make things worse further down the line plus there's only 58 days worth in the reserves putting us in a really bad position if there's another embargo.  Those of us in the '70's remember the gas lines.  I was in college and remember studying while waiting in the lines.  At least you were usually able to get it if you waited long enough and it was an odd or even day according to your license plate and they didn't run out while you were in line.

It sure doesn't seem like our leaders have all this calculated out.  They haven't even eyeballed it or they would see what a terrible situation we are going to be in in a couple years if they don't come up with the power plants to produce all this hydrogen.

I feel I'm at least doing something by plugging natural gas cars.  Whatever alternative fuel we go with, wasteful use is still going to hurt our environment even if it's hydrogen produced my nuclear energy.  You still end up with the nuclear waste.  Plus we shouldn't build anymore nuclear reactors than what we can barely get by on.

I'm not an expert on alternative energy.  All the above is basic stuff yet the overwhelming majority of people are not even acutely aware of the problems.  I feel there is a bad moon rising with the energy crisis and no one's paying attention.  I worry that world leaders have hugely underestimated the cost of a hydrogen economy and that when we are forced to switch those costs will put us in a world depression worse than that of the '30's.  For that reason I question whether it should be legal to be wasting petroleum on SUVs and travel homes getting 4 miles per gallon.  It took the government this long to figure out that bio-fuel wouldn't work something that should have been obvious from the beginning based on fresh water along.

• Not so fast with biofuels, U.N. warns - MSNBC, 5/8/07 - "But with the surge in interest by the private sector, the rise in commodity prices and an awareness of the strain on water supplies that has resulted from biofuel production, “we now have to raise the red flags and say ‘be careful, don’t go too fast,”"
• Global Water Shortage Looms In New Century - arizona.edu, 12/99 (yeah 1999) - "According to the World Bank, world-wide demand for water is doubling every 21 years, more in some regions. Water supply cannot remotely keep pace with demand, as populations soar and cities explode"
• Water shortages will leave world in dire straits - USATODAY.com, 1/26/03 - "Severe water shortages affecting at least 400 million people today will affect 4 billion people by 2050. Southwestern states such as Arizona will face other severe freshwater shortages by 2025"
• Opec says oil could hit $200 - business-standard.com, 4/28/08 - "Opec's president on Monday warned that oil prices could hit $200 a barrel and there would be little the cartel could do to help"

I took this picture to email the guy giving the Phill estimate because I wasn’t going to be home when he came to look at it.    I’ve already gotten on my roommate’s case about that SUV:

Health Focus (Whole Grains):

• Whole Grains Fight Belly Fat - WebMD, 2/25/08 - "Both groups experienced a decrease in body fat, but the whole-grain group lost significantly more body fat from the abdominal region than the refined-grain group. Excessive fat around the midsection is linked to an increased risk of heart disease ... The whole-grain group experienced other benefits. For example, CRP levels dropped by 38% among those who followed a whole-grain diet"
• Whole Grain Diets Lower Risk Of Chronic Disease, Study Shows - Science Daily, 2/5/08 - "Consumption of whole grains has been associated with a lower body weight and lower blood pressure ... waist circumference and body weight decreased significantly in both groups -- between 8-11 pounds on average -- but weight loss in the abdominal region was significantly greater in the whole grain group ... the whole grain group experienced a 38 percent decrease in C-reactive protein levels ... Participants in the whole grain group also showed an increased intake of fiber and magnesium, both of which may prevent or delay the potential onset of diabetes"
• Oatmeal's Health Claims Reaffirmed, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 1/8/08 - "studies conducted during the past 15 years have, without exception, shown: ... total cholesterol levels are lowered through oat consumption ... low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the "bad" cholesterol) is reduced without adverse effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the "good" cholesterol), or triglyceride concentrations"
• More support for whole grains for healthy hearts - Nutra USA< 1/7/08 - "25 women and 25 men (average age 46, average BMI 35.8 kg per sq. m) were assigned to consume a reduced calorie diet (reduced by 500 kcal/d) with half of the subjects then randomly assigned to obtain all of their grain servings from whole grains or to avoid wholegrain foods for 12 weeks ... CRP levels fell by 38 per cent in the whole-grain"
• Whole Grains Cut Heart Failure Risk - WebMD, 10/22/07 - "the risk of heart failure among those who ate breakfast cereal at least seven times a week was 29% lower than that the risk among those who never ate cereal, after adjusting for other heart disease risk factors ... When researchers further analyzed the results they found this healthy effect was associated with whole-grain cereals only, not with refined breakfast cereals"
• Whole Grains vs. High Blood Pressure - WebMD, 8/10/07 - "Compared to women who reported eating less than half a daily serving of whole grains, women who claimed to eat at least four daily servings of whole grains were about 23% less likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure during the study"
• Grain Fiber And Magnesium Intake Associated With Lower Risk For Diabetes - Science Daily, 5/14/07 - "those who consumed the most cereal fiber had a 33 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than those who took in the least, while those who consumed the most magnesium had a 23 percent lower risk than those who consumed the least. There was no association between fruit or vegetable fiber and diabetes risk"
• Health Benefits Of Whole Grains Confirmed - Science Daily, 5/9/07 - "Consuming an average of 2.5 servings of whole grains each day is associated with a 21 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to consuming only 0.2 servings"
• Whole-Grain Oats Cut Cholesterol - WebMD, 4/18/07 - "people who ate whole-grain oatmeal had lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels compared with those who ate refined grain foods. The average reduction in total cholesterol levels was 7.7 mg/dL and the average reduction in LDL cholesterol levels was 7 mg/dL"
• Whole Grain Oats May Reduce Risk Factors For Coronary Heart Disease - Science Daily, 4/17/07
• Whole-Grain Cereals Cut Heart Failure - WebMD, 3/2/07 - "were followed for about 18 years, on average ... Those who reported eating at least seven weekly servings of whole-grain breakfast cereals were 21% less likely to develop heart failure during the study, compared with those who ate no whole-grain breakfast cereals"
• Starch Intake May Increase Risk for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - Medscape, 6/27/06 - "Starch intake was directly associated with increased risk for BPH with an OR of 1.51 ... The main sources of starch in the subjects were white bread, pasta, and rice ... An inverse relationship was observed for polyunsaturated fats (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55 - 0.93), linoleic acid (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56 - 0.94), and linolenic acid (OR, 0.71"
• Grains and Pasta (fiber content) - Intelihealth
• Whole wheat gets an image make-over - MSNBC, 5/10/06
• Wholegrains better than refined grains to lower bad fats - Nutra USA, 3/22/06 - "After eating the refined-grain diet the researchers found that serum levels of both triglycerides and apoCIII were significantly higher than after eating the whole grain diet"
• The hard truth about stone-ground flour - USA Today, 3/13/06
• How Nice, Brown Rice: Study Shows Rice Bran Lowers Blood Pressure In Rats - Science Daily, 3/3/06 - "adding rice bran to the diets of hypertensive, stroke-prone rats lowered the animals’ systolic blood pressure by about 20 percent and, via the same mechanism, inhibited angiotensin-1 converting enzyme, or ACE"
• Older Adults May Reduce Risk Of Metabolic Syndrome By Eating More Whole Grains - Science Daily, 2/6/06
• Older Adults May Reduce Risk of Metabolic Syndrome by Eating More Whole Grains - Doctor's Guide, 2/6/06 - "as whole-grain intake increased, fasting blood sugar levels were lower in these subjects. Refined grain intake, on the other hand, was associated with higher fasting blood sugar levels ... people who consumed high amounts of refined grains had twice the risk of having metabolic syndrome than those people who consumed the fewest servings of refined grains"
• Wholegrains ease metabolic syndrome in older people - Nutra USA, 1/12/06 - "Volunteers in the highest wholegrain intake group (3 servings per day) were statistically half as likely to develop MetS as those who consumed less than half a serving per day"
• Heart study strengthens interest in wholegrain products - Nutra USA, 7/28/05 - "Women with a history of heart disease who participated in a research study and reported having eaten six or more servings of per week had slower progression of atherosclerosis ... Insufficient milling breakthroughs had, until last year, prevented bakers from making a wholegrain bread with a similar taste and texture to white bread"
• How whole grains can fight disease - MSNBC, 3/4/05 - "A greater whole-grain consumption than Americans currently have is linked in several studies with lower death rates from both heart disease and cancer ... whole grain consumption can result in 17 to 35 percent fewer deaths from these two diseases"
• Whole Grains Help Your Heart - WebMD, 12/29/04 - "Eating just 25 grams of whole grains a day reduces the risk of heart disease by about 15%"
• Barley Helps Lower Cholesterol - WebMD, 12/8/04
• Eat Whole-Grain Carbs, Gain Less Weight - WebMD, 11/17/04 - "Eating 40 grams of whole grains a day cuts middle-age weight gain by as much as 3.5 pounds ... Whole grains have three parts: bran, germ, and the starchy endosperm ... all three parts of whole grains work together"
• Research: Refined Grains Expand Girths - Intelihealth, 6/21/04 - "three years they were tracked ... At the end, the white bread group had three times the fiber group's gain at the gut ... I think abdominal fat cells may be more sensitive to insulin's effects than other fat cells in the body"
• Eating Whole Grains Pays Off - WebMD, 2/19/04 - "greater consumption of whole-grain, cereal fiber, and diets with lower glycemic index were associated with better insulin sensitivity and were less likely to be affected by insulin resistant or the metabolic syndrome"
• Wholegrain intake associated with lower risk of metabolic syndrome - Nutra USA, 2/18/04 - "intakes of total dietary fiber, cereal fiber, fruit fiber, and wholegrains were inversely associated, whereas glycemic index and glycemic load were positively associated with insulin resistance"
• Buckwheat May Help Manage Diabetes - WebMD, 11/21/03
• Buckwheat May Be Beneficial For Managing Diabetes - Intelihealth, 11/18/03 - "extracts of the seed lowered blood glucose levels by 12 percent to 19 percent when fed to diabetic rats ... incorporation of buckwheat into the diet could help provide a safe, easy and inexpensive way to lower glucose levels and reduce the risk of complications associated with the disease, including heart, nerve and kidney problems"
• Higher Whole-Grain Intake Associated With Increased Insulin Sensitivity - Medscape, 11/7/03 - "Given that insulin sensitivity is one of the main predictors of diabetes, our findings support previous reports on the protective effects of whole grains on the risk of developing diabetes in men and women by substantiating one of the underlying mechanisms"
• Whole Grain Cereals Prolong Life - New Hope Natural Media, 6/12/03
• Searching for ideal diet in sea of conflicting food advice - USA Today, 4/20/03 - "Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at Harvard School of Public Health ... Willett has assembled an "ideal" diet of his own that relies on healthier plant oils instead of animal fats, and whole grains and high-fiber carbohydrates (think brown rice and wheat pasta) over refined grains like white rice ... It emphasizes plenty of vegetables and fruits, and healthy protein sources — such as fish, poultry, nuts and legumes — instead of red meat and high-fat dairy products. Willett also recommends a daily multivitamin, moderate alcohol consumption and regular physical activity"
• Whole-Grain Cereal Lengthens Lives - thesandiegochannel.com, 3/28/03 - "men who ate one serving of whole-grain, high-fiber cereal every day were nearly 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease or other diet-related diseases ... the more whole-grain cereal the men ate, the lower their risk of death from heart disease ... Whole-grain cereals contain the kind of fiber that helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and improves how the body processes insulin and glucose. Whole grains also have more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than refined cereal ... To make sure a cereal contains whole grains, check the ingredient list. Whole grain or bran should be listed as the first ingredient ... To be a whole-grain cereal, it must contain at least 2 grams of fiber per serving, preferably more"
• Breakfast Reduces Diabetes, Heart Disease - WebMD, 3/6/03 - "A daily breakfast may reduce the risk of becoming obese or developing signs that can lead to diabetes -- called insulin resistance syndrome -- by 35% to 50% compared with skipping the morning meal ... Their recommendation: A bowl of whole-grain cereal ... eating whole-grain cereal each day was associated with a 15% reduction in risk for the insulin resistance syndrome ... soluble fiber forms a gel-like material that prevents cholesterol and saturated fats from entering the bloodstream, where they can collect and form plaques on artery walls. The insoluble fiber in these cereals, meanwhile, helps keep bowel movement regular and may help reduce risk of colon problems"
• Whole-Grain Diet Reduces Diabetes Risk - WebMD, 9/22/03
• Breakfast Cereal and Heart Disease - WebMD, 2/26/03 - "the more whole-grain cereal the men ate, the lower their risk of death from heart disease or any other cause was. For example, men who ate at least one serving of whole-grain breakfast cereal per day had a 27% lower risk of death from any cause compared with those who rarely ate whole-grain cereal ... men who ate the most whole-grain cereals also had a 28% lower risk of death due to heart disease and a 23% lower risk of heart attack than men who ate the least whole-grain cereal ... whole grains are thought to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and improve how the body processes insulin and glucose. Compared with their highly processed and refined counterparts, whole-grain cereals also contain more beneficial micronutrients, antioxidants, minerals, and fiber"
• Whole Grain Intake Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men - New Hope Natural Media, 12/26/02 - "People who consumed the highest amount of whole grains (3.2 servings per day) had a 30% to 40% reduction in risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate less than 1 serving a day ... The benefits of whole grains may be due to their increased content of fiber, which is mostly removed in process of refining whole grains to white flour. However, some studies suggest that the higher amount of magnesium in whole grains also contributes to the lower risk of diabetes"
• Stuffing Rich in Antioxidants - WebMD, 11/8/02 - "In the crust, they found eight times more of an antioxidant called pronyl-lysine than in the crumbs. The original flour contained none of the compound ... Pronyl-lysine is formed during baking in both yeast-based and yeast-free bread"
• Diets High In Whole Grains May Reduce The Risk Of Developing Type 2 Diabetes In Men - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/02
• Whole Grains Reduce Long-Term Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes In Men - Intelihealth, 8/23/02
• Want to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk? - WebMD, 7/25/02 - "those who reported eating the most servings of whole grain foods tended to have lower insulin levels, lower body weights, and lower cholesterol levels ... The study is just the latest to find that foods such as slow-cooking oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, and certain processed whole grain breads and cereals are protective against type 2 diabetes. Eating whole grain foods has also been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease ... the wildly popular weight-loss programs that restrict or eliminate carbohydrates from the diet are delivering the false message that all carbohydrates are bad"
• Millet: A Good Grain? - Dr. Weil, 7/12/02
• Buckwheat Basics? - Dr. Weil, 6/7/02
• Diet Rich In Fruits, Vegetables Lowers Risk Of Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancers - Doctor's Guide, 5/24/02 - "Intake of whole grains and fibre derived from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) cancers"
• Food For Thought: Great Gains From Whole Grains - Intelihealth, 3/27/02
• Nutrient-Rich Quinoa Makes A Comeback - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 2/03
• Going Against the Grain, Consumers Have a Lot to Learn About Dietary Recommendations - WebMD. 3/14/01 - "the majority also incorrectly believed that 4.3 servings a day was enough. Since 1992, the USDA has recommended 6-11 servings a day, depending on age, gender, and activity level"
• Whole Grains Cut Ischemic Stroke Risk - Nutrition Science News, 12/00
• Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables May Decrease Stroke Risk - WebMD, 9/26/00
• Whole Grains Cut Stroke Risk In Women - Intelihealth, 9/26/00
• You Are What You Eat: New Theories About Rheumatoid Arthritis - WebMD, 4/18/00

Abstracts:

• The effects of a whole grain enriched hypocaloric diet on cardiovascular disease risk factors in men and women with metabolic syndrome - J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;87(1):79-90 - "Both hypocaloric diets were effective means of improving CVD risk factors with moderate weight loss. There were significantly (P < 0.05) greater decreases in CRP and percentage body fat in the abdominal region in participants consuming whole grains than in those consuming refined grains"
• Whole- and refined-grain intakes and the risk of hypertension in women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):472-9 - "Higher whole-grain intake was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension in middle-aged and older women"
• Whole-grain consumption is associated with a reduced risk of noncardiovascular, noncancer death attributed to inflammatory diseases in the Iowa Women's Health Study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1606-14 - "The reduction in inflammatory mortality associated with habitual whole-grain intake was larger than that previously reported for coronary heart disease and diabetes. Because a variety of phytochemicals are found in whole grains that may directly or indirectly inhibit oxidative stress, and because oxidative stress is an inevitable consequence of inflammation, we suggest that oxidative stress reduction by constituents of whole grain is a likely mechanism for the protective effect"
• Whole-grain intake and carotid artery atherosclerosis in a multiethnic cohort: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1495-502 - "carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT) ... common carotid artery (CCA) ... Whole-grain intake is inversely associated with CCA IMT, and this relation is not attributable to individual risk intermediates, single nutrient constituents, or larger dietary patterns"
• Blood glucose lowering effects of brown rice in normal and diabetic subjects - Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2006 May-Jun;57(3-4):151-8 - "The total sugar released in vitro was 23.7% lower in brown rice than in milled rice. In healthy volunteers, the glycemic area and glycemic index were, respectively, 19.8% and 12.1% lower (p < 0.05) in brown rice than milled rice, while in diabetics, the respective values were 35.2% and 35.6% lower. The effect was partly due to the higher amounts of phytic acid, polyphenols, dietary fiber and oil in brown compared to milled rice and the difference in some physicochemical properties of the rice samples such as minimum cooking time and degree of gelatinisation"
• Whole-grain foods do not affect insulin sensitivity or markers of lipid peroxidation and inflammation in healthy, moderately overweight subjects - J Nutr. 2007 Jun;137(6):1401-7 - "substitution of whole grains (mainly based on milled wheat) for refined-grain products in the habitual daily diet of healthy moderately overweight adults for 6-wk did not affect insulin sensitivity or markers of lipid peroxidation and inflammation"
• Fiber and Magnesium Intake and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Study and Meta-analysis - Arch Intern Med. 2007 May 14;167(9):956-65 - "Higher cereal fiber and magnesium intakes may decrease diabetes risk"
• Muesli with 4 g oat beta-glucans lowers glucose and insulin responses after a bread meal in healthy subjects - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Apr 4 - "Muesli enriched with 4 g of beta-glucans reduces postprandial glucose and insulin levels to a breakfast based on high glycaemic index products. A total of 4 g of beta-glucans from oats seems to be a critical level for a significant decrease in glucose and insulin responses in healthy people"
• Whole-grain diets reduce blood pressure in mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women - J Am Diet Assoc. 2006 Sep;106(9):1445-9 - "Systolic pressure was lower after the wheat/rice and half-and-half diets. Diastolic and mean arterial pressures were reduced by all whole-grain diets"
• Whole grains, bran, and germ in relation to homocysteine and markers of glycemic control, lipids, and inflammation 1 - Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):275-283 - "Whole-grain intake was inversely associated with homocysteine and markers of glycemic control ... Inverse associations were also observed with total cholesterol (P = 0.02), HDL cholesterol (P = 0.05), and LDL cholesterol ... Whole-grain intake was most strongly inversely associated with markers of glycemic control in this population"
• Cereal fiber and whole-grain intake are associated with reduced progression of coronary-artery atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease - Am Heart J. 2005 Jul;150(1):94-101 - "Intakes of total, fruit, and vegetable fiber, and number of servings of refined grain, fruits, or vegetable were not associated with progression ... Higher intakes of cereal fiber and whole-grain products are associated with less progression of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women with established CAD"
• Changes in whole-grain, bran, and cereal fiber consumption in relation to 8-y weight gain among men - Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Nov;80(5):1237-45 - "an increase in whole-grain intake was inversely associated with long-term weight gain (P for trend < 0.0001). A dose-response relation was observed, and for every 40-g/d increment in whole-grain intake from all foods, weight gain was reduced by 0.49 kg. Bran that was added to the diet or obtained from fortified-grain foods further reduced the risk of weight gain (P for trend = 0.01), and, for every 20 g/d increase in intake, weight gain was reduced by 0.36 kg"
• Whole-grain intake and insulin sensitivity: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Nov;78(5):965-71 - "Higher intakes of whole grains were associated with increases in insulin sensitivity"
• Why whole grains are protective: biological mechanisms - Proc Nutr Soc 2003 Feb;62(1):129-34 - "First, whole grains are concentrated sources of dietary fibre, resistant starch and oligosaccharides, carbohydrates that escape digestion in the small intestine and are fermented in the gut, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA lower colonic pH, serve as an energy source for the colonocytes and may alter blood lipids. These improvements in the gut environment may provide immune protection beyond the gut. Second, whole grains are rich in antioxidants, including trace minerals and phenolic compounds, and these compounds have been linked to disease prevention. Additionally, whole grains mediate insulin and glucose responses. Although lower glycaemic load and glycaemic index have been linked to diabetes and obesity, risk of cancers such as colon and breast cancer have also been linked to high intake of readily-available carbohydrate. Finally, whole grains contain many other compounds that may protect against chronic disease. These compunds include phytate, phyto-oestrogens such as lignan, plant stanols and sterols, and vitamins and minerals."
• Whole grains protect against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease - Proc Nutr Soc 2003 Feb;62(1):135-42 - "Generous intake of whole grains also provides protection from development of diabetes and obesity. Diets rich in wholegrain foods tend to decrease serum LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels as well as blood pressure while increasing serum HDL-cholesterol levels. Whole-grain intake may also favourably alter antioxidant status, serum homocysteine levels, vascular reactivity and the inflammatory state. Whole-grain components that appear to make major contributions to these protective effects are: dietary fibre; vitamins; minerals; antioxidants; phytosterols; other phytochemicals. Three servings of whole grains daily are recommended to provide these health benefits"
• Whole-grain and fiber intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes - AJCN, 3/1/03 - "Whole-grain consumption was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The relative risk (adjusted for age, sex, geographic area, smoking status, body mass index, energy intake, and intakes of vegetables, fruit, and berries) between the highest and lowest quartiles of whole-grain consumption was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.36, 1.18; P for trend = 0.02). Cereal fiber intake was also associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The relative risk between the extreme quartiles of cereal fiber intake was 0.39"
• Is intake of breakfast cereals related to total and cause-specific mortality in men? - AJCN, 3/1/03 - "Compared with men who rarely or never consumed whole-grain cereal, men in the highest category of whole-grain cereal intake ( 1 serving/d) had multivariate-estimated relative risks of total and CVD-specific mortality of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.94; P for trend < 0.001) and 0.80"

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