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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 8/6/08.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

It was a slow week for significant health news.  That happens sometimes and other times it's the other way around:

Higher Plasma Folate Associated With Lower Colorectal Cancer Mortality - Medscape, 8/5/08 - "In a study that was undertaken to address concerns that folic acid supplements promote tumor growth in patients with a history of colorectal cancer, researchers found that in fact, higher plasma folate levels are associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer-specific and overall mortality"

'Exercise Pill' Is No Replacement For Real Exercise, Expert Cautions - Science Daily, 8/5/08 - "Media reports have described this substance as an “exercise pill,” potentially eliminating the need for exercise ... A complete list of the 26 benefits not tested in the paper is included below"

Vitamin C Injections Slow Tumor Growth In Mice - Science Daily, 8/4/08 - "high concentrations of ascorbate had anticancer effects in 75 percent of cancer cell lines tested, while sparing normal cells. In their paper, the researchers also showed that these high ascorbate concentrations could be achieved in people" - Note:  I was taking about 8 grams of vitamin C per day when I had neck cancer.  Maybe that's what saved me.

Lowering Cholesterol Early In Life Could Save Lives - Science Daily, 8/4/08 - "Our review of the literature convinces us that more aggressive and earlier intervention will probably prevent considerably more than 30% of coronary heart disease ... Studies show that fatty streak lesions in the arteries that are a precursor to atherosclerosis and heart disease begin in childhood, and advanced lesions are not uncommon by age 30. Why not nip things in the bud?" Such early signs of heart disease should be taken as seriously as early signs of cancer or diabetes"

Fish May Boost Memory, Prevent Stroke - WebMD, 8/4/08 - "Researchers reporting in tomorrow’s issue of Neurology have found that older adults whose diets include three or more weekly helpings of baked or broiled tuna and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to develop "silent" brain lesions that can lead to cognitive decline and vascular stroke" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Fructose May Make You Fatter - WebMD, 7/31/08 - "Fructose gets made into fat more quickly, and when that process is turned on there seems to be a signal that goes to the liver that says store all the other fats you are seeing"

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):

Inflammation, ageing and cancer - Mech Ageing Dev. 2008 Jul 10 - "Inflammation is necessary to manage with damaging agents and is crucial for survival. But, in our opinion, the pro-inflammatory status of ageing might be one of the mechanisms which relate cancer to ageing. The most appropriate inflammatory genes have been selected to survive and to reproduce. Paradoxically, inflammatory age-related diseases (including cancer) are the marks of the same evolutionistic trait. Centenarians are characterized by a higher frequency of genetic markers associated with better control of inflammation. The reduced capacity of centenarians to mount inflammatory responses appears to exert a protective effect towards the development of those age-related pathologies having a strong inflammatory pathogenetic component, including cancer. All in all, centenarians seem to carry a genetic background with a peculiar resistance to cancer which is also an anti-inflammatory profile" - See my inflammation page for ways to reduce it.

Effects of EPA on coronary artery disease in hypercholesterolemic patients with multiple risk factors: Sub-analysis of primary prevention cases from the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) - Atherosclerosis. 2008 Jun 19 - "Multiple risk factors besides cholesterol are associated with markedly increased incidence of CAD. High TG with low HDL-C represents a particularly potent risk factor. EPA was effective in reducing the incidence of CAD events for patients with this dyslipidemic pattern, suggesting that EPA may be especially beneficial in patients who with abnormal TG and HDL-C levels" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff:

  • Powermid remote extender (no affiliation with Crutchfield) - I bought one of these with an extra transmitter because my previous remote extender would not work with TiVo.  It will also work if you just one to put your players out of site in a cabinet or something.  It performs as if the TiVo was in the same room.  I've got the TiVo connected to three TVs and I bought two extra remotes at ebay.com.  TiVo still has the $200 rebate until the end of August.

Health Focus (Inflammation):

Popular Inflammation Medications:

Popular Inflammation Supplements:

Alternative Inflammation News:

  • Inflammation: Chronic - Life Extension Foundation
  • Natural Remedies for Inflammation - thenutritionreporter.com
  • MSM and DMSO - thenutritionreporter.com
  • Common Cooking Spice Found In Curry Shows Promise In Combating Diabetes And Obesity - Science Daily, 6/20/08 - "turmeric-treated mice were less susceptible to developing Type 2 diabetes, based on their blood glucose levels, and glucose and insulin tolerance tests. They also discovered that turmeric-fed obese mice showed significantly reduced inflammation in fat tissue and liver compared to controls. They speculate that curcumin, the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant ingredient in turmeric, lessens insulin resistance and prevents Type 2 diabetes in these mouse models by dampening the inflammatory response provoked by obesity" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
  • Failure To Bridle Inflammation Spurs Atherosclerosis - Science Daily, 6/18/08 - "When a person develops a sore or a boil, it erupts, drawing to it immune system cells that fight the infection. Then it resolves and flattens into the skin, often leaving behind a mark or a scar ... A similar scenario plays out in the blood vessels. However, when there is a defect in the resolution response -- the ability of blood vessels to recover from inflammation -- atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries can result ... Some natural mediators that 'cool' this inflammation are derived from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
  • Pomegranate extract may stop inflammation, says Bugs - Nutra USA, 6/13/08 - "COX-1 and COX-2 activity was significantly reduced in the pomegranate-fed animals, compared to control, particularly for COX-2. Indeed, COX-1 activity was reduced by about seven per cent following ingestion of the extract, while COX-2 activity decreased by about 26 per cent" - [Science Daily] - See pomegranate at Amazon.com.
  • Luteolin reduces IL-6 production in microglia by inhibiting JNK phosphorylation and activation of AP-1 - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 May 19 - "Luteolin consumption reduced LPS-induced IL-6 in plasma 4 h after injection. Furthermore, luteolin decreased the induction of IL-6 mRNA by LPS in hippocampus but not in the cortex or cerebellum. Taken together, these data suggest luteolin inhibits LPS-induced IL-6 production in the brain by inhibiting the JNK signaling pathway and activation of AP-1 in microglia. Thus, luteolin may be useful for mitigating neuroinflammation" - See luteolin products at iHerb.
  • What Else May Probiotics Do In Adults? - Science Daily, 5/20/08 - "It was found that probiotics have an anti-inflammatory potential seen as a decrease in serum CRP levels and as a reduction in bacteria-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells"
  • Plant Flavonoid In Celery And Green Peppers Found To Reduce Inflammatory Response In The Brain - Science Daily, 5/20/08 - "The new study looked at luteolin (LOO-tee-OH-lin), a plant flavonoid known to impede the inflammatory response in several types of cells outside the central nervous system ... Those cells that were also exposed to luteolin showed a significantly diminished inflammatory response. Jang showed that luteolin was shutting down production of a key cytokine in the inflammatory pathway, interleukin-6 (IL-6). The effects of luteolin exposure were dramatic, resulting in as much as a 90 percent drop in IL-6 production in the LPS-treated cells ... Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 are very well known to inhibit certain types of learning and memory that are under the control of the hippocampus, and the hippocampus is also very vulnerable to the insults of aging ... If you had the potential to decrease the production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain you could potentially limit the cognitive deficits that result" - See luteolin at Amazon.com.
  • Diets With High Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratios Enhance Risk for Depression, Inflammatory Disease - Medscape, 4/25/08 - "Whereas the early hunter-gatherers had a dietary omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 2:1 to 3:1, this ratio is now 15:1 to 17:1 in North America today ... It is believed that these dietary changes might be related to increases in inflammatory-related diseases, including depression and cardiovascular disease ... at higher levels of depressive symptoms, as the omega-6:omega-3 ratio increased, there was a marked increase in proinflammatory cytokine levels ... compared with the study participants who did not have syndromal depression, the 6 participants who had depression had significantly higher omega-6:omega-3 ratios and higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines" - See Mega Twin EPA 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"
  • Coffee consumption is associated with higher plasma adiponectin concentrations in women with and without type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study - Diabetes Care. 2007 Dec 10 - "High consumption of caffeine-containing coffee is associated with higher adiponectin and lower inflammatory marker concentrations"
  • Study gives vitamin K anti-inflammation boost - Nutra USA, 12/3/07 - "Limited in vitro data support the inverse association between vitamin K and interleukin-6, and this may influence the association between vitamin K and other cytokines, such as osteoprotegerin" - [Abstract] - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin K and Vitamin D Status: Associations with Inflammatory Markers in the Framingham Offspring Study - Am J Epidemiol. 2007 Nov 15 - "Vitamin K status, measured by plasma phylloquinone concentration and phylloquinone intake, was inversely associated with circulating inflammatory markers as a group and with several individual inflammatory biomarkers" - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.
  • Exercise May Play Role In Reducing Inflammation In Damaged Skin Tissue - Science Daily, 11/28/07 - "moderate exercise sped up how fast wounds heal in old mice ... the improved healing response “may be the result of an exercise-induced anti-inflammatory response in the wound.” ... Cytokines are molecules that signal and direct immune cells, such as macrophages, to the site of an infection ..."
  • Fitness Reduces Inflammation, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 7/6/07 - "the research “certainly suggests that fitness may be associated with a decrease in inflammation even independent of body fat and several things, and the mechanism may involve a parasympathetic anti-inflammatory reflex"
  • Diets With High Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratios Enhance Risk for Depression, Inflammatory Disease - Medscape, 4/26/07 - "Whereas the early hunter-gatherers had a dietary omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 2:1 to 3:1, this ratio is now 15:1 to 17:1 in North America today ... compared with the study participants who did not have syndromal depression, the 6 participants who had depression had significantly higher omega-6:omega-3 ratios and higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines"
  • Depressive Symptoms, omega-6:omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Inflammation in Older Adults - Psychosom Med. 2007 Mar 30 - "Diets with high n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios may enhance the risk for both depression and inflammatory diseases"
  • Soy Consumption, Markers of Inflammation, and Endothelial Function: A cross-over study in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome - Diabetes Care. 2007 Apr;30(4):967-73 - "Short-term soy nut consumption reduced some markers of inflammation and increased plasma nitric oxide levels in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome"
  • Natural Solutions for Inflammation - Dr. Murray's Natural Living, 5/23/06
  • Does Inflammation Cause Heart Disease? - Dr. Weil, 5/18/06
  • How to fight inflammation - MSNBC, 5/12/06 - "The intensity of this general inflammation can be measured by blood tests for markers like C-reactive protein (CRP), which is produced by the liver during periods of inflammation ... People with increased levels of CRP seem to have a greater risk of heart disease from damage to their blood vessels ... Chronic inflammation may also be connected to cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon and liver"
  • MIT Research Links Cancer, Inflammatory Disease - Science Daily, 4/5/06 - "The studies uncovered a surprising link between inflammatory diseases and cancer that may change how these diseases are treated in the future"
  • Reducing inflammation is the key to a stronger ticker. Six practical steps - deliciouslivingmag.com, 2/06
  • Supplements to decrease inflammation - deliciouslivingmag.com, 2/06
  • Influencing Inflammation? - Dr. Weil, 11/3/05
  • Fish Help the Heart by Fighting Inflammation - WebMD, 7/5/05 - "compared with those who said they didn't eat fish, those who ate at least 10.5 ounces of fish per week had 33% lower C-reactive protein and 33% lower tumor necrosis factor-alpha (another indicator of inflammation) levels as well as much lower levels of other signs of inflammation"
  • Healthy Gums May Help Fight Alzheimer's - WebMD, 6/20/05 - "Brushing your teeth may be one of many ways to help keep your mind healthy and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease"
  • Eating Oily Fish May Reduce Inflammation - Science Daily, 3/24/05 - "This research group recently identified a new class of aspirin-triggered bioactive lipids, called resolvins, the activity of which may in part explain the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids"
  • The dangers of inflammation - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 2/05
  • Effect of CLA supplementation on immune function in young healthy volunteers - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan 12 - "CLA supplementation also decreased the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta (P<0.05), but increased the levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 ... This is the first study to show that CLA, a fatty acid naturally found in dairy and meat products, can beneficially affect immune function in healthy human volunteers" - See iHerb or Vitacosticon CLA products.
  • Ease inflammation - Delicious Living, 11/04
  • Inflammation Syndrome a Red-Hot Topic - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 9/03 - "What are some of the key anti-inflammatory supplements? ... At the top of the list are omega-3 fish oils, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, an omega-6 fat that behaves more like an omega-3) and vitamin E. Several studies have shown that natural vitamin E supplements lower CRP levels by 30 percent to 50 percent"
  • Fish Oil Supplementation Reduces Severity of Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction in Elite Athletes - Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2003 Aug 6 - "These data suggest that dietary fish oil supplementation has a markedly protective effect in suppressing EIB in elite athletes and this may be attributed to their anti-inflammatory properties"
  • Habitual Dietary Intake of n-3 and n-6 Fatty Acids in Relation to Inflammatory Markers Among US Men and Women - Circulation. 2003 Jun 23 - "These results suggest that n-6 fatty acids do not inhibit the antiinflammatory effects of n-3 fatty acids and that the combination of both types of fatty acids is associated with the lowest levels of inflammation. The inhibition of inflammatory cytokines may be one possible mechanism for the observed beneficial effects of these fatty acids on chronic inflammatory-related diseases" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com or Vitacosticon.
  • Eating to Ease Inflammation? - Dr. Weil, 5/7/03
  • Anti-Inflammatory Diet Plus Fish Oil Effective for Rheumatoid Arthritis - New Hope Natural Media, 5/1/03 - "An anti-inflammatory diet and fish oil supplements are both helpful for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but combining them has an even greater effect ... The anti-inflammatory diet improved joint pain, swelling, and overall ability to function by 14%, while the Western diet did not improve symptoms or functioning. Benefits were observed with the addition of fish oil, bringing total improvement to 17% in those eating a Western diet and 37% in those eating the anti-inflammatory diet. Furthermore, the need for anti-inflammatory medications was significantly reduced for those receiving fish oil on both diets, although the group eating the anti-inflammatory diet had greater medication reduction. Medication usage increased for those on the Western diet plus placebo"
  • Protecting Blood Vessels From Stress - WebMD, 1/15/02 - "vitamins can improve blood flow and prevent the long-term development of atherosclerosis -- or hardening of the arteries -- when given in combination with an amino acid known as L-arginine ... antioxidants might work together with L-arginine to prevent inflammation in the branch areas of blood vessels ... although antioxidants may not reverse or repair pre-existing damage within blood vessels, they may slow the long-term progression of atherosclerosis" - See iHerb and Vitacosticon l-arginine products.
  • Can Herbs Combat Inflammation? - Dr. Weil, 12/3/02 - "Take 400 to 600 milligrams of turmeric extracts (available in tablets or capsules) three times per day or as directed on the product label. Whole turmeric is more effective than isolated curcumin, its major constituent. Look for products standardized for 95% curcuminoids. Be patient: the full benefit takes two months to develop. Don’t use turmeric if you have gallstones or bile duct dysfunction"
  • Scientists Say Inflammation Even Worse For Heart Than Cholesterol - Intelihealth, 8/6/02
  • A Message from Dr. Cooper - Wellness Insider, 5/22/02 - "the higher the pulse pressure, the greater the risk of having an elevated CRP ... "the findings suggest that a wide pulse pressure is associated with higher levels of inflammation," and that inflammation is increasingly "being seen as a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular events." ... Several things are known to lower CRP, including aspirin, vitamin E, and statins (cholesterol lowering drugs). Unpublished data from The Cooper Institute has also shown that exercise lowers CRP ... Early data from the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of Cooper Complete multivitamins is also showing a reduction of CRP"
  • Active Life Keeps Brain Healthy - WebMD, 5/21/02 - "An active lifestyle -- even if begun only in middle age -- spurs brain-cell growth and lowers risk of Alzheimer's disease ... In another study published in the same issue of the Annals of Neurology, researchers find that a particular chemical in the blood may be linked to Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases ... The chemical is called hs-CRP. It is a sign of inflammation -- the body's protective response to injury or infection"
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acid Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In Heart Transplant Patients - Doctor's Guide, 4/11/02 - "gave 25 stable heart transplant patients two capsules of omega-3 fatty acid daily - each capsule contained 500 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ... The results suggest that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation increased concentrations of the anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10, from 119 to 268 pg/mL (p=0.00008). There were reductions in systemic levels of pro-inflammatory IL-12, from 473 to 376 pg/mL (p=0.001), and IL-6, from 695 to 569 pg/mL (p<0.0001)"
  • Soy Fights Pain - WebMD, 3/15/02
  • Weight Loss Eases Harmful Inflammation - WebMD, 2/4/02 - "They measured levels of a blood chemical called "C-reactive protein," or CRP. This chemical goes up when inflammation in the body rises. Then, 25 of the women were put on a weight-loss program ... On average, CRP levels fell by 32% after a weight loss of about 33 pounds over 14 months"
  • Chronic Inflammation, The Epidemic Disease of Aging - Life Extension Magazine, 1/02 - "Chronic inflammation inflicts devastating effects, especially as humans grow older. The pathological consequences of inflammation are fully documented in the medical literature. Regrettably, the dangers of systemic inflammation continue to be ignored, even though proven ways exist to reverse this process"
  • Inflammation and Heart Disease - Life Extension Magazine, 1/01
  • Diet and Exercise Alone Shown to Lower C-Reactive Protein - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/01 - "Hs-CRP, a marker of low level inflammation, has been found to be a strong predictor of myocardial infarction and stroke in men and women, as well as subsequent clinical events in patients following major cardiac events ... a structured program involving a low-fat, Mediterranean diet and a supervised, three-times weekly exercise program for three months ... Values of hs-CRP dropped 31 percent after the three months ... body fat was reduced by 5 percent ... exercise capacity improved 36 percent"
  • Robert Culp spies arthritis relief - USA Today, 7/20/01 - "MSM — sometimes called DMSO2 — is similar, but has an additional oxygen molecule and a few advantages over DMSO ... Unlike its parent, MSM does not produce a sweet, garlic-like odor in the user. While DMSO was used primarily as a topical lotion, its ability to permeate tissue also brought contaminants with it. Impure industrial-grade DMSO, not of a pharmceutical quality, became common. Although MSM is available in lotion form, it is more commonly taken orally ... The most common theory is that MSM relieves arthritic pain through anti-inflammatory processes, perhaps through stimulating the circulation of oxygen-rich blood ... Other experts theorize that DMSO and MSM may both owe their efficacy to rich organic sulfur compounds"
  • Vitamin E Works As Anti-Inflammatory Agent In Type II Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 7/10/00
  • Scientists Discover How Aspirin Reduces Inflammation - Doctor's Guide, 11/4/98
  • Drug therapy of activated arthrosis. On the effectiveness of an enzyme mixture versus diclofenac - Medline, 1996 (I thought this study was interesting because it showed that Wobenzym® was as effective as diclofenac.  In another study, diclofenac was show to be as effective as Vioxx.  That said, it would make sense that Wobenzym should be as effective as Vioxx.)

Other Inflammation News: